The children in our community are our future leaders. They are the ones whose footsteps, thoughts, and attitudes will shape and form our communities and nation. They are the ones that dictate the future and all the hopes and promises that it may bring. It is wise to look to them; to know what is in their hearts and minds, to know what they see for their world. There have been essay contests the last two years at Cortez Middle School in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to let our youth tell us these very truths. Dr. Martin Luther King had a strong vision of equality, and we believe that the youth of our community have just as equal a voice as everyone else.
Catherine Goraj. She is an Americorps member who will work at the Cortez Middle School through September under a program called Check and Connect.
2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Non-Violent Practices and I too have a dream Essay Winners
By Echo LoBue, CMS 7th Grade
Martin Luther King Jr. was a very upright person. He had a dream, his dream was to help his community. He also wanted to help the world. Martin Luther King believed in non-violence no matter what you did, or what color you were. Martin Luther King helped and lead his community to non-violent acts, and taught them how to be one. Dr. King wanted everyone to have equal rights by putting himself on the front line, so he could accomplish his dream.
If I were to be in Martin Luther King shoes, my dream would be to help and change my community. I would do the most to make sure people have a roof over their head, food in their mouths, and clothes on their backs. I would set up fundraisers, to get money to these causes, and go to businesses and ask them if they could donate some money for a good cause.
I would then make sure that there would be no violence, because if we had no violence the world would be one step closer to world peace. The final thing I would do to help my community would be to seek understanding in the issue of race. I would want all races to be treated equally, and equality to all is important.
Finally, to make these changes happen, I would have to get serious and talk to people, perhaps a speech like Dr. Kings I have a dream would help join forces and teach us to stick together and we could make great things happen, especially in ourselves.
By Sierra Mosher, CMS 7th Grade
Martin Luther King Jr. has a dream, I have a dream as well. My dream is that one day bullying in my school will come to an end. Bullying is a troubling issue in schools. I would like to make a change like Martin Luther King Jr. did. I would do this by first inviting a guest speaker to our school, and raise awareness. Then, I would get a petition and turn it into the board to show them how serious it is. My final step would be to tell kids that if they told us it was going on, it would remain nameless and it would stop. I truly hope bullying stops and these steps could be used to help make changes, a change just like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did.
By Bethany Levy, CMS 8th Grade
Black and white. Two different colors, two different types of people. Black and white. Combined, they make gray. Some may think gray can be an ugly color. Martin Luther King Jr. thought differently. He believed that gray meant fairness and equality between African Americans and white people. He gave his life for this belief. Today, I am going to follow in his footsteps with a dream of my own.
Martin Luther King Jr. hoped his speech would change the world. In some ways, it did. African Americans certainly have a better life now, but has Martin Luther King Jr.s dream really been answered? Is there really equality throughout America? If you answer truthfully the answer is no! Racism is still an immense issue.
Every day at school, I watch with shame as my fellow classmates mock everything Martin Luther King Jr. stood for. Could those shared racist jokes possibly be the same thing Martin Luther King was trying to fight against? Kids are not the ones at fault here, adults are just as bad. Its hard to believe that these jokes could have any impact, but they really do. Each generation learns them from the generation before them. Because of this, racism is passed down, though not always intentional. Will it continue to be passed down, or is there some way to wash away all of the racism of the world?
I believe it is impossible to completely erase racism, but I think it is possible to try. We could start by being more aware of our past. To do this, schools could tell people the complete truth about history. They hold back the gruesome details, because they are not necessary, when in fact they are. The horror of our past actions are what keep us from repeating our mistakes in the future. Refusing to acknowledge our mistakes is what leads to the repetition of those same mistakes. Acknowledgment and respect towards these mistakes will be a great start towards winning the battle against racism.
Another step we could take towards fighting racism is to treat everyone with respect. This doesnt mean just African Americans, it means everyone! If everybody was treated with respect, racism would be a forgotten concept, a word lost in time. As Dr. Seuss said, A persons a person no matter how small, or in this case, no matter what color skin you have.
48 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, a dream that someday Freedom would ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado. Today, freedom doesnt ring in Colorado, in California, in Tennessee... Martin Luther King Jr.s dream hasnt been answered. Will we someday be able to filter out all of the hate and racism that is threaded into the very fiber of our being? Martin Luther King Jr.s answer would have been a resounding YES.
By Lacy Leonard CMS, 7th Grade
Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that slavery would end, and that there would be peace in the world. Slavery is gone, but we still need peace in the world, so with his words I will share my own dream. I have a dream that there would be peace over the world. There would be no wars and no fighting. If the world was peaceful everyone would be polite to each other whether or not they were your friends. There would be no more bullying if there was peace over the world. Peoples feelings wouldnt be hurt, and there would be less tears shed from hurtfulness. I have a dream that there would be no more abuse in the world. People, and animals, and things wouldnt suffer. The animals who are helpless would get help. The humans who struggle would be helped. People wouldnt pollute the Earth anymore. I have a dream that everything would be safe, happy, healthy, and okay. That rudeness, bullying, peer pressure, illness, poverty, kidnapping, homelessness, gangs, and drugs would all be gone. That the world would be peaceful. Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. said he had a dream; now its our turn to share.
By Ryan Jackson, CMS 8th Grade
Martin Luther King Jr. When I hear that name, I think of pride, accomplishment, inspiration, and freedom. Martin delivered his world famous I Have a Dream: speech in 1963. In 1964, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize. Martin Luther King Jr.s reign ended with the sound of a bullet in 1968. Dr. King was an inspiration to many people, and his accomplishments are still recognized today. Like the brilliant Martin Luther King Jr., I too have a dream. I dream that the problem of racism will be abolished.
Racism is a major problem in the world. It starts with children in the school and follows them as they become adults in the real world. Racism is a problem that was never solved. Racist jokes are increasing, and this is a serious issue. Solutions to this problem are desperately needed. People need to remember the way that they would like to be treated. What happened to all men are created equal? We should include everyone in activities, conversations, games...and everything. Teaching everyone to understand how big of an issue this is is important.
Following these solutions could have a great impact for the better of our future. It may result in world peace. Many fantastic friendships would be made. Racial crimes would be reduced. Everyone taking steps towards stopping racism would certainly affect the whole world.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man with a remarkable dream to change the world. I have the same dream as Dr. King and pray that someday this problem will be resolved.