Students share thoughts on King legacy

By Staff
Jan. 20, 2002
A day to dream, a lifetime to act
By David Barrett/Carver Middle School
Today is a day to dream. It is good to stop and dream about the possibilities before us. Dr. King dreamed of a better day, but he didn't stop at dreaming; he acted on that dream. We, too, have a lifetime to act. Now Dr. King was a great leader. He was positive in everything he did and determined to make his dream come true. Today it's our turn to make his dream work, and it's going to happen. For years to come, we should remember Dr. King, practice nonviolence, and love each other the way God wants us to love each other.
The first thing we need to do is remember what Dr. King did. Dr. King did so many things for African-Americans. He put an end to the laws that said whites and blacks couldn't eat at the same restaurants or drink out of the same water fountains. We should remember him, because if we don't, he will be forgotten. So before we do anything else, we should remember.
The second thing we need to do is practice nonviolence. We need to practice nonviolence because it's the only way to have a peaceful country. If we fight among our brothers, then Dr. King's dream will never come true. Violence is not the way to solve something; you work it out and if you can't do that, then someone else needs to help you do it.
Last, but certainly not least, we should love each other the way God wants us to love each other. We need to do that because if we don't drop our hate and love each other, then we aren't going to get anywhere. I believe we should not look at what we see but look at what God sees. Then we can do anything.
In conclusion, if we remember Dr. King, practice nonviolence, and love each other the way God wants us to love each other, we can make Dr. King's dream a reality.
A day to dream, a lifetime to act
By Fredia White/Carver Middle School
Imagine if we all could live in this world without prejudice and hateful people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought hard to help end prejudice. He spoke out against blacks and whites living separate from one another and blacks being treated differently from whites. His dream was to have blacks and whites join together as one. He spent most of his adult life acting on his dream.
Dr. King wanted to see blacks and whites join together and sit at the "table of brotherhood." He did not fight just for the equal rights of blacks. He fought for the equal rights of all people. He wanted peace for every man, woman, boy and girl. Even though he was faced with harsh words and treatment, he continued to fight until blacks could sit in the front of the bus without being arrested. He fought so blacks could walk into the courthouse and vote. He fought so blacks and whites could eat in the same restaurants. He fought so blacks could have the same equal rights as whites and not be ashamed of who they were. Imagine if Dr. King had never acted on his dream. Would we as black people still have to sit in the back of the bus? Would we still have to drink from a water fountain marked by a Jim Crow sign above it that reads "Coloreds Only?" Imagine if there had been no Dr. King, or Rosa Parks, or anyone else courageous enough to stand up for justice for all people.
Dr. King touched the whole world as he struggled to bring to bring about peace through nonviolent protest. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963 because he was a peaceful and loving man and many of us today would do well to pattern ourselves after him. We should all work together and live out Dr. King's dream. Yes, we now live in a less segregated world and a world more open to equality for all; however, racism still exists. Unfair treatment according to gender still exists. Judgment of people based on skin color still exists. If we truly honor Dr. King, we should stop killing, hating, hurting, and being prejudice to one another and start loving one another. We all should play a part in Dr. King's dream. Imagine if we could all live in this world without prejudice and hateful people. Wouldn't this world be a much better place? Would there have ever been a September 11th bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Would there have been an execution of Timothy McVey for the bombing in Oklahoma? If we could live in a world without prejudice and hateful people, it would be easy to live out Dr. King's dream.
Unfortunately, we don't live in a world free of hatred and violence, and unfortunately, Dr. King's dream of world peace and equality for all people is not yet a reality. Our world is filled with way too much violence and misery. Each of us in some small way can play a significant role in changing our world for the better. Like Dr. King, we too must dream of justice and equality for everyone. Like Dr. King, each of us must be willing to do what we can to bring about a better world for everyone. Imagine if we could live in a world without prejudice and hateful people.