Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speaker Highlights Community Building

As this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day speaker, Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee of Seattle Girls’ School delivered a moving talk examining how storytelling can break barriers and shape community culture. 
 
Since 2004, Ms. Lee has been a diversity speaker and trainer working with over 350 K-12 schools and over 100 colleges and universities. She serves Seattle Girls’ School as a faculty member and outreach specialist. In addition to teaching subjects such as science, math, technology, art, ethics, and social justice, Ms. Lee designs and delivers trainings for the SGS community, nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses. 

After sharing her own personal background and story, Ms. Lee encouraged students to consider what role they might play in someone else’s story, whether that’s acting as an obstacle, on-ramp, champion, or partner. By discussing the different ways everyday actions and choices impact others, Ms. Lee shined light on how each student has the opportunity to build an inclusive community at Belmont Hill. As she reminded the boys, a school’s culture is not created simply by a speaker on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but by the good work done on a daily basis by each and every member of the community.

Following the presentation, Ms. Lee answered questions from the audience and met with students for further discussion.