By Kaya Patel ‘22, Arts & Entertainment Writer

As part of the Month of Action, instead of just honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day off from school, many students, faculty, and family members took the opportunity to treat it as a “day on” for service learning and projects. On Martin Luther King Day, Newark Academy hosted keynote speaker, Aisha Glover, to set the tone for a meaningful day of service. To emphasize the Community Service Council’s initiative of reconnecting to our school’s roots in Newark, Aisha Glover provided the group with insight about her work as the CEO of the Newark Alliance: to combat the stigma towards Newark. 

Aisha Glover first began to combat the issue of systemic poverty in Newark through her work as the President of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), an organization with the goal of bringing economic growth to the largest city in New Jersey. In just three years, Glover helped raise four billion dollars in real estate development, attracted small businesses to the area, and introduced programs for equitable growth, especially for women and minority entrepreneurs. Her most notable accomplishment during her time in the CEDC was spearheading the bid to Amazon after the city was selected as one of the finalists for their second headquarters. Although Amazon did not take the offer, Glover allowed people around the country to think of Newark in a new light and understand the potential that the city could have with the help of large corporations like Amazon. 

Not only did Glover educate the community on the undervalued assets of Newark, but she also inspired many students to take action and follow their own passions to create systemic change. First, Glover talked about the importance of nonconformity and what it means to lead a movement. She noted that Dr. King is celebrated each year for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, but during his life he was often criticized rather than praised. For this reason, Glover advised us all to question the norms and be nonconformists, despite the challenges that might ensue. 

Connecting with NA’s Month of Action theme, “Why Wait?,” Glover spoke about the urgency of the now. Although it feels like it is hard to make a long-lasting impact on our community as students, Glover urged us to consider the importance of following our passions at a young age and beginning to make change before it is too late. During an interview conducted after her presentation, Glover said, “There’s a lot that students can do to raise awareness without it feeling small. Everything has to be focused on something you can wrap your arms around so I don’t want you to think that any action is too small.” Glover emphasized that any service or community project can be the beginning of a movement. In order for change to be made, it must be started at a small scale, and with a community of different passions at Newark Academy, the possibilities for change are endless. 

Lastly, Aisha Glover talked about discovering what you would like to be a drum major for. Glover believes that without a passion to jump off of, there is no point to the community service or advocacy that you are doing. Service should not be something that we dread, but something that is ingrained into our lives and our passions. While it may be hard to find a passion or cause to advocate for, Glover suggested that trying new things in high school is the best way to discover passions. She said that the best advice she could give to future activists is to just “throw ideas up at the wall, and see what passions stick with you.” You don’t need to find your passions right away, but when you find something that you want to advocate for, “you have a great network right here” to help you create the change you want to see. Although the Month of Action may be over, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in life-changing service events and advocacy projects right here at school, and as Aisha Glover said, we all must consider the urgency of the now.