To pay tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Pinewood Preparatory School held an event on Jan. 21 for the school’s high school students to learn about the importance of political courage.
Daniel Poaps, who was one of a handful of Pinewood students to give a speech about political courage, chose to reference the significance of Dr. King and Mohandas Gandhi as people who personified political bravery and ambition.
“These two individuals were able to change their countries and their people’s ways of living through their words, and they are no more capable of changing a nation than you or I,” Poaps told those in attendance. “Pick your subject that you feel strongly about and recognize the change that needs to be made for your country.”
Poaps also shared an anecdote from his childhood detailing how when he was younger, older children would always kick him off the basketball courts in his neighborhood. Poaps said that, years later, he learned a valuable lesson from this experience.
“America is the land of opportunity, and even though as a child I missed out on that particular one, as an 18-year-old adult, I have every right to speak out just as much as the next guy,” Poaps said.
Another student, Joe Sweet, talked to his classmates about the importance of standing up for what you believe in.
“Each and every one of you can do more, each and every one of you should do more,” Sweet said. “You can break the chains of political conformity, and you can be what a leader truly should be: someone who makes decisions based on the good of the group.”
After the students concluded their speeches about valor, three students, who formed a miniature Model United Nations representing the United States, Sudan and Ghana, held a mock debate about human trafficking. The debate touched on subjects such as human sovereignty and informed citizenship.
The celebration of Dr. King was part of Pinewood’s Freedom Reigns Program, which is designed to teach students that freedom does not come without sacrifice and that few things are as crucial as being an informed citizen. The Freedom Reigns Program, which began in 2001, is embedded in the school’s curriculum and Pinewood’s Liberty Garden, which is located on the school’s campus, houses several bronze busts of leaders who fought for freedom and epitomize what the Freedom Reigns Program stands for.

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com