Kathryn Querner ‘22
Staff Editor
On Monday, January 20, for the first time in its history, the University of Virginia School of Law joined most academic, professional, and governmental institutions in observing the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The societal ideals for which MLK stood—equality, justice, and human rights advocacy—are constantly challenged, so taking a holiday on this day interrupts our routine to remind us of these ideals and gives us a chance to recognize the sacrifices that have been made in the pursuit of achieving them.
Recognizing this holiday also demonstrates the Law School’s commitment to upholding MLK’s legacy and the equality for which he stood.
LPS Scholars rake leaves in the memory of MLK. Photo credit Kathryn Querner ‘22.
When asked for her thoughts on the school’s recognition of the MLK holiday, Dean Goluboff commented, “I am so pleased that the Law School is able to close in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. While we have, for many years, commemorated Dr. King’s legacy with events and lectures held at the Law School, this is the first time students, staff, and faculty will have the opportunity to spend the day reflecting on the questions of freedom and equality that marked Dr. King’s life.”
UVA Law is located in a city plagued by a history of divisive racism; just three years ago, white supremacists converged in Charlottesville to riot in violent promotion of their far-right agenda. And on January 15 of this year, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency, temporarily banning weapons on the grounds of the State Capitol of Richmond in anticipation of a pro-gun rally with a credible threat of protests and rioting by extremists and hate groups.
As a Law School producing leaders and change-makers, we must acknowledge that racism is still very much a reality in our own immediate community and that it continues to pervade American society. By recognizing and celebrating MLK, we have an opportunity to honor his accomplishments by reflecting on his life’s work. More importantly, we have the opportunity to consider how we might work to further promote MLK’s mission and ideals. What positive changes might we, as students and future lawyers, bring about to achieve racial equality and abolish the hatred that has recently reappeared at the forefront of American political culture?
Peter Kaplan ‘22 and Molly Cain ‘20 brave the brisk January temperatures. Photo credit Kathryn Querner ‘22
In honor of MLK, various organizations at UVA have organized events to promote equality and community advocacy. One such organization is the Program for Law and Public Service (LPS), which organized an event on MLK Day to give back to the Charlottesville community.
A few LPS fellows organized the MLK Day of Service, including LPS co-president Samantha Thoma ’20, who shared, “During my first two years here, I had been confused and frustrated that the Law School didn't recognize MLK Day by giving the Law School community the day off from classes. More than wanting an additional day of winter break, I felt that the first day of the semester coinciding with MLK Day greatly distracted from what we as a community should have been celebrating and reflecting on and instead focused on catching up with classmates… Through this service opportunity, we hoped to provide our fellows with the opportunity to celebrate MLK Day as a day ‘on,’ not a day ‘off.’”
This year, for its very first MLK Day of Service, LPS students volunteered their efforts at Camp Holiday Trails. Camp Holiday Trails is a year-round non-profit camp for children with various medical needs. Volunteers contribute to the program and help to make its work possible by raking leaves, clearing trails, and painting fences, among other things. Most children attending the summer camp are able to attend because they receive some sort of financial aid, and 81 percent of these children are from the state of Virginia. At 8:30 a.m., about twenty-five LPS fellows gathered in the Dean’s parking lot for Bodo’s bagels and coffee, then carpooled to Camp Holiday Trails, located in Charlottesville, about a ten-minute drive from the Law School.
Leaves successfully raked. Photo credit Kathryn Querner ‘22
Once at the campgrounds, the students split into two groups; one group was tasked with cleaning the recreational hall and the other worked outside raking leaves to prepare the grounds for summer campers. Although the temperature hovered around a chilly 30 degrees Fahrenheit, the students working outdoors stayed warm by raking and blowing leaves, and carrying piles to drop off in the nearby woods.
1L student and LPS Fellow Emily Hockett assisted with the raking, and commented on the difficult nature of the work, “It was great to bond with my other LPS Fellows. As a Californian, I didn’t know much about leaves or raking them, so that was quite enlightening—there were a lot of leaves and raking is hard.”
By the time both groups finished around noon, the hall had been thoroughly cleaned and the grounds were leaf-free.
When asked what she hoped that students would learn from this event, Thoma said, “We hope this event serves as a reminder that while we are only here for a few short years, we can, and should, begin our legal careers in service to others…It can be all too easy as a member of the Law School community to forget that an entire city exists outside of North Grounds. Volunteering in the community reminds us that those communities exist and there are lots of ways to get involved.”
The Law School has also honored MLK’s legacy through various events, including a discussion of racial biases by Stanford University social psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt on Tuesday, January 21 and a conference that UVA Law will co-host on January 30-31 geared toward healing hate and identifying racial injustices within the public health sector.
The Law School’s decision to recognize MLK Day marks an important symbolic step in working toward racial equality, but rather than sitting back, patting ourselves on the backs, and viewing this step as a final accomplishment, let’s consider what other positive changes that we as students and future lawyers can make.
As MLK said in a speech he delivered in 1967, “A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies.” I am proud to be a part of a community that is actively striving to make progress toward ending racial injustices and inequalities. But above all, I hope that the school’s recognition of MLK Day reminds us of all the work that is to be done and encourages us to reflect on how we might take action to promote racial equality both within our Law School and within the greater global community.
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kmq8vf@virginia.edu