Plano ISD’s MLK Essay Contest Winners
Students read their following winning essays with the guests of
Plano ISD’s annual MLK Tribute event held on January 20, 2011,
at Plano Centre.
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Dear Dr. King,
You are my role model and inspiration. You taught me Love is the cure to hate. You, out of
all people in this world, said, “You shouldn’t be judged by the color of your skin.” It should
be your character and who you really and truly are, what’s from your heart. You showed
people how to illuminate a terrible situation. I admire you for what you did. You inspired me
to do good things.
If you didn’t do what you did, I wouldn’t have my best friend, Megan. You made peace and
love, not war and hate. You left a legacy of peace, and I deeply love you and what you did.
Rest In Peace Martin Luther King Jr. You died for me and the world. Because of your life
and influence our world is a better place for you and me.
Love always,
Aahmyri Rachon Kennedy
McCall Elementary School
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Dear Dr. King,
When you gave your “I Have a Dream” speech, it opened the door and let us see the wrong in
what we were doing. It shined light on all of the unfairness. Your speech was as loud as
thunder. You showed us how to choose love and peace and togetherness. Before you spoke,
things seemed blurred and people made excuses for war and hate and separating. Your legacy
has illuminated the way and shown us clearly what is right. For many people you took misery
and changed it into hope-hope for the future. Life is not perfect, but many of your dreams
have come true. Thank you, Dr. King.
Your dreamer,
Carley J. Nelson
Daffron Elementary School
Dear Dr. King,
When you were young you saw that there was segregation and people were treated badly.
You saw that white people had better jobs than black people. You, Dr. King, saw that many
people couldn’t play together. I know that you saw that people were fighting. You, Dr. King
Jr., saw that many people were separate.
You, Dr. King wanted peace and love. You, Dr. King wanted to turn the world upside down.
You, Dr. King wanted everyone to be treated the same way. You, Dr. King wanted everyone
to be friends. You, Dr. King wanted to see all kinds of different kids together. You, Dr. King
want to see all people sitting together on the bus. You helped us make your dream a reality.
You, Dr. King had changed the world by ending segregation and giving rights to African
American people. You, Dr. King wanted to help and illuminate people to vote for their rights
and have lawmakers end segregation. You changed the way people now a day’s think about
skin color, religion, and nationality. You, Dr. King changed the world by making us better
people. You encouraged African Americans and all other people to use nonviolent
resolutions to gain racial equality. You gave love and peace.
You affected me because you stopped the violence. Now people could be together no matter
what color they are. Now at buses, schools, and water fountains people of any color can go
and use. Now people live better without segregation.
Dr. King, I think today you would like our world. People of any color skin could go on the
buses. Now kids of any color could go to school together. Now people could drink from
water fountains no matter the color of their skin. White kids got better materials back then.
Today kids of all colors get the best materials possible in each school. Now children of any
color could play together.
Thank you for ending segregation, injustice, and for showing people not to use violence to
solve a problem. Thanks for telling people that the color of one’s skin doesn’t matter.
Your friend,
Iliana Padilla
Mendenhall Elementary School
Dear Dr. King,
I was not alive when you said your “I Have a Dream Speech”, but I have heard your words
and they still light our world today. I also believe that people of all skin colors should be
friends. It shouldn’t matter about the color of a person’s skin. What should matter is the
inside of a person’s heart and how they act. I also have a dream that everyone can be friends
and look at each other’s hearts and behavior instead of looking at each other’s skin color. Dr.
King, your great words are like a light that shines on the path we should all take.
Your Admirer,
Madeline Prince
Carlisle Elementary School
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Dear Martin Luther King Jr.,
You are an illuminating personality with an illuminating legacy. You dreamed that black and
white people should be friends for the importance of peace, prosperity and growth of this
country. This has made America a stronger, happier and a nicer place to live in.
You hoped that all Americans should go to school together because at that time black and
white children went to different schools and schools for white people were better. You
questioned why education was offered differently to white and black children. Your vision
for a united school for all children has helped me make many different friends from different
countries, cultures and race. If the schools were not common for all, America would have a
million schools today!
I can keep your dream alive by being friends with all kinds of people, black, white or brown.
I’m an American Indian so I understand how important it is to treat everyone as equal. That
is what Indians learnt from Mahatma Gandhi while fighting for freedom against the British.
You followed the same principal of non-violence and gave America freedom from
segregation.
Learning about you has taught me the importance of being nice to black and white people.
Also, segregation is a ‘no no’! Because of you I can buy shoes from the front of the store.
Because of you I can sit in the front of a bus. Because of you we are all equal. Thank you for
everything. You are an illuminating personality with an illuminating legacy.
Sincerely,
Shaan Mehta, Barksdale Elementary School
Dear Dr. King,
You have an illuminating legacy of service toward equal rights for all people. You freed all
the races from segregation and have inspired many more heroes. You illuminated people’s
lives by inspiring them with non-violence and equality. You even stopped the injustice in a
peaceful manner. You expressed your feelings through undeniably brilliant speeches.
During your childhood, you received blasts of excruciating injustice. You were separated
from your white American friends just because you were of African American descent. This
is when the truth revealed itself to you.
You preached non-violence in your holy church and spread your ways of ending segregation
by assisting people on times of injustice. Rosa Parks is an example of someone you helped.
You helped her by arranging a boycott of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Then she paid
it forward and helped stop unfairness in the states of the United States of America. You
illuminated her life along with other African Americans. But the government kept going with
what they thought was right, a world of separation. But you persisted to the terrible wrongs
of separation of African American races. Others followed your leadership, wanting free
rights for all Americans.
You sacrificed your safety to bring justice to others. Then you went to Washington, D.C. and
told your famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” This speech gave the government back their
eyes. They loosened their hold on segregation and let all Americans have equal rights.
Even in the 21st century, your belief has prevailed. There are equal rights for everyone, now.
There even is a president with African American descent. You illuminated people’s lives by
spreading light, by spreading your rightful belief: no segregation and equal rights for all
people.
Yours Truly,
Pranav Eswaran
Wyatt Elementary School
Querido Martin Luther King Jr.,
Hace algunos días, en mi clase leímos su biografía. Todos nos quedamos muy impresionados
al escuchar sobre las cosas que hizo. A mi me pareció maravilloso y me inspiro mucho su
historia pues usted fue un gran líder.
Aprendí que a usted le gustaba ayudar a los enfermos y a los más necesitados. También que
usted era muy especial porque se dio cuenta que las leyes eran injustas. Desde que usted
estaba en la escuela quería ser un líder para cambiar las leyes de nuestro país. Usted se trazo
un objetivo y trabajo desde muy pequeño para alcanzarlo.
Cuando se convirtió en adulto motivo e inspiro a mucha gente con sus discursos, porque
usted comprendía que el color de la piel no es lo mas importante; sino los sentimientos de las
personas. Usted sabia que lamedor manera de arreglar los problemas es através de las
palabras y no la violencia. Gracias por iluminar el destino de nuestro país. Con su esfuerzo
permitió que los niños y niñas como yo podamos jugar y estudiar con niños de todas las razas
y aprender los unos de los otros.
Cariñosamente,
Fátima Galindo
Sigler Elementary School
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Querido Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Te agradezco por iluminar mi vida con tu mensaje de paz, amor y justicia. Gracias a tu lucha,
ahora tengo la oportunidad de estudiar en una escuela de altas expectativas con niños de otras
culturas. Aunque no soy afroamericana, lo que hiciste me dejo un legado iluminador.
¡Tú eres un héroe para nosotros! Se que si estuvieras vivo observarías las cosa buenas que
dejaste atrás. Sabes que cuando te escuche decir que el amor es la llave para solucionar los
problemas del mundo, supe que ibas a lograr lo que nuca nadie había logrado. Tus logros han
cambiado la vida de todos porque ahora ninguna persona que venga a este país será
humillada como en el pasado. Tú me has dejado un mensaje iluminador, no importa el color
de las personas, y tienes que tratarlos a todos por igual para crear una mejor comunidad.
Mi meta es ser una mujer de carrera y continuar tu lucha para que nadie sea tratado
injustamente. Toda la vida voy a agradecer tu ejemplo y voy a seguir tus pasos para hacer un
mundo mejor.
Sinceramente,
Gabriela Acevedo
Sigler Elementary School
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