photo by: AP Photo

In this AP photo, Martin Luther King Jr. holds up his book, "Why We Can't Wait."

Ever since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, there have been groups trying to bring the message to life. A group of local high school students are hoping that happens on the Lied Center stage on Thursday as part of the Lawrence school district’s annual “One Dream Celebration.”

Planning for the event has been going on for months, and much of the credit goes to roughly two dozen high school students who make up the Student Equity Council. In late August, during the same week as the landmark speech’s 60th anniversary, those students began studying King’s work and the March on Washington, inspiring the event’s theme: “Together, We are the Dream, United as One Voice.”

Cynthia Johnson, the district’s executive director of inclusion, engagement and belonging, said that the plan was for students to “capitalize on that milestone” while exploring the speech’s generational impact and “what it really means for us today.”

“What this theme really does is allow us to illuminate the past and celebrate what we’re currently doing in the present,” Johnson said, “while also looking toward the future.”

The students were tasked with selecting a passage that they believe encapsulated the speech. Johnson said she was impressed by the council’s choice because it’s one that is not often quoted: “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

“I’m still amazed at their analysis of the speech and how they selected that quote,” Johnson said.

Enter the ‘Artivist’

As part of their research into King, students also studied Los Angeles-based artist Nikkolas Smith’s children’s picture book “The Artivist.” One reason for that is that Smith is slated to be the keynote speaker for the One Dream Celebration.

And as part of the district’s equity focus, Johnson said each of the district’s buildings was supplied with copies of the recently released picture book, which centers on ways that children can incorporate art and activism in their daily lives. According to Johnson, the book “gives students an opportunity to see how he uses his illustrations as a voice to point out injustices in the world, while also using his art to bring about healing.”

photo by: The Artivist/ Penguin Random House

The Artivist is a book by author and illustrator Nikkolas Smith, who will be in Lawrence on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 as the keynote speaker for the Lawrence school district’s One Dream Celebration.

Johnson said that the equity council drew parallels between King’s speech and Smith’s book, adding that both use their “talents and gifts” to inspire change.

“We look at Dr. King in ‘I Have a Dream’ and how he used his gifts and talents during the civil rights movement to incite change in our world in a nonviolent way,” she said. “Then we fast-forward and look at how people like Nikkolas use their gifts and skills to incite change. And that’s why we’re focusing on ‘The Artivist’ — we bridge that gap from 1963 to 2023.

“That’s what we’re bringing to people, and Nikkolas will pull all that together.”

Johnson said two elementary school classes have already begun studying the book. And, as part of his itinerary while in Lawrence, Smith is scheduled to visit eight of the district’s middle school classrooms to discuss the book.

Among Smith’s other work is an abstract portrait of George Floyd that gained national attention in 2020.

“I’m always looking at what’s going on in the world and trying to reflect that,” Smith said in a interview with NPR in 2020. “There are so many Black lives that have just been taken from this earth. I’ve been trying to process how that made me feel as a Black man.”

The interview also describes Smith’s painting of King donning a hoodie that resembled a well-known image of Trayvon Martin.

“It was supposed to, you know, convey the message of Dr. King’s dream of not wanting anybody to be judged for their outward appearance,” Smith said in the interview.

In addition to Smith’s keynote speech, the program features a recognition ceremony in which the district’s “Keeper of the Dream” award is bestowed on students and teachers. The event also features musical performances by students.

Doors open at 6 p.m., with the main program slated for 7 p.m. at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive.