Manhattan Country School Alumni Keep MLK March Tradition Alive After School’s Closure
Seven months after Manhattan Country School closed due to financial reasons, alumni and friends gathered to celebrate MLK day through speeches, songs, and their annual march around Harlem.
| 19 Jan 2026 | 05:40
Chukwuma Obasi, parent of a student who completed eighth grade as the school was shutting down last June, addresses parents and former students before setting out for the school’s MLK march on Jan. 19th (
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The school may be gone but the spirit lives on for a former Manhattan school that prided itself on student activism.
Despite closing its doors last summer due to financial difficulties, a small but merry band of friends, family, and alumni of Manhattan Country School gathered at 11:00 AM on Jan. 19 in below freezing temperatures to keep their annual MLK day traditions alive.
The progressive K-8 school, which shut down in June 2025, has annually celebrated MLK day the past 38 years with a march through Harlem honoring Dr. King’s commitment to civil rights, equality, and nonviolent activism. This year’s event carried added significance, serving as a tribute to King along with a farewell to the institution itself.
The MLK march has been a part of Manhattan Country School’s 8th grade curriculum since 1999. For years, students have had the liberty of choosing the March’s theme, planning the route, and writing speeches for the public.
Chukwuma Obasi, class of 2025 parent, states in his opening speech: “So today, we march for the 38th time, without missing a beat, because as a community and as a society, we can’t afford not to. Because community and solidarity are more important than ever,”
Former students, parents, staff, and members of the community all gathered in Duke Ellington circle to share excerpts from Dr. King’s previous speeches, commemorate the school, and begin their march while singing freedom songs.
Manhattan Country School has prided itself on its progressive curriculum, emphasis on social justice, flexible tuition, and its racial and socioeconomic diversity. The school also featured a 200-acre farm in upstate New York which allowed students to obtain hands on learning experiences in an agricultural setting. However, despite the school’s previous success and unique approach to learning, the facing mounting financial woes in the post-COVID period filed for bankruptcy in the spring of 2025.
Despite over five decades of operation, the school suffered from prolonged financial pressures. This included declining enrollment, pandemic repercussions, and debts tied to campus expansion which all contributed to the filing of chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The school’s primary asset, a six-story building located at 150 West 85th street was valued over $39 million dollars in bankruptcy documents. The school had originally set up campus at a townhouse on East 96th street which they had occupied since 1966. However, the school decided to expand its campus in 2015 when expecting more student enrollment. However, as covid hit, the school’s number of students dropped, and the sliding-scale tuition model didn’t bring enough revenue to keep up with the finances.
The purchase of the 85th street building led the school into over $24 million in mortgage and bond debt held by Flushing Bank. The school was further pushed into insolvency after unpaid obligations led the bank into filing for foreclosure. In total, the school owed $27.4 million to Flushing Bank. Court documents reveal that at the time of the filing, the school had less than $100,000 in their accounts.
In an attempt to save the institution, MCS requested $8 million in emergency financing which was ultimately rejected by a bankruptcy judge. Other efforts were executed such as organized rallies and fundraisers, but the school ultimately met its demise in June of 2025, shortly after a bankruptcy judge rejected an interim $8 million loan that would have enabled it to continue operations while in bankruptcy.
While Manhattan Country School no longer exists as an institution, Today’s MLK march made it clear that the spirit lives on. When asked about today’s turn out, Obasi responded “I feel that today’s March really solidified our sentiment that MCS is more than just a school, but also an idea, a spirit, and a community. The turnout was heartwarming and invigorating, and it felt really profound to reconnect like this after the school’s closure and in the midst of where our world is today.”
Despite all odds, members of the community participated in the MLK march with smiles on their faces and homemade signs in hand. Organizers plan to continue the tradition for years to come, stating that parents have already volunteered for next year’s event.