February 14, 2024 by Eliza Krackeler (‘24)
February, also known as Black History Month, finds MLK Saratoga in a state of constant motion. A group dedicated to the pursuit of a unified community, this organization constantly works to find new ways to spread its mission throughout Saratoga Springs through interactive and creative events.
Holly Hammond, current Board Treasurer of MLK Saratoga, said she first got involved with the organization through the MLK Day Planning Committee. Sharing Dr. King’s vision with the community each year on the national holiday has always been a significant part of their mission.
“The annual event was meaningful and it was clear our city needed more community events and programs that fostered and promoted racial and social justice,” Hammond said.
And Hammond really saw it through. She joined MLK Saratoga and has been a part of their efforts for the past 12-15 years, watching the world change from a perspective based in the pursuit of equity for all. “The best way to support something is to get involved,” Hammond said, in her introduction to the group.
MLK Saratoga has expanded their commemoration to a four day weekend of free events for all ages–music and spoken word performance, film, community service and art projects, panel discussions and forums. They also now partner with other social-justice minded organizations and businesses to offer such programming throughout the year.
MLK Saratoga, an official non-profit organization for the past three years, is constantly seeking support from the community. Currently, the organization is responsible for planning and hosting four days of events around January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with an emphasis on “performance, the arts, and dialogue,” according to Hammond. They are always brainstorming new ways to increase community interaction through accessible and inviting programs.
The mission of these events, a sentiment shared by Dr. King, is peace and justice for all, which must include the elimination of racism and discrimination. But such an ambitious goal, particularly in a country with as significant racial and wealth inequities as the United States, comes with plenty of obstacles. Here at Saratoga Springs High School (SSHS), the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) finds itself facing many similar challenges in the effort to increase diversity in hiring.
Michael Ngadi, member of the DEI Committee and responsible for the recruitment of a diverse staff, has encountered problems that make it difficult to find qualified applicants. He said, “For example, the number of college students enrolling in teacher programs has decreased over the years which means the pool of new teachers we can hire from is small.” The mission of his subgroup within the DEI is to hire qualified and diverse young applicants to bring different teaching styles, ideas, and strategic initiatives to help the SSHS student body succeed.
A mission aligned with that of MLK Saratoga. Hammond often wonders, “How can we reach young people so that they want to get involved?” MLK Saratoga offers a myriad of events throughout the year, including an upcoming concert at Caffè Lena. A venue often frequented by an older, white crowd, MLK Saratoga hopes to get a more diverse and younger audience involved.
“You [SSHS students] are the hope and leadership of tomorrow,” said Hammond. A tried-and-true method for getting youth involved, as seen in the recent Amnesty International Riff for Rights Caffè Lena event, is through food and music. On February 9th at 8pm, Caffè Lena is bringing in Crys Matthews, a black lesbian singer-songwriter and civil rights activist, to perform at this renowned Saratoga venue. MLK Saratoga is working alongside several local groups to fill the house with a diverse and young crowd.
In an online interview, Matthews said, “I quickly realized that some folks… would rather people like me be seen in country and Americana museums but not heard on country and Americana radios.” Much of her music speaks to her experiences of undergoing prejudice and injustice. MLK Saratoga aims to elevate her voice and share her perspective with the younger generation.
A proponent for a unified and equitable community, MLK Saratoga and Dr. King share the same goal in uniting the general public for social justice through the promotion of black voices like Matthews’. As Dr. King once said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
This quote conveys that as a people, we are never truly free until everyone is free. We are bound as a human race, constantly experiencing the result of the decisions of others. Reflecting on this quote, Hammond said, “If we’re paying attention, if we’re truly a compassionate, empathetic people, and we’re paying attention to what’s going on around us, how can we not be distressed, upset, outraged at the inequities?”
People within the United States, and around the world, continue to experience such inequities. “How can we also not be outraged at how they [the aforementioned injustices] are perpetuated? People are used to these systems, that this is the way things have to be.” And much of MLK Saratoga’s goal is to begin to change this narrative, to carry out Dr. King’s mission starting with the Saratoga community, on civil and human rights injustices.
Hammond expressed a desire to change the system through MLK Saratoga. She said, “And if we don’t fully acknowledge that my quality of life is bound to yours, if we’re really paying attention and care about humanity, we have to be invested in making the world better for everyone.”
Upcoming events:
Crys Matthews’ Caffè Lena concert at 8pm on February 9th!
Skidmore FREE lecture by civil rights activist, Loretta Ross, at 6pm on February 29th!
…and MORE, found at mlksaratoga.org