On Friday, January 12, Maplewood Middle School held its 24th Annual Michele Turner Martin Luther King Jr. Silent Peace March in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his commitment to nonviolent civil disobedience in pursuit of equality and peace.
The march involves all students and staff from Maplewood Middle School (approximately 800 people) proceeding in silence from the doors of MMS through Maplewood Village to Ricalton Square and back. Students carry signs that they have fashioned themselves with messages of peace and equality. This year, students were joined by Acting Supt. Dr. Kevin Gilbert, who walked alongside Principal Dara Gronau. As students silently re-entered the doors of MMS, music director Regina Bradshaw led the MMS chorus in a rendition of “We Shall Overcome” on the front steps of the school.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Silent Peace March was started by teacher Richard Palmgren, who currently teaches 8th grade Social Studies at MMS, as a way to have students reflect upon the life and work of King — “a man who was committed to fighting nonviolently for equality and peace.” Several years ago, Palmgren explained to Village Green, “Initiated in January 2001, the MLK Silent Peace March is designed to both replicate the marches for equality of the 1960s and to make a profound statement that the fight for equality is still not over. The silence of 800 middle schoolers marching through Maplewood Village makes a very ‘loud’ statement about Dr. King’s dream of unity and equality.”
This year’s march was organized by the MMS student council under the direction of advisors Christine Kleinwaks and Richard Rodriguez and by the MMS MLK Association under the direction of advisor Elyssa Pierre-LeBris.
In 2011, the march was renamed in honor of Michele Turner, a paraprofessional who worked at MMS for many years. Turner passed away in September 2010.
An email from the school in 2020, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the event, explained its significance:
The March is in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and achievements. This unique silent march should help people reflect upon a man who was committed to fighting nonviolently for equality and peace. His vision of America is indeed responsible for the diversity we so richly enjoy in the Maplewood community and school. We are not only honoring the man, but his message as well.
