Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” This year, MLK’s powerful words were held at the forefront of Lick-Wilmerding’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Action (MLK DoA) as students, faculty and administrators engaged in a day of service ahead of the nation’s MLK Day the following Monday.
On January 14, 2025 LWHS paused regularly scheduled classes and instead sent community members out in advising groups to participate in service projects. The school partnered with non-profit organizations across the Bay Area, including Portola Greenway, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Simply the Basics, and San Francisco’s Parks and Recreation Department. The initiative was designed to foster hands-on experiences, deepening students’ understanding of social responsibility and community engagement. This year’s programming was a shift from last winter’s inaugural LWHS MLK Day in which the community received a presentation from keynote speaker adrienne maree brown and participated in educational workshops surrounding social justice and MLK’s legacy.
Matthew Oakland, LWHS Director of Student Inclusion, described the motivation behind the partnership between the Department of Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and the Public Purpose Program (PPP), led by the Director of PPP, Ravi Lau ’92. “You learn more about your identity, who you are in space, who you are in a community, your ethics and values… all by going out and being involved,” Oakland said. He emphasized that true service is about building reciprocal relationships and engaging with communities rather than viewing service as a one-way street. By taking part in these projects, students were encouraged to think critically about their role in broader societal structures.
Yanni Velasquez ’15, The Center for Civic Engagement’s Senior Associate, similarly shared this hope for students to take this year’s MLK DoA as an opportunity to put service at the front of their minds and hearts. He acknowledged that, for students, making time for volunteering can be difficult amidst academic and extracurricular commitments. “We all have things,” he said. “But if students are going to talk about service as a priority, then they should treat it like one.”
His words highlighted a broader question about the role of service in education—should it be a requirement, an expectation, or an intrinsic value cultivated within students? “Unfortunately, the majority of students are gonna keep it as ‘once I’m done with everything, I do service,’” Velasquez said. “MLK held service and action at the front, and I hope this day pushed students towards that same priority.”
Velasquez, along with a couple senior advising groups spent the day volunteering with Portola Greenway, an organization that has turned what was once a narrow, unused strip of land alongside the Highway 101 soundwall, into a landscaped greenway for public enjoyment. Velasquez shared his appreciation for the work being done, noting how even small acts of service contribute to a much larger movement of community-driven change.
photo by Yanni Velasquez ‘15
One of Velasquez’s advisees, Ava Dornseif ’25, echoed this sentiment. “Volunteering at Portola Greenway gave me the opportunity to see the real-time impact of the work that LWHS does in the community. I remember volunteering there freshman year, when it was still a fenced strip of land next to the highway, and it has been amazing to see its evolution to a vibrant, art-filled garden and a cornerstone of its neighborhood… it is very meaningful to be involved in the past and future of this special piece of San Francisco and to be part of another generation of LWHS students dedicated to serving our community,” she said. Her reflection underlined the idea that meaningful change happens over time and through collective, sustained effort.
Velasquez continued, describing MLK DoA’s service opportunity in the context of LWHS’ social justice commitment and the ways MLK upheld the school’s values. “When you’re working with a community, and when you leave that space, are they left better than when you came? That’s social justice. When you arrive to contribute to a community space, you’re not doing it for them. You’re doing it with them.”
Between January’s MLK DoA and the 2025 Sam Mihara Days of Justice focusing on Ethnic Studies, Oakland hopes to continue enacting LWHS’ mission of social justice. “Thinking about the kinds of radical love we experience and give, and how we can actualize love throughout our lives,” he said.
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