Poly’s Middle School Assembly Celebrates the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 12, Poly’s Middle School hosted a celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The community gathered in Founders Hall for an event centered on living with purpose and moral courage, featuring guest speakers, live music, as well as moments of reflection and participation. Organized by Student Community Engagement Coordinator Renée Larios, along with Middle School teachers Dr. Robert Farrar and Paul Johnson, the event was one of the ways Poly recognized Dr. King's role in shaping the civil rights movement.

Drs. David and Jackie Jacobs, longtime civil rights activists, shared powerful firsthand accounts of their experiences working alongside Dr. King. The Jacobs knew Dr. King personally, attended his church, and marched with him to Selma while living in Alabama. After moving to Pasadena more than 35 years ago, they founded the Pasadena MLK Community Coalition. For the past decade, they have also hosted essay and art contests for fourth through twelfth-grade students across Pasadena. The group will hold its annual event on January 19 at John Muir High School, and it is open to the public. Members of the Poly community are welcome to attend.

During his remarks, David Jacobs emphasized the importance of conviction, telling students, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” For many in attendance, the event offered a rare opportunity to witness living history. Jacobs recounted the night Dr. King’s home was bombed and how he instructed them to continue on the path of nonviolent resistance and return home peacefully. 

Jackie Jacobs also shared her first experience voting, which revealed the harsh realities of segregation. She described going to the polling place with a white friend, being forced to enter through a separate entrance, and being required to recite the preamble to the Constitution and take a test before being allowed to vote. When she rejoined her friend afterward, she learned her friend had simply written down her address and voted without challenge. “The only thing different between us was the color of our skin,” Jackie Jacobs said. “That was what life was like back then.”

Music played a central role in the celebration through a performance by Angie Fisher, a Grammy-nominated R&B and soul singer and Pasadena native. Angie, who was taught by Dr. Farrar, performed “Lift Every Voice” and “Wanna Be More,” filling the auditorium with emotion and inspiration.

Dr. Phlunté Riddle, a retired lieutenant from the Pasadena Police Department, also addressed the audience. Riddle served with the department for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2012, and broke multiple racial and gender barriers during her career. She was the first African American woman to serve as both sergeant and lieutenant in the department’s history. After retiring from law enforcement, Riddle served as district director for Assemblymember Chris Holden and was later appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Board of Juvenile Hearings. Phlunté is also the mother of 10th Grade Dean Justin Riddle, who was present for the event.

Speaking about the ethical challenges she faced throughout her career, she told students, “I had to stand up for what I believed in, and as all of you go out into the world, you need to do the same thing.” The assembly left students and faculty with a deeper understanding of Dr. King’s legacy and a renewed call to live with integrity, courage, and a commitment to justice.