The following are essays written by Angelia Fleming’s North Rowan Middle AIG classes for the W. G. Hefner VA Medical Center Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contest. Students were asked to answer the question, “How can I keep Martin Luther King’s dream alive?”

Neveah Robinson

“I have a dream that one day my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” said Martin Luther King, Jr. How can I keep his dream alive? I can do so in three ways: befriending people who are different than I am, paying attention to social issues and eliminating them and serving others and not just ourselves. So how can a quiet introvert like me help to fulfill Dr. King’s dream? Let us see how.

Befriend someone who is different than you are. No, don’t try to find a clone of yourself. There are so many unique people in this world. Just find someone who is different from you, whether that be racially, culturally, or even personally. Ask this person about their family, their culture, and what they like to do for fun. Don’t judge them. Just understand that they have a way of life that is different from you, and that’s okay. So accept people who are different than you are, and you can keep Dr. King’s dream alive.

Pay attention to social issues, find one that troubles you and work to eliminate it. Volunteer. Feed the homeless. Pray for refugees. Be aware of problems in today’s world and do your part to get rid of it. Don’t just find a problem, be troubled enough to want to take action.

Serve others. Most of us humans are naturally selfish people. But the truth is, life is not about just ourselves, it’s about serving other people. Ask your school principal about ways to volunteer at the school, donate old books and clothes to your local hospital, even bring some baked goods to someone you know who is sick. It all starts with caring about other people that you can stop discriminating certain races.

After examining these ways that I can help keep Martin Luther King’s dream alive, I realized that yes, I can keep it alive in my everyday life. Although I may not make it in the news or display the level of courage that King did, I can still do my part to make this world a lot better when it comes to judging people. Remember, make friends with people who are different than you, eliminate social issues, and serve others. By doing so you can not judge people by the color of their skin, but by the person they are in their hearts.

Ali Khatib

We live in a time unlike any other; a time in which the color of our skin influences an extensive part of our society. Prejudices thought to be long forgotten have arisen and taken a hold of our lives. We have forgotten what makes us human, what makes us one. We fail to recall the lessons of our past, and why we need to progress and change for the better.

Without the knowledge of our wrongs, we will never learn. The arduous commitment of men and women past must be brought to the forefront of our thoughts so we can remember the principles we as a truly great nation were built upon. Those who fought alongside Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. risked their lives, reputations and well-being for a world where all were respected, given equal opportunities and the ability to pursue a life of happiness. They did not fight so their efforts could be but forgotten. These men and women fought to expose the wrongs committed against people of color.

We must rise together and fight to abolish this apathy that we both show and face, just as Dr. King, and many others did. The beliefs we hold dear shall not be attacked or belittled. We are all human, and we must be reminded of this. We will fight for a world where what prevails is not these obscene thoughts of superiority, but of reason and of empathy. The only way we will be able to emerge victorious from this battle is for us to stand and fight as one.

We have all encountered this bigotry before, but we seldom act upon it. We must defend those who are defenseless, and help those who are helpless. As eloquently stated by Dr. King himself, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Let us remember these words, and fight, so they will not be heard in vain.

We, the children, are the ones who determine our fates. If you but hear, see or experience these unjust acts, then take a stand for progress. Bring light to the truth of who we are — and if you can stand up for your fellow peers, then do so not for the glory, but for the virtues we all hold together as Americans.

Influence and change comes in many forms. If we can change who or what sets influence in our lives, we change society as a whole. Dr. King strove to bring about change by siding with the righteous. He was not afraid to put his knowledge to action. This is the dream that will live on.

Caleb Coleman

How can I keep Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream alive?

We can keep his dream alive by doing what his dream was about, and that’s freedom. Give everyone freedom and make Martin Luther King Jr’s dream come true. I have a few ideas:

• Start a MLK club.
• Make a freedom speech.

We shall stand for America and its freedom! Civil rights should belong to everyone. If possible, make a song about it. Spread the word everywhere to everyone. Freedom forever.

We, as the children of the United States have the power to make a difference in the nation. Word about the dream shall be spread around the country. If the dream never happened, freedom would never happen. If freedom never happened, this world would have been changed for the worse. We cannot let that happen. Freedom is important to a person. We should make it important for all people. If the laws made it happen, we can too!

The United States of America has the rights to freedom, which cannot be taken from us. We shall give the people what they want, and we will give it our all to finish what Martin started. Freedom is not simply a word, it is a miracle that God has given to us. And before you say I’m going off topic, let’s all take a moment to acknowledge that we would not exist without Him. And this dream was dreamt by a person that too was created by Him.

If God had not given birth to Martin Luther King, Jr., he never would’ve made this speech. If Martin Luther King Jr had not make this speech, I would be writing this for no reason! This country wouldn’t exist, the laws wouldn’t exist, we wouldn’t exist — this country would be nothingness. So amen to him. Back to seeing what we can do.

More ways of spreading the word:

• Hold a parade in Martin’s honor
• Put on a play about it.

Well, these are a few of my ideas. 
Let us be grateful this speech happened!
 Freedom for all.
 And yes, all people shall receive freedom to be who they are, no matter their race, disability, color, origin, gender, etc.!

We stand for our country, no matter what. If this dream dies, that could mean something awful. We strive through the decades, and the evolutions of this universe. We show our true colors. Fight for what’s right (as long as it doesn’t turn into a war). Do your part as a citizen. Stand for Martin Luther King’s dream.

The future of freedom depends on us, and we shall not let it down. We are defined as the light in the dark.
This light will shine upon this future for as long as time stall stand. We strive for not a dark future, but a bright one.
 A bright future for the freedom of every man, woman and child. Let it be known that freedom is for everyone, forever!

Fares Khatib

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream — a dream that people of all races and colors can be together, for black and white to live in unity, for all to be equal and I plan to keep this dream alive for years to come.

I want to help this dream by stopping bullying because of differences of color or religion; and how I want to fix it is by compelling others to take a stand for all, and help if they see this racial bullying going on anywhere.

If possible I would like to make an organization called the “Union of Equality” to help keep Dr. King’s dream alive. This organization will be comprised of student leaders and be an International program. The UOE (Union of Equality) will be creative in its ways of being helpful — i.e., will offer classes about culture and religion so people understand why others are different, encouraging them to befriend people who aren’t like them, and many more ways. Every month the participants of the UOE will all communicate their ideas in a video call, which will have translators in the calls and an annual conference to discuss their plans and work done to help improve the quality of life of their students and communities.

As quoted by Ali Khatib, my brother and fellow student, “We are all human, and we must be reminded of this.” We are all equal, yet unique, and no one is racially superior than others, no one’s religion is wrong just because it’s not your own.

Always remember that God calls to us in different ways; we are all one world; we are not all the same and that’s what makes this world amazing. We differ in so many ways and everyone should be content with the world and everyone in it, not segregating because they’re not the same and this planet is a world for all people.

Alena Chang

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist who believed that there should be equality between all races. I believe I could keep his dream alive by treating others how you want to be treated and never leave anyone out. I also believe that bullying others on how they look or how they are doesn’t keep this dream alive. I believe if we all accept others no matter how they look and how they are we could keep this dream alive.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist who people looked up to and counted on. I’m glad we had him so that I can go to school with the people that are my friends. I want to thank him for being the person he is and being brave to speak out and show what it’s really like to have equality and acceptance to others no matter how they look or who they are.

Acceptance is when you learn to accept others no matter how they look, who they are, what their race is or their religion. I believe we should learn to or be able to accept others because this shows respect to others and I believe it is just nice to accept others.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech said, “This will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom.” I believe this speech will go far because it shows us what he believed and wanted to speak for what he believed. I’m shocked because he had the chance to speak out and his speech has changed so many things in this world that goes from equality to acceptance to me going to school with all races and no one having a problem with it. I’m glad that we don’t have as many problems with equality or any of that nonsense because of this speech.

I also love the fact that I can go to school with all races and get to see all my friends and not have all races go to different specific schools because of equality. I also believe that I can keep this alive by showing it off at my school, maybe at like the diversity fair we have. Also, talking about my school’s diversity fair, we showcase our diversity at our school. I think this keeps up with this dream because it shows how much diversity there is in my school.

I never would have thought this dream would come this far. It shows me how much I appreciate that I have this dream to go by. This dream has changed others and who they are as an individual. It also has changed me and how I think about others and equality and acceptance. I hope this dream goes even further in the future and never changes it. This dream means a lot to others and shows lots of respect to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people look back at this, and I’m glad schools have the time to look back and teach others on this topic and very important person. To this day, we all will remember and love Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for what he has done to make this world a better place.

Jordan Young

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream for our world. His dream was to end racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. It eventually worked, but then our world grew cruel throughout the years. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream will become reality when race isn’t what’s used to think of people as different.

His dream was that everyone would be equal, and no one would be thought of as different. That won’t happen until race isn’t a big issue. If we apply for something like a job or scholarship, it asks for racial background. Why should that matter at all? I think that progress has been happening very slowly.

Personally, I think that to keep his dream we need to stop all of this violence that goes on in our world. Everyone needs to be loving and kind instead of being cruel, hateful and racist. One way we could help would be to find something in our society that’s troubling, and try your hardest to eliminate it.

If you really want to change our world, you need to put effort in to it, which not everyone has anymore. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” This is one of Dr. King’s quotes; this means we need to show more love to everyone in this world and lead by example. He didn’t tell others to march while he stayed home. He marched with them, showing others the beautiful nonviolent protests. When he did this he made people want to come and join with him.

A really huge example of keeping his dream alive is our class. Not even just our class, but our school is so diverse and so different we stand out. Our class has made a great impact on me, and not just me but others also. In this class, we have different races, cultures, and religions. At the end of the day we all accept each other for who we are and don’t judge by the color of our skin or what religion we believe in.

Justice Feaster

There are many questions as to why we should keep Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream alive, and why? In my opinion, we should keep Dr. King’s dream alive because he fought peacefully for equality. He lost his life so we could have equality.

Why should we keep his dream alive? Do you know the quote, “If you don’t remember the past, you are doomed to make the same mistake in the future?” If we do not keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream alive, we will make the same mistakes. Our country is having that same problem, we are not remembering the past, and we are having problems with equality now such as the rally in Charlottesville, and church shootings in the country.

The big question is how can I help keep Dr. King’s dream alive? That is a very serious question. That is something to think about hard and long.

One of the ways that I could keep Dr. King’s dream is to educate people about Dr. King. Educating one on a certain subject helps them comprehend why things are, and/or, act the way they do. Educating one on the dreams and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. will help them understand why Dr. King did what he did. That one person will eventually pass along the information to a peer. Then it will be passed on like wildfire.

Anyone could teach others about Dr. King, all you need to do is research about Dr. King and his dream. Make sure you comprehend and use trustworthy information, because using a site that is not trustworthy and has information that is not factual could result in telling the audience information that is not true and could get the wrong message out. If that happens, then the wrong information will be spread and others would get the wrong interpretation of what Dr. King’s actual message was made to be about.

Another way to keep Dr. King’s dream alive is to start a project that talks about the importance of Dr. King and other important activists. It would engage the audience and attract their attention where they would listen closer and pay more attention. The project should be an annual event. It should be annual because, it would be directed to more than just one crowd. It would be directed to multiple generations which causes his dream to live on. These types of events can be held at places such as churches, schools, community centers, recreational centers and ceremonies. It would be easy to do. All you need are volunteers to help manage the event, volunteers to write the script and to carry out the plan, and an audience to present to. Kids all ages could do this because it is easily conducted.