Veterans Memorial High School held a portrait presentation on Jan. 23 that honored Harriet Tubman and John Lewis, which saw students pay tribute to their contributions to American history and the civil rights movement.
Principal Matt LeVangie welcomed the crowd, saying that assemblies like this are truly special because it gives the community an opportunity to come together.
“Not just as individual classes or grade levels, (but) one united community, the Marblehead Veterans Middle School Community. We are gathered here today to celebrate a meaningful gift to our school,” LeVangie said.
He continued that the portraits were painted by local artist Anne Demeter and gifted them to the Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT), which then donated them to Marblehead Public Schools. Each year, the collection rotates to different schools throughout the district.
Lindsay Smith, a member of the MRJT, was the next to speak to the crowd, who elaborated on the background of the organization. She said the group is comprised of people who want both Marblehead and the country to be a place where every person is treated fairly and equally.
Smith noted that the group also sponsors different programs and activities to help community members learn more about the history of all Americans.
“When people of color and others are not treated fairly, MRJT lets everyone know that something wrong happened, and that it should not happen again. MRJT also celebrates the cultures and traditions of many different people. The group is a community organization dedicated to dismantling racism in Marblehead,” Smith said.
The event also featured a performance from the 7th and 8th-grade chorus led by Director Colleen Inglis. Students also recited quotes throughout history that highlighted Lewis and Tubman’s critical roles in American history.
“Harriet Tubman helped many, many people escape from slavery and hid them in safe houses called the Underground Railroad. She (also) gave lots of speeches on abolishing slavery… What makes her so special is that she spent her whole life helping people of color be free, safe, and unharmed,” Cindy Tower-Loewen, a member of MRJT, said.
Several students spoke on Lewis’s history, saying that from a young age, John Lewis was influenced by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was very passionate about helping stop segregation, but his parents told him not to challenge the Jim Crow laws of the south.
They explained he was the co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis led and helped with many important movements in the Civil Rights Movement. They added that one of his most popular nicknames was the “Conscience of the Congress,” because of his wisdom, courage, and moral integrity.
The event was capped off when both portraits were revealed to the audience, with members of the MRJT and students standing together on stage to hold them up before the crowd.
