Annual Day helps promote diversity
Annual Day at Greenhills, designed to enhance the school’s commitment to diversity, got underway this morning with a keynote address by musician and musical historian Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.—then seemed to gain steam throughout the day.
Jones, who specializes in music that has propelled social change in America, touched on early spirituals, the music of the Underground Railroad, the early blues and its cousins jazz, country, gospel, bluegrass, R&B, and gospel before moving into more contemporary forms of music like rap and hip-hop.
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Jones’ focus was in keeping with this year’s theme, “Fight for Others’ Rights,” said Greenhills Service Learning Director Alyssa Friendly.
After the keynote, students attended breakout sessions with Jones and a broad range of other community activists. Participants included:
- the Prison Creative Rights Project
- youth activists
- immigration advocates
- environmentalists
- people working to alleviate hunger
- activists against domestic and dating violence
- LGBTQ advocates
“This is such a great opportunity for students to learn about real problems in the real world,” Friendly said. “We want our students to understand that diversity is a source of strength in the greater society.”
