Clemmons and College transform MLK Day Celebration

Author: Eric Bartolloti

Martin Luther King Day (MLK Day) is about as old as a Middlebury student: 23 years. That is not very old for a national holiday. Most other national holidays have spent years developing their rituals, like the flags of Memorial Day, the fireworks of Independence Day and the fowl food of Thanksgiving. MLK Day does not have that chronological luxury, but it does have a backstory that matches any of the above three. The holiday also has help from institutions like Middlebury College and men like Francois Clemmons, both of whom are pushing this celebration to mature beyond its years in record time.
Anyone who has walked the Middlebury campus and seen the clusters of posters knows that a lot goes on during the MLK Day celebration. The celebration even has its own online page, listing more than 10 separate events, ranging from speakers to dances and prayer assemblies to art displays. The celebration is impressive not only in the number of events, but also in their consistency from year to year. Online news archives reveal that a surprisingly similar list of events has taken place over the past 11 years.
Without a doubt, the climax of Middlebury's MLK Day celebration has always been Clemmons' Spirit Choir. Clemmons's has linked his own Winter Term class, "The American Negro Spiritual," to the event, which has built up a loyal following of faculty, alumni and other community members who return to sing. The success of the choir is no doubt due to Clemmons' own personal experience with such celebrations, which date back earlier than the establishment of the official holiday. These include events such as evening-to-midnight vigils in New York and festivities at the Harlem School of Arts, which included both amateur and professional artists.
Since its introduction in 1998, Middlebury's own MLK Day celebration has emphasized the inclusion of all. As a press release from that year stated, "Although the King Day of Service ... is nationally observed on Monday, Jan. 19, Middlebury student leaders hope that choosing Saturday for the day of activities will allow more people to participate in the service projects."
This idea of making sure the celebration is accessible to everyone falls right in line with Francois Clemmons's statement that "this is not just a black holiday, just as Obama is not just a black candidate."
Indeed, this year's celebration stands out for an obvious reason: it occurs in conjunction with the inauguration of the first African-American President in United States history. Clemmons knew about this coincidence as soon as Obama began his campaign.With this monumental event happening on Tuesday, the celebrations effectively range over both days. In such a way, King's message is linked with Obama's vision of change, to which Clemmons remarked, "I didn't think I'd be around to see it!"
Memorial Day, Independence Day and Thanksgiving each occupy a 24-hour period. However, MLK Day is maturing right alongside the current Middlebury class. Seizing on Obama's promise of change, MLK Day is poised to evolve into a celebration that encompasses the wide breadth of the Rev. King's message. The College itself, with its weeklong series of programs, is at the forefront of this evolution.
That's not very old for a national holiday. Most other national holidays boast years of experience developing their rituals, like the flags of Memorial Day, the fireworks of Independence Day, and the fowl food of Thanksgiving. MLK Day does not have that chronological luxury, but it does have a back-story that matches any of the above three. The holiday also has institutions like Middlebury College and men like Francois Clemmons, both of whom are pushing this celebration to mature beyond its years in record time.
Anyone who has walked the Middlebury campus and seen the clusters of posters knows that a lot goes on during the MLK celebration. The celebration even has its own online page, listing more than ten separate events, ranging from speakers to dances and prayer assemblies to art displays. The celebration is impressive not only in the number of events, but also in their consistency from year to year. Online news archives reveal surprisingly similar lists of events for the past eleven years.
Without a doubt, the climax of M
dlebury's MLK celebration has always been Clemmons' Spirit Choir. Clemmons's has linked his own J-Term class, "The American Negro Spiritual" to the event, which over the years has built up a loyal following of faculty, alumni and townspeople who return to sing. The success of the choir is no doubt due to Clemmons's own personal experience in such celebrations, which date earlier than the establishment of the official holiday. These include venues such as evening-to-midnight vigils in New York and celebrations at the Harlem School of Arts, which included both amateur and professional artists.
Since its introduction in 1998, Middlebury's own MLK celebration has emphasized the inclusion of all. As a press article from that year states, "Although the King Day of Service...is nationally observed on Monday, Jan. 19, Middlebury student leaders hope that choosing Saturday for the day of activities will allow more people to participate in the service projects."
This idea of making sure the celebration is accessible to everyone falls right in line with Francois Clemmons's statement that, "This is not just a black holiday, just as Obama is not just a black candidate."
This desire to be inclusive, combined with the overwhelming number of events, presents MLK as a single day insufficient. Perhaps the term that we should we using is MLK season. The idea of a season rather than a single day promotes the kind of repeated, habitual service that would have made King himself proud.
This year's celebration stands out for an obvious reason: it is standing next to the inauguration of the first African-American in United States history. Clemmons asserted that he knew about this coincidence as soon as Obama began his campaign (I myself am embarrassed I didn't realize that fact until last week). With this monumental event on Tuesday, the celebrations effectively range another day, as if their scope weren't already wide enough. In such a way, King's message is linked with Obama's vision of change, to which Clemmons remarks, "I didn't think I'd be around to see it!"
Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving can all be accomplished within a twenty-four hour period, for their purpose is only remembrance. While MLK day undoubtedly encourages us to passively remember, now it also can encourage us to actively participate and serve, over and over. MLK day is maturing right alongside the current Middlebury class. Now piggybacking Obama's promise of change, MLK day is poised to evolve into a celebration that encompasses the wide breadth of this man's message. The college itself, with its weeklong series of programs, is at the forefront of the future of this holiday.