“Reimagining the Dream”: IAA’s Annual MLK Day Celebration
Written by Alexander Zampedri
On Jan. 19, IAA performed its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day performance in Corson Auditorium. Students from multiple different divisions performed in this concert to celebrate the legacy and birthday of Dr. King.
MLK Day takes place on the third Monday of January. As stated by the King Center, Dr. King is known for his large contributions to racial equality through his work in the civil rights movement.
Following the assassination of MLK, many groups and individuals began calling for a holiday in his honor. Then, in 1983—15 years after his death—legislation passed and created Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The MLK Day performance allows different majors to show their appreciation for the civil rights leader. Second-year senior and classical voice major EvaLalie Sautter commented, “As a person that identifies as Black, it helps me remember where my family came from and where we’re going as a society—his impact was tremendous.”
The performance helps show the growth of America in its fight for equal rights for all people. It has not just had an impact on the students, but all of IAA.
Instructor of Voice Dr. Ty Chiko, who performed in the MLK Day celebration, said, “We have an international population [at IAA], and what MLK stood for was not only peace in the United States…but world peace.”
“The fact that he spent time in so many different countries meeting so many types of religious and political leaders, trying to make sure that peace was universal. I think it’s a good reflection of the kind of world we’re trying to make here on campus.”
There is a large amount of music for this performance. Three-year senior and bassist Malik Joseph said, in response to the workload for this performance, “It is a lot of music but it does not feel like that much because of the amount of people who are working on it. We are all working towards a common goal.”
This performance is also extremely important as America will soon celebrate 250 years of independence.
Dr. Chiko commented, “The message was reimagining the dream. I think it’s pertinent because we’ve lost touch of the dream. We’ve lost what it means just to accept and celebrate diversity….And we see it every day going in the wrong direction. So when we say reimaging the dream…reimagine what you really stand for. And that is having a seat at the table for everyone.”
Overall, this performance is extremely important for all people and helps show the community’s appreciation for the civil rights leader. For more about IAA’s MLK Day Performance, refer to the program notes and the archived webcasts.