Officers of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) Club at Central High School spent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Molloy University’s annual Day of Service conference. The event—which was themed Lead with Love, Serve with Purpose—provided a platform for students to explore social justice, art, and leadership. The students attended the conference with advisor Marisa Díaz y Díaz.
The day began with a keynote from Dr. Wesley White, Professor of English Education & Adolescent Literacy, who emphasized the power of diversity in education, and implored attendees to push for positive change in the world. “Standing up for what you believe in and taking risks is the highest act of love you can do for your community,” he told students.
The conference also featured a spoken word performance, titled Dream, by student Indigo Ho Sun. Central students Fatima Haider and Alishba Chaudhry said the poem resonated with their respective cultures.
Throughout the day, students participated in interactive workshops. In the session Pass the Mic: Youth Voices for Justice, Central’s MSA students collaborated with peers from other schools to create an original skit addressing the theme of leadership and youth voice. Their performance depicted a hypothetical scenario of hijab discrimination in a school setting, and explored ways to self-advocate, including reporting the discrimination to higher ups in the school.
Additional workshops attended included Claiming the Sky: Art & Activism and MLK Connection to Global Citizenship in which students shared their own efforts to make a difference within their school and community.
Officers from Central’s Muslim Student Association attended Molloy University’s MLK Jr. Day of Service conference.
The day featured a number of workshops and activities themed around empowerment and pushing for positive change.
Students took part in a number of workshops.