Dr. Martin Luther King Essay Winners

Hameedallah Amin - Classical School , Appleton (2nd Grade)

Martin Luther King Poem

When I see a person in a wheelchair,
I don’t stop and stare.
When I see different skin,
I don’t point and grin.
Making people feel bad,
makes me really sad.
It’s not even cool
in fact it’s very cruel.
To stop these negative actions
we need to change people’s reactions.
Our world is growing every day.
We must see people in a positive way.
So let’s join hands in this dream
and stop this cycle of being mean.


Emmalea Kenevan - Edison School (2nd Grade)

If someone is mean to you, or somebody you know, be nice to whomever she or he is and they will probably stop because if someone is nice to you, you would stop, right?

I once saw a girl and a boy. The girl had brown skin and the boy had peach skin. They boy had brown eyes and the girl had blue. The girl had freckles and the boy did not. They were different, but still they were still very good friends.


Diana Hernandez - McKinley Elementary School(5th Grade)

“Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”

If you want people to love you, love one another. Treat them with respect and love. Talk to them, walk with them, or even pray with them. Treat them the way you want to be treated. Stand up for their rights and stand up for yours. Give them things that don’t cost money, like hugs, visits, kisses, and more. Use positive words to those who are sick or disabled. Calm them down with words and not fists. Freedom, peace, love, dreams, respect, and together are all powerful words. Be patient with those who are learning. Be fair, share, and be gentle with them. Let every person in the world be who they want to be and never judge by their color or personalities. Everyone has different thoughts and opinions. Respect their thoughts and opinions, and maybe they’ll respect yours too. And if everyone would hold hands together and be brothers and sisters it would be a much better world. Whenever I see someone hurt, I always ask them if they’re alright. I always think that everyone counts and we are ALL equal. And if you show love to someone every day, you’ll see how much they will thank you some day. Always remember the powerful saying Martin Luther King Jr. once gave out saying “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”


Hattie Kitzmann-Kelley - Kaleidoscope Academy(8th Grade)

“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everybody knows who Martin Luther King, Jr. is, right? I mean, who doesn’t. The man is practically a legend. He gave us some of the most important speeches of all time, including the “I have a dream” speech. Dr. King showed love for all people, even those who hated him. Every day we should try to be more like him; showing love and care through our actions and words. If we all at least try to be more like him this world would be at peace. I know I want to be more like him. The reason I say ‘more’ and not, ‘just like him’ is because in ways I never imagined I am like him. Everybody is! The little things we do for people show love for everyone every day. Whether you smile at someone who is not having a good day or you rake leaves for an incapable neighbor for free. Those simple things we do show love for people who are or aren’t different form us. I remember when my mom’s friend’s daughter died. So my brothers and sisters and I invited her to our school talent show and sang her a song that let her know everything was going to be O.K. And one time when I was in sixth grade I knew a girl who couldn’t talk all that well, so I befriended her and she taught me how to spell my name in sign language. I used to go to Madison Middle School and while I was there I helped out with the disabled kids. I helped them into the school in the morning and smiled at them to let them know that I was their friend. Knowing that I can do something good for another person makes me feel good inside. It lets other people know you care. Just because people are different from us doesn’t mean we should treat them any different; they’re human beings just like us. I can’t imagine what this world would be like without people like Dr. King. If we were to put ourselves in the disable’s shoes there is about an 88% chance we won’t like the outcome. People would treat us different just because we look or act different. Now come on, that’s not right! It’s not right at all. So coming to my conclusion, no matter who they are, what they do, or what they’ve done we can’t just walk away from those who ‘aren’t like us.’ We should love everyone, because we’re all just seeds in God’s hands. Dr. King didn’t do those things for recognition; he did them because when he saw how we were treating each other he wanted to make a difference!



Maria Peeples-Appleton East High School (11th Grade)

My America

Walking lines of color
in an image, trying not to falter
holding identities as our own
as we search to find our place
who
are
you?
Black, White, Latino, Asian,
gray area.
Boy, girl,
gay, straight, bisexual,
gray area.
Who
Am
I?
still marching in the streets
46 years later
struggle is pain
struggle is strength
the courage of those who spoke,
who walked alongside buses,
who dared to go to school

you are the picture of my America

who we should thank,
who we should emulate.
In my America,
injustice fills our history books
with pages screaming we will not
stand by idly and wait
Walk, Talk, Sing, America.
Sing

Dr. Martin Luther King
Harvey Milk
Rosa Parks
you have all created the song
that removes splinters from my soul
with too many of you
dying in the fight for equity,
dying to feel alive, to be free
working for the America
that your children deserved
now I’m asking
what does the world look
like for my someday children?

when I hold their hands
up to the sky in which you now reside,
what laws will protect them,
what language will they hear,
what will the media whisper to
them about their worth as human beings?

Dr. King,
will you help me make their America?

today,
setbacks and tears,
my hopes and my fears
remember your dream
your vision of liberty, of one people
who speak words of hope.

still, words of hatred echo
in the hallways of my school
but the sound of love,
love, love
is ringing free in my heart.
for the children who never
questioned their friendship
based on the color of their skin,
the Catholic and the Atheist
who exchanged vows and hearts,
the two boys who dared to hold hands.

you are my America.

Hate, is still here, Dr. King
but love will still shine brighter
the power of your words
the image of your children,
all children,
God’s children

living free

in our America.

18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, Jan. 19

APPLETON, WIS. -- A diversity scholar who believes in the power of turning dreams into reality will be the keynote speaker at the Fox Cities annual celebration honoring the man whose own dreams changed the United States.

Bola Delano-Oriaran will examine the question of what is each person's purpose in the world at the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lawrence University Memorial Chapel. The theme for this year's event is "Beyond Dr. King's Dream: Next Steps."

The celebration, co-sponsored by Lawrence University and Toward Community: Unity in Diversity, is free and open to the public. The Post-Crescent and WFRV-TV are media partners for the event.

Rev. Roger Bertschausen, who helped found the MLK celebration in 1992 and continues to serve in planning the annual event, calls Delano-Oriaran "someone who has made a real difference in the Fox Cities.

"I am excited to have Bola Delano-Oriaran keynoting this year's event," said Bertschausen, pastor at Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church. "In her work with students as well as her work with our community, she has promoted and exemplified Dr. King's dream."

An assistant professor of education at St. Norbert College, Delano-Oriaran shares her message of understanding the richness and value of diversity in society in a high-energy presentation. Ever since she organized a fund-raiser for a disabled homeless man as a 13-year-old in her native Nigeria, Delano-Oriaran has advocated the importance of each person's role in building a better community and world.

Delano-Oriaran saw her own dream of a place where all people could gather to celebrate their individual identities and experiences realized with the creation of the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center in 2004.

Her efforts on behalf of diversity issues and community change have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Rotary Club of Appleton Charles and Patricia Heeter Outstanding Community Leadership Award and the St. Norbert College Bishop Robert F. Morneau Community Service Award. In 2000, the Wisconsin State Human Relations Association presented her with an Outstanding Human Relations Educator Award.

Highlighting the celebration will be the presentation by Toward Community of the annual Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award to an area individual who has made great strides in bringing different people in the community together. Delano-Oriaran was a recipient herself of this award in 2004.

"This year's celebration occurs the eve before the inauguration of the first African-American president in U. S. history," said Kathy Flores, chair of the MLK committee and a member of Toward Community. "Not only is this an exciting time, it truly is a realization of Dr. King's dream. I am excited to come together with citizens of the Fox Cities to hear Bola Delano-Oriaran share her vision of how we as a people can move forward together into the future and into the next steps of Dr. King."

The MLK celebration also will include music performances by the Kaukauna High School Concert Choir and Lawrence sophomore Isake Smith. Area students will read their winning essays addressing the question "Beyond Dr. King's Dream: Next Steps" as part of the celebration.

"This celebration is truly another example of how a community, sharing similar yet different cultural values, can come together and pay tribute to a dream, dreamt by many," said Mohammed Bey, acting assistant dean for multicultural affairs at Lawrence. "It is has been inspiring to witness the level of participation from the community for this event."

A sign language interpreter will be present for the program and a reception for all in attendance will follow.

ESTHER Advocacy Training

Make Your Voice Heard!
2nd Annual Advocacy Training

Monday, January 26th; 6:30 - 8:00 pm
St. Mark Lutheran Church
140 South Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI

Join local Representatives and Senators, along with Forbes McIntosh of Government Policy Solutions, in a lively discussion on why it is important for citizens to get involved in the legislative process as well as how to get involved.

• Learn the basics of the legislative process
• Find out who you need to contact about issues of concern
• Discover methods to get your voice heard to create lasting change

State and federal laws affect and protect us all. Join us for this training.
Event is free and open to the public. Questions? Contact us: esther.foxvalley@gmail.com

Directions: Take Highway 41 to Winneconne Exit into Neenah. Turn left onto S. Green Bay Road.St. Mark's Lutheran Church will be on your right.

Advocacy program sponsored by ESTHER, an interfaith social justice organization in the Fox Valley, Alliance for Retired Americans ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin, organizing people to make Wisconsin a better place to live and work.

Please feel free to pass this information out to the general public.

Stephanie Gyldenvand
ESTHER Organizer
(920) 216-0891