Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.”

That was certainly the feeling at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration – A Community event Celebration of Diversity, on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at Coginchaug High School.

Although attendance was light - likely due to people needing to park around piles of snow and drive over ice from the recent storm - the feeling in the air was one of unity. The event was planned by the John Lyman Parent Association in order to get people to reflect “on themes of peace and justice and the history of the civil rights movement,” wrote Mark Dionne, president of the John Lyman Parent Association, in a flyer announcing the event. The Connecticut Valley Education Foundation funded the night.

The main attractions included a concert by Victoria Christgau, founder and director of the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence, as well as a peace-project exhibit by District 13 students.

“We asked the local schools for artistic contributions using the themes of peace and justice. The response was overwhelming. [We received] displays including paintings, writing, video interviews, slide shows and a dance demonstration. This celebration evolved from a concert to a community showcase,” Dionne said.

Student Project Exhibition

The night began with a showcase of work by students, including collages, board games, posters, tiles and videos. Coginchaug students Kara Levine, Alexis Martowski and Abby Kotlarz created a four-paneled poster describing four types of discrimination they felt still existed today. "Immigration Status, Race, Sex and Sexual Preference" were the themes. Images and text were found through Google searches.

The famous poets Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were influential on modern day civil rights activists. Sarah DeSilvesttro, Justine Plourde and Melissa Gerardi learned about these poets in their American Studies class at Coginchaug and created a painting and pamphlet describing how they viewed Thoreau and Emerson, who inspired other peace-seekers such as Gandhi, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Videos presentations showcased other student's projects. Juniors' Ben Plant, Rachel Foley and Colin Plant videotaped their sociological experiment of segregating the high school's water fountains; one for girls and one for boys. The trio discovered a mixture of reactions including one student who ripped the signs down in anger. One student actually switched water fountains upon seeing the signs, but most students just appeared confused. Another video showed John Lyman and Strong school students interviewing two adults, Susan Nathiel and George Higgins, who were previously involved in civil rights movements. Guided by teacher Carol Sibiskie and others, students Connor Zolnik, Rebekah Ortega, Jocelyn Ram, Saige Avery and Caitlyn Sibiskie ran the interviews while many other students asked questions.

John Lyman students also created “tiles,” each containing words and images related to District 13's core ethical values and the concepts of peace and freedom taught by King.

A "Road to Freedom Game" created by Coginchaug students Emily Carria, Ashley Pen and Laurel Chausse depicted situations that slaves may have encountered during escape using the Underground Railroad. A poster also showcased quilt designs used as messages to escapees. Homeowners working as part of the Underground Railroad would hang quilts “out to dry” with a specific design sending a secret code to those involved in the freedom plan.

Peace Education through Music

“The idea for this event came about last year," Dionne said. "As a visiting artist at John Lyman Elementary School, Victoria Christgau, was well liked by the parents and kids. We wanted an event that would bring the community together and, with Victoria's experience performing in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, it seemed like a perfect fit."

Swing dancers Monika Malek and Rachel Viccaro, both students at Coginchaug, warmed up the crowd with a demonstration. Next Christgau, along with vocalists and percussionists, performed “songs reminiscent of the civil rights movement” such as “We Shall Not Be Moved," “Over My Head” and “The Storm Is Passing Over.”  African gourds and a Latin American box drum, called a “cashe,” added a great beat.

Inserted into the musical presentation were speakers and questions for the audience. A former Coginchaug student, who is now a professor, explained that everyone can find truth and peace if they realize what they are passionate about. For him it was running track at Coginchaug.   

Warren Hardy, “Peace Builder” and member of the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence, spoke of his experiences changing and “saving the lives of others” through his peace work in Hartford, where he resides with his wife and children. Hardy said he “tries to get kids in the city of Hartford back on track.”  He reminded the crowd that the work King carried out was dangerous, adding that “people have to inconvenience ourselves to make a difference.”

Hardy encouraged the audience to treat others as you would want your children treated when you are not present and thereby create a "beloved community" for all. A large graphic “Peace it Up” concisely donned the back of his shirt.

The music resumed toward the end of the program and audience members really got into the swing of things when invited to dance. All generations clapped and boogied to the music. Young kids were invited up on stage to close the program by singing, dancing and holding hands with the musicians and speakers.

“Several projects were already going on in the community and this celebration provides an opportunity for things like the Rachel's Challenge Chain Reaction and student essays to find another audience,” Dionne explained.

"Several district teachers, especially Sarah Aceto at Coginchaug and Carole Sibiskie at John Lyman, worked extremely hard to make the event larger and more exciting than we originally envisioned,” he said.

Funding for the event came from a grant by the Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation.

“None of this would have happened without CVEF's generous grant," Dionne told Patch.

Dina D’Amato, who was on the foundation’s grant selection committee, said the group chose to fund the event because “the program supports the CVEF’s mission which is to promote excellence, innovation and creativity in education for our community. Being held at night, this celebration teaches the entire community about the importance of the civil rights movement. It also embraces the arts by communicating through music, painting and dance. The peace message is also folded into the school’s lessons.”