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A vibrant and colorful poster with the text %22BETTER TOGETHER%22 prominently displayed, set against a background of geometric shapes and patterns in shades of yellow, orange, and blue.

Better Together: Beloved Community in Action

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy, Rowland Hall will host its 5th annual MLK Week Program, with events and discussions aimed at sparking reflection and fostering solidarity towards collective action. Dr. King’s vision of the "beloved community" highlights the profound need for individuals to unite across differences, building a world grounded in trust, love, and justice for all. This year’s theme, Better Together, invites us to explore how the ongoing struggle for liberation is intimately connected to community, resilience, and connection.

Throughout the week, the Rowland Hall community will be encouraged to reflect on how our shared dreams for the future require deep listening, mutual understanding, and intentional relationship-building. By engaging with storytelling, dance, music, and discussions, participants will confront both the historical and present-day barriers to inclusion and representation, expanding our collective imagination towards a more just and inclusive future for everyone.

In a time of heightened division, Better Together: Beloved Community in Action reminds us of our individual and collective responsibility to work towards Dr. King’s vision of a world rooted in love, understanding, and solidarity.

Beloved Events

Better Together: Beloved Community in Action

Wednesday, January 14, 6–7:30 pm
McCarthey Campus Dining Hall

This community-wide event is part of Rowland Hall’s weeklong celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will begin with our guest speaker, Deepa Iyer, who will share her framework for social change and work supporting communities in building belonging for all. Following this presentation will be a performance by Bomba Marilé, an organization that shares Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of Bomba music, dance, and ancestral stories through educational and interactive events that foster healing, connectedness, and community.

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Learn more about our guest presenters

Better Together: A Daylong Program for Students

Thursday, January 15

Beginning and Lower School

During the Changemaker Community Program, Lower School students will experience the power of storytelling through a performance by Bomba Marilé, an organization that shares Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of Bomba music, dance, and ancestral stories through educational and interactive events that foster healing, connectedness, and community. Continuing a cherished tradition, students will create artifacts and participate in a parade to symbolize how they can contribute to building a more just and joyful world.

Our youngest Beginning School learners will also have an exciting opportunity to engage with the day's theme through an interactive afternoon program, where they will get to engage with guest author Deepa Iyer, who will read from her children’s book We Are the Builders and a short performance by Bomba Marilé. This activity will deepen their understanding of our theme of Better Together through shared movement and music.

Middle and Upper School

Middle and Upper School students will dive into meaningful conversations about cultivating a beloved community, participating in activities that feature storytelling, poetry, and music led by guest presenters Deepa Iyer, Dee-Dee Darby Dufin, and Ashley Finley to explore the role of storytelling, the arts, and active engagement as a vital leadership tool that helps us envision and shape better, more inclusive futures in community with others.

Changemaker Day of Community Engagement

Monday, January 19

In the spirit of cultivating the beloved community, students and families will have the opportunity to engage the community in service and a call to action. The program will include two community-based service projects and an opportunity to join the march sponsored by the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and the Salt Lake School District from East High School to the University of Utah campus. The event at East High School begins with speeches and inspiration, includes the march along 1300 East to President’s Circle, and concludes on the University of Utah campus in front of Kingsbury Hall with refreshments and additional speakers.

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Beloved Community Project

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