By
Y. Denise Caldwell
Community and Family Relations Coordinator
FORT WORTH, Texas - TJJD youth on parole in the Northern Region received certificates and replicas of the Martin Luther King National Monument for submitting and completing award-winning essays about Martin Luther King, Jr.
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| Dr. King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington on the National Mall. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) |
The three youth, T.F., K.L., and M.J. shared their thoughts and feelings in heartfelt essays that expressed admiration for King and how his life inspires them to want to achieve success.
The winning essays included a wealth of information about Dr. King, highlighting his self-sacrifice and fortitude.
M.J. noted in his essay that Martin Luther King Jr. once went to jail in Montgomery, Alabama, for driving 30 mph in a 25 mph zone, and in total was jailed 29 times for
“defending what he believed in, an equal government, and for everyone, the rights to freedom.”
“Dr. Martin Luther King did many things so we African Americans could live a free life, but there were a lot of bad things, bad people, and consequences that came with that,” he wrote. “King had come to Memphis in April 1968 to support the strike of the city’s black garbage workers, and in a speech on the night before his assassination, he told an audience at Mason Temple Church:
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now. I’ve seen the Promised Land, I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land, and I’m happy tonight. . .
K.L. reported that King was a great supporter of education and a firm believer in the maxim “Knowledge is Power,” as well as an advocate for peaceful change.
“In my life, he taught me to solve problems with communication instead of violence and to stand for what you believe in,” he wrote.
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| The award certificates show the MLK Jr. Monument. Youth also received a monument replica. |
In his essay, T.F., told an anecdote about Martin Luther King’s family history that gives insight to his roots. King and his father had both been named Michael at birth, but the senior King was inspired to adopt, for him and his son, the name of religious reformer Martin Luther. He made this decision after a trip in the 1930s to Germany, where the elder King learned about Martin Luther and also witnessed the rise of Nazism.
Northern Region parole officers had encouraged all of their youth to submit essays in exchange for community service hours. Eight youth submitted essays and the three featured above were singled out by the judges for special recognition.
The certificates explained the history of the monument memorializing Dr. King and included his quote: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
Thanks to Cedar Hill Public Library, in Cedar Hill, TX, for using their 3D technology to create the MLK Memorial replicas given to the youth.