Students throughout the Richmond County school system participated in an essay and photo contest sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Foundation of Richmond County Steering Committee. Students were presented with the theme, “Unity: Yes We Can!” and asked to interpret what the theme meant to them in an essay or through a drawing. Three winners were chosen from each category as well as honorable mentions.
The artwork and essays are on display at Thomas Leath Memorial Library until Monday, Jan. 21. The winning entries are shown in photos below, and the winning essays have been reproduced below.
1ST PLACE ESSAY WINNER IS ELLIE BUCK, 9TH GRADE, REACH, MRS. WAGERS CLASS
Unity: Yes We Can!
The definition of unity is “the state of being united or joined as a whole.”
There are many things in the United states which represents unity. Just to name a
few; the American flag, our national bird, and the statue of liberty. Martin Luther
King Jr. once said “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” With the meaning of that
quote being to fight hatred with kindness, it makes one think, are we really doing
that today? Although we have our differences, we are united today more than we
were in the past, but there is still a long way to go.
One of the many times we were not united goes back into the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries when slavery existed. African slaves were brought unto
the United States for farming tobacco and cotton. In 1862, Congress prohibited
slavery. From then we have grown by women gaining the right to vote and by
allowing African Americans to join the Army. Once slavery ended, Congress
passed two acts that allowed the enlistment of African Americans to join the
army. The nineteenth amendment, which is women’s right to vote, was passed by
Congress on June of 1919. These two events alone, prove that equal opportunities
do bring our nation closer together.
Although these things have united us in the past, the future has more in
store. As Americans, we need to work harder to becoming a stronger union. We
need to get our priorities straight and know that we all have one goal. This
includes making sacrifices for each other and putting political views aside to
decide what is better for America. For example, last year Americans dealt with a
big issue, gun violence. Whether people think we need stronger gun control or
banning guns altogether, we need to focus on a common goal which is keeping
our children safe and uniting within our own country. That crisis taught us that we
need to pull together through the hard times and keep pressing for unity and for
us to work as one.
Without a doubt, we have many differences with one another, but we can
still be united. From slavery in the 1800s and discrimination in 2018, there is still
room to grow. We have come a long way through the years from obstacles we
overcame with Civil rights and women’s rights. Even though we are still struggling
to find unity, we are a work in progress, but a little progress is better than a
regression of our past in any form.
2ND PLACE ESSAY WINNER IS YULIANA GONZALEZ, ELLERBE MIDDLE SCHOOL, 8TH GRADE
Unity Wins: YES WE CAN!
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who
became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights
Movement from 1954 until his death in.1968.
Martin luther King’s famous speech is entitled III Have a Dream”. In this
speech remarks “with this faith we will be able to work together, to pray, to
struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together,
knowing that we will be free one day”. He is talking about unity, he wants us
to be united. By this time discrimination was substantiated all over the U.S.
African Americans were segregated from white. They had their own water
fountain, restrooms, and theatres, even schools. The labels they used were
“only for whites”, fino colored allowed’, This injustice sparked a light in
Martin luther King eyes. He started a nonviolent Civil Rights Movement. He
traversed the country in his quest for freedom and justice. The movement
didn’t get all positive reactions, protesters introduced violence to the
movement and chaos broke out.
Even today we need unity. We can show respect, admiration, fairness,
and inspiration to every single person in our life. Then they can show it to
someone else. Soon, there will be a large group of people. This will continue
to spread around the world. The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different
people, especially on the grounds of race, age, and gender will soon to fade
away, and everyone will be unity.
Although the journey for justice and freedom was challenged. Martin
luther King, Jr. encouraged it to continue and even grow. To use his own
words “lf you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk
then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Speeches and quotes from many others have inspired us and given us the
courage to act upon our own dreams. In honor of a great man, let us all hold
our dreams up for the world to See and our heart to embrace. His pearls of
wisdom help remind us of the power of a vision.
3RD PLACE ESSAY WINNER IS KIMAHRI JOHNSON, 5TH GRADE/COBLE HOMEROOM
We Shall Overcome with Unity
Unity can be thought of as a group of people assembled together, but it means much more than
that. Unity means that people agree on different things. People can agree on food to eat, movies to
watch, places to go, and even to respect each other’s differences. Because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
believed in unity, he did many things to persuade people to treat each other fairly. He gave the speech
known as “I Have A Dream” in hopes that one day we would fulfill its contents.
There was a time when white and black people could not ride the bus together, go to the same
school, drink from the same water fountain or do anything together because of their skin. However,
that is when Dr. King helped people change. He believed that people should be treated equally. He
believed that people needed to show unity although we are all different.
Dr. King did a lot of things to unite people. He had marches, sit in’s, speeches, all without
violence. He is often remembered for these things, his principles of truth, and his tireless work for
equality and peace. His most remembered speech is “I Have A Dream”. Dr. King’s dream was that unity
would be achieved, becoming reality.
Dreams can be very powerful. Sometimes dreams can make you feel like you can do anything.
Dr. King’s dream continues to give hope that “people will not be judged by the color of their skin”. Hope
that we will all be treated equally, whether black, white, Hispanic, or even Chinese. His dream gives
hope that “people will be judged by the content of their character” and not our differences. Dr. King
never lost hope in the dream of unity.
Dr. King died in 1968 but his dream did not. Due to his dream there is hope that we all are
treated equally. It is an honor to be able to be in a classroom of those of different races, cultures,
backgrounds, and abilities. It is awesome to be able to play, laugh, and talk together. Everyday shows
that unity wins so that is why we should never lose hope no matter what.
If Dr. King were alive today, would he see the world as a dream come true? Do you think he
would see unity? Look around and see that progress has been made, but there is still work to do. Can
we agree that our differences should be respected and embraced? Can we agree that one’s character is
more valuable that the color of skin? Can we continue to work together to fulfill Dr. King’s dream? Yes,
we can! Yes, I will!
David Chase Woody from Washington Street placed second with his poster on the theme "Unity: Yes We Can!"
Fifth-grader Anahi Velazquez at Fairview Heights placed third with her poster on the theme "Unity: Yes We Can!"
This poster received an honorable mention.
This poster received an honorable mention.
Preston Coker of Richmond Senior High School placed first with his poster on the theme "Unity: Yes We Can!". His quote reads, "Together we stand, divided we fall, unity includes us all…" Coker’s photo will be on display during the luncheon at Sidney Grove Agape Center in Ellerbe.