Martin Luther King Jr. Day is officially celebrated on Monday, Jan. 20, but West Chester University will hold its annual celebration on Friday, Jan. 24, after students, faculty, and staff have returned to campus for the spring semester.

The day begins at 10 AM with the 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Brunch (sold out), a scholarship fundraising event hosted by the university and the Frederick Douglass Society, in Sykes Student Union Ballrooms. The event celebrates Dr. King’s life and legacy through images, spoken word, performances, and music with the WCU Gospel Choir and honors WCU alumni whose professional lives and vocational activities have reflected Dr. King’s ideals.

This year, the Drum Major for Justice honoree is Laurena Tolson, a member of WCU’s Class of 2010 and the principal of Add B. Anderson School in the School District of Philadelphia.

The title Drum Major for Justice is taken from a sermon Dr. King delivered two months before his assassination on April 4, 1968. In that sermon, he spoke about his life and how he wanted to be remembered:

“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. … If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.”

Prior to becoming principal at Add B. Anderson School, Tolson was a middle school special education teacher, teacher leader, and manager of special education within a charter school network. It was during her time at the charter school that Tolson realized there was an overrepresentation of black males in special education classrooms. In order to impact systematic change, she knew that she had to pursue school leadership; however, she missed teaching so much that she became an adjunct professor at Drexel University for two years while also a principal.

Tolson has been an anchor of visionary leadership at Anderson, displaying a passion to develop children no matter their socioeconomic or academic background. In just five years, the school has witnessed tremendous growth, including the development of several nonprofit and community partnerships; growth in ELA and math state test scores; a 20 percent increase of students reading on grade level; increased family involvement; and a 250 percent decrease in serious incidents.

Also, Tolson acquired nearly $1 million in grant funding to build a state-of-the-art playground for the school community. In 2017, she was recognized by the Philadelphia Tribune for her work at Anderson and for being the youngest African-American principal in Philadelphia.

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