January 20, 2025 is a day to remember Martin Luther King. Many people use this day to look back on the past. But many others only see it as a day off.

The Students Of Color Association (SOCA)  at Olympia High School, represented by Sydnee Chandler-Trent, president of SOCA, views MLK day as “a day to reflect on being able to go to an intermixed school. Even though it’s only a few of us here, I still think it important to learn about it.” 

Solome McPherson, vice president of SOCA, explained that to her Martin Luther King Day is “a time to honor and reflect Dr King’s legacy and how he committed to building a more just equitable society.”

Is MLK Day just another day off school? SOCA disagrees. Chandler-Trent shared “I feel like it’s different for everybody because as a person of color, I take it as a day to reflect on all of the things that other people have taken for granted so I feel like it’s just a different perspective.” McPherson explained, “We should all come together to celebrate it as a holiday that everybody should recognize.”

Topics such as racial injustice need to be talked about but it’s unclear at what age the information can be fully comprehended by kids. Jose Sobrinho wholeheartedly believes, “First grade because first graders have at least a small understanding about who he was and the figure he is.” Chandler-Trent concured saying that “I learned about it when I was really young so I feel like kindergarten or first grade.” 

Schools should try to put in more effort when talking about important topics such as MLK day. “It’s overlooked a lot until its Black History Month or something in the world happens,” Chandler-Trent pointed out.

It is important that we don’t forget Martin Luther King’s impact on the fight for equality in 1963 from his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. To the impact on the everyday lives of black teens in the present day.