LHS holds second annual in honor of Dr. King.
By: Jason Schwartz
It was a day on, not a day off.
It was a day to remember, celebrate and act.
It was the second annual Day of Service Learning in commemoration of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Lawrence High School on Monday.
Participants heard messages meant to inspire them to follow in the footsteps of the civil rights leader.
A quote by Dr. King, "Everybody can be great, because anyone can serve," was projected on a screen in front of the auditorium and printed on the programs that greeted people as they entered to honor the Dr. King through speech and song.
The program began with an introduction of keynote speaker, Eleanor Horne, a Lawrence resident and vice president and corporate secretary of Educational Testing Service. Making the introduction was LHS graduate and current Princeton University student Justin Reed. He praised Ms. Horne through one of Dr. King’s songs, "Drum Major Instinct."
"Say that I was a drum major for justice, for peace, for righteousness," he said. "I just want to leave a committed life behind. Ms. Horne is certainly a drum major in our band."
In her keynote address titled, "Scratching Beneath the Surface," Ms. Horne asked the audience to look at things differently.
"Try looking at things from another perspective," she said. "Martin Luther King said that people should be judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin."
Ms. Horne, who has worked for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, fact-finding agency that deals with most elements of discrimination, offered her take on what Dr. King would think of Lawrence Township.
"If Dr. King were alive today, what would he see on the surface (of Lawrence)?" Ms. Horne asked. "He’d see a wonderful community. He’d see a community concerned about fairness and diversity. He would see a great deal that pleased him, however, he would see there is a lot of work to be done. He would urge us to become a showcase for other communities."
Ms. Horne was asked to speak on short notice after the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker pulled out due to unforeseen health concerns.
The Rev. Walker is the former chief of staff for Dr. King, a senior pastor of the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in New York’s Harlem Community, the recipient of the 1999 Lifetime of Courage Award, and a leader of the civil rights movement.
Ms. Horne ended her speech by saying, "If Dr. King were alive today, he would stress one word above all others: Together."
The school district was pleased with the turnout and potential impact of the community event.
"Every Town Council member and the mayor were here today," said Superintendent of Schools Max Riley. "This is the primary cultural event in town and I expect it will only grow from here."
His point was echoed by LHS student members of the Society of Adolescent Philanthropists, a student-run organization that actively participates in community service activities and provides opportunities for every student to help out in the community. SOAP was involved in organizing the event.
"I was a little surprised at the turnout," said SOAP officer Mike Warren. "This was the first year we were involved, but I am just amazed at how much the community cares."
Fellow officer Chaz Sumners was equally impressed with the well-over 200 attendees at the event this year.
"I’m incredibly proud and surprised," Chaz said. "It’s good to know that this many people want to show support in regard to Martin Luther King."
SOAP also invited community service organizations from all over Mercer County to participate in a community service fair after the speech. Participants in the fair had the opportunity to honor Dr. King’s memory by learning what they could do to help those in need through the organizations present.
Organizations represented by booths included the seven Lawrence Township public schools, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Lawrence Community Foundation, First Union Bank and ETS.
To end the program, the audience joined together with those involved in presenting in a group rendition of "We Shall Overcome."
The message of the day was not lost on the participants, according to LHS student Neal Taunk.
"All the speeches were amazing and overall it was incredibly inspirational," said Neal, who is also a member of SOAP. "This is only going to help in organizing this in the future."

