Whitefield Academy celebrated Black History Month with a Lower School field trip, a delicious dinner, and special chapels dedicated to the contributions of African Americans.
Fourth graders visited the home of Martin Luther King, Jr., the King Center, and Ebenezer Church, where King pastored, to learn about the powerful way in which King spearheaded the civil rights movement in America.
Throughout the month, Lower School students studied black history, and then recognized African American entrepreneurs in a special chapel service held Friday, February 27.
Whitefield announced the Second Annual Carver-Wheatley Essay Award, encouraging students to write an essay answering the following question, “How can we address instances of social injustice in twenty-first century America using Dr. King's ideas of non-violent protest?” Essays will be evaluated in three categories: 5th-6th grade essays, 7th-9th grade essays, and 10th-12th grade essays. Winners will be announced during the Awards Chapels in April.
The Middle School and Upper School also gathered together for a joint chapel to celebrate Black
History Month. Mrs. Princess Elmore, mother of Brandon Reed (’09) inspired the audience by opening the service with her beautiful rendition of “Home,” a song from The Wiz.
Special speaker Ron Swift, husband of Middle School Administrative Assistant Cordie Swift, then delivered a powerful message entitled, “Radical Transformation.” Using Scripture, Swift outlined God’s approach to unity and harmony between individuals and races. He spoke about the futility of man trying to solve the racial crisis with human methods.
“Paul writes in the Bible, ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave or free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ.’” said Swift, “Because we were all created by God, we all have a common design and a common destiny that unites us. Our likenesses have been subordinated, supplanted, and surpassed by matters that never ‘unite’, but actually ‘untie’ the common thread that binds us as one. By neglecting the ‘centrality’ of Christ we’ve attempted to solve a Christ-crisis with human means.”
Swift encouraged students to contribute to reconciliation of the races by molding themselves into the image of Christ and following him wholeheartedly.
“Until Jesus functions as life, no real union as one can exist,” he said. “Human effort is superficial but the work of Christ is supernatural.”