MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SPEECH CONTEST 2006
"I have a dream...", the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have inspired and challenged many over the years...including the kids in our afterschool programs and the teens in our streetleader program. Every year, young people from grades 1-12 come together to compete in our annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speech contest. It is always such a joy to hear these speeches and to hear where the kids have personalized the thoughts and ideals of such a great American. Here are a few excerpts from some of our contestants:
"The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” But the authors of those words were hypocritical because they created a nation where people weren’t treated equally. When Martin Luther King, Jr. used these words, his actions showed he really believed it. His life enhanced the meaning of those words to me. It has had an effect on my perspective of life. By him leading as an example, it enabled me to want to look at the world differently. Now I try to treat everyone as equals, regardless of the color of their skin, thier past history, or how they treat others. I still consider that “all men are created equal”. I believe and have faith that the mentality of many will continue to change as time goes on. We play a part in whether or not we want to see all people as equals."--A'kea Brown, 9th grade
"My name is Tita Reyes and I’m 9 years old. I was born in Camden, NJ. I like Mariah Carey, the movie “Mean Girls”, and I like watching “What Not to Wear”. My favorite food is arroz con bichuelas, which means rice with beans.
And I am Puerto Rican.
But sometimes, I feel others see me different than how I see me. Cesar Chavez would know what I’m talking about.
Cesar Chavez was a very special man. His life was very painful and miserable, but he was intelligent enough to become a leader for his people. Even as a young kid, he had to work as a farm worker to help his family out. He worked day and night with no breaks, and only got 30cents a day...When Cesar Chavez realized how badly he was treated, he wanted to fight back. La Causa. His cause was fighting for freedom...My cause is to have you see me for who I really am. You can’t close your eyes and your ears to me nomore.
Yo soy Puertoriquena, and I am proud to be a Puerto Rican."--Tita Reyes, 3th grade
"Imagine if you didn’t own a car and everyday you had to take a bus to work. And each day you would get on the bus, you would have to sit in the very back under a sign that said ‘Blacks Only’. As you walked to the back, all the people would be laughing at you and staring at you. You know that their eyes are saying, “Look at her, I’m so glad I’m not like her”.
This is the experience that Rosa Parks went through every day until December 1, 1955, when she finally had enough.
That day, Rosa refused to move from her seat and paved the path for an America where we are all free...Even though we don’t always act like it, we need to remember that we are all the same in God’s eyes. We are all equal. I thank God for people like Rosa Parks who have shown us the way so that we can be free."--Julissa Lloyd, 4th grade
"I know a lot of people would like to change things that they don’t like. I am one of them. I don’t know if some of you know this but there is a spirit in us, a spirit of selfishness. That spirit needs to be broken. Look at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he was a man who dedicated practically his whole life to not just help blacks but to help the world. You can tell that Dr. King did not have a spirit of selfishness. He died so his children and other children of different races would be able to play together. Not long ago, Corretta Scott King passed away after almost fulfilling her husbands dreams. Can you believe that even after so many people died for all of us to be free, there are black on black crimes? Every time you look at the news someone got shot or stabbed to death. There is still racism going on. I just have one question, “If someone treated you unfairly what would you do?” Like Dr. King said, “Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together.”--Carshuan Davenport, 8th grade
“For Jovan”
I’ll never forget the day that I found out that my best friend Jovan had been shot and killed. I felt the blow like a knockout punch in my stomach. The rest of my day was filled with depression, regret, and anger. How could that have happened? What was a thirteen-year-old kid doing with a gun in the first place? They say it was an accident, but the fact that Jovan’s friend was playing with a gun at all, reflects on our society and how we glamorize violence. Rappers on the radio brag about violence and use it for their image. They use it to make themselves look tough. Kids look up to them and imitate them the same way they imitate the older kinds in the neighborhood. Violence is a trend that must stop! Not only are people getting killed, but also kids like Jovan are dying left and right. Violence is not only an action; it is a mindset. It seems like everyone these days is aggressive and is looking for a fight. It’s like we know no other way and the movies and TV we watch and the music we listen to only puts us in a more violent mood. We need to step up and examine our core values and beliefs. What do we want to get out of life? Should life be about love, or hate? Are we going to be at peace, or act out in violence? Where are the leaders who will pave the way and set us on the right path again? Who will dare to fill the shoes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who never backed down. A man who stood up for what is right. And a man who refused to act out in violence, even when his house was bombed, he was stabbed, his family was in danger, and he was thrown in jail. He said, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that,” Martin himself followed the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. It is time for us to do the same. I intend to be the kind of leader who stands up for what is right and takes a stand, not only against violence, but against the weapons and attitudes that contribute to it.
--Richard Gaines, 8th grade
