Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity to honor his life and achievements as well as a time to reflect, to learn, and to engage in meaningful and memorable ways.

Day of Service
Burke’s partners with local community organizations, such as the National Parks Conservancy, the Richmond Neighborhood Center, and the Presidio Trust, to connect students and families with volunteer opportunities. Though school is closed, we always encourage families to spend this day together, connecting and supporting their larger community.

Lower School
With the theme of The Women Who Strengthened The Dream, each grade, from Kindergarten to fourth grade, selected a person who worked courageously to expand equality. The Lower School came together to share their reflections highlighting: Misty Copeland, the first African American female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, Gabby Douglas, the first African American gymnast to ever win gold in both the team and individual all-around at the same Olympics, and Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and Latina Supreme Court Justice. The third grade discussed Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, and our fourth graders shared what they learned about Septima Clark, famous for establishing "Citizenship Schools" to teach reading to adults throughout the Deep South.

Upper School
Each year at the Upper School MLK Assembly, students reveal a portrait created through a student collaboration in math class. This year the students chose to honor Medgar Evers and seventh grade speakers gave a brief presentation on his role as a civil rights activist in Mississippi and his work to end segregation and expand opportunities for African Americans, which included the enforcement of voting rights. Students from public speaking class also gave speeches on LGBTQ rights, Cultural Appreciation versus Appropriation, and Oprah Winfrey.

To learn more about how Burke's is committed to empowering girls to be agents of positive change in their school, the community, and the world, click here.
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