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Clarence B. Jones shares experiences and lessons at second annual MLK Jr. celebration

On Friday, Harker held its second annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration featuring Dr. Clarence B. Jones, who served as King’s lawyer and speechwriter and is credited with composing the first seven paragraphs of the historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Prior to Jones’ appearance, The Harker School Orchestra performed their rendition of a selection from William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” the first symphony composed by a Black American to be performed by a major orchestra. As a tribute to poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, who was scheduled to be the evening’s speaker before she passed away last year, middle school history teacher Triston Brown delivered a reflection and remembrance of her life and work, and upper school English teacher Jen Siraganian delivered a reading of Giovanni’s poem, “Quilts.”

Jones, now 94, spoke with Patricia Lai-Burrows, Harker’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, on his time with Dr. King and lessons that his experiences that are still applicable today. A former student at Juilliard (“I could play ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ on the clarinet,” he remarked), Jones said that he noticed before King that there was a musicality to King’s voice. “I regard the written word as a form of musical note, so I was careful in the selection in the words that I used, because, as in music, I didn’t want the word to be flat or sharp,” he said, explaining the musical concept of notes being incorrectly pitched low (“flat”) or high (“sharp”) during performance.

“Although [King] did not see it that way initially, I noticed that his choice of words, and the way he spoke words, had a certain kind of musical impact that he was not aware of.” While King was mainly focused on whether audiences could understand him, Jones’ musical training enabled him to write in a way that made King’s words pleasing to the ear. “I was interested in not only understanding what he was trying to communicate, but…in the impact of…how it sounded when it left his voice into someone’s ear.”

Jones also related the origin story of one of Dr. King’s most important texts, the Letter from Birmingham Jail. After being incarcerated in Birmingham, Ala. for violating a conjunction prohibiting public demonstrations, King was visited by Jones, who explained to King the danger that he was in. Unphased, King showed Jones a statement in the local newspaper written by white Alabama clergymen, condemning King and the ongoing civil rights demonstrations. King then produced several fragments of his response, composed on pieces of toilet paper and paper towels, Jones recalled. He asked Jones to return to the jail later that day, and according to Jones, added, “And when you come back in, bring me some paper.” Jones obliged, and began smuggling paper to King twice a day over a period of five days as the letter was composed.

As her final question, Burrows asked Jones to offer advice to current and future generations seeking progress in social justice causes. “Never…ever give up,” he answered plainly but emphatically. “The day or evening that you believe may be that day or evening of the most challenging experiences you will ever have, that will tire you out, [that will have you asking], ‘does it ever get better? Is tomorrow ever going to be better?’ And the answer is yes, tomorrow is going to be better, as long as you have the capacity and determination to make it better.”

The Harker Magazine

Published two times a year, The Harker Magazine showcases some of the top news, leading programs, inspiring people and visionary plans of the greater Harker community.

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