2009 Essay Contest Winners
This year, the University of Hartford’s King Day Planning Committee held an essay contest to answer the question “What is the status of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream in 2009?”
The contest was open to fourth- and fifth-grade students at the University of Hartford Magnet School; all grade levels at the University High School of Science and Engineering; and all students at the University of Hartford.
Here are the four winning essays.
University of Hartford Magnet School
4th grade winning essay
by Hannah Berman
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech about his dream to make African Americans have equal rights to Caucasians. Sadly, he got shot in 1968. Today, things are different. For example, blacks and whites are in the same school, an African American is running for president, and blacks can sit where ever they want on the bus. I think if Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive today, he would be as happy as a mouse with cheese because of what he saw. His dream definitely came true. I think Martin Luther King Jr. was a good person because of what he did.
Nine-year-old Hannah Berman lives in West Hartford. She likes library time at school.
University of Hartford Magnet School
5th grade winning essay
by Bryce Kapur
I have a dream that freedom will stay with America. My name is Bryce and I believe that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is still alive. He dreamt that one day every culture in America would be cared for and would have freedom. He dreamt that every culture in America would be able to go to school together, ride the bus together, and work together. I think that if Martin Luther King were here today he would tell us that his dream is alive today in America and that he is thrilled to see kids from different cultures playing together and seeing different cultures riding the bus together. He would say that his dream is still alive today in America.
I know many schools such as Harvard University, Brown, Columbia University, Yale; all of these schools provide equal opportunities for their students. But one school I deeply know, the University of Hartford Magnet School on the University of Hartford campus, accepts students from every culture. This school allows everyone to accomplish their dreams no matter if they are Indian, Italian, or African American or Asian. I am an Indian boy and I happen to go to this astonishing school.
In this school they care for each other and we have the freedom to be
ourselves. If someone wants to be a musician, they have the rights to be a
musician. If another student wants to be an artist, they have the rights to be an artist. If a student dreams of being president, they have the rights to pursue this amazing job. This school and I believe that we can be anything we want and we can reach our goals.
The University of Hartford Magnet School wants every person to be an intelligent person when they get older and to reach any goals they would like to pursue. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is alive in the University of Hartford Magnet School and his dream will stay with this school.
In my personal community, people should accept each other’s character, people should accept each other’s families, and people should especially accept each other’s culture and skin color. I have a dream…that everyone will be
treated equally forever. All we need is faith in each other and ourselves. This is what freedom is, this is how freedom works. If we can spread this freedom throughout the corners of America, America will have an abundance of freedom and faith and we can stay the greatest country in the world. This is how Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is alive in my neighborhood, my family, my school and his dream is alive in America. Martin Luther King has given us freedom and amazingly, his dream is still alive.
Let freedom ring by caring for each other no matter what culture or skin color. We can keep this freedom forever. We can keep this faith forever. We can do this together. If Martin Luther King Jr. were here today, don’t you think he would say that he is so grateful for his dream coming true from his speech in 1963 to today in 2008? That means that the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. has stayed in America for 45 years. Isn’t that excellent?
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that freedom will open up America. We must continue to live the dream. We must remind each other to always accept others. Just say, “Hey, that’s not fair. Just let him play with us.” I never want to hear the phrase “He’s not our culture so don’t let him come with us.” My whole entire family believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and I do too. My family and I think that when that speech was over…a lot of things throughout America had changed in just that minute. So do you believe Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech changed everything that day? Just think about that…because America continues to live his dream and so do I.
Eleven-year-old Bryce Kapur lives in Simsbury. His favorite subject is art.
University High School of Science and Engineering winning essay
by Jennifer Ky, 11th grade
Dr. King envisioned a colorblind America, a nation of equal opportunity where character is the only thing that matters. Now, it’s 2009 and we’ve made tremendous progress: we have a black man at the threshold of the White House and de jure segregation is long gone. But de facto segregation thrives,
especially in education.
While this segregation isn’t overt racism, there’s still a heavily racist undertone. In “Trying to Bridge the Grade Divide,” by Hector Becerra, teachers and students discuss the achievement gap in terms of race. Many propose that it’s due to socioeconomic differences, but Becerra reveals that it’s much more. He focuses on Lincoln High School, where most of the Asian and Latino students are from working class immigrant families. They’re of the same socioeconomic status and Asians are 15 percent of the student body, but they’re 50 percent of the students in AP classes and 90 percent of the Academic Decathlon team.1 So, if it isn’t socioeconomic status, what accounts for the achievement gap? It’s all about expectations. In Berlack’s “Race and the Achievement Gap,” a high-achieving black student sums it all up: “Well, we supposed to be stupid...we perform poorly in school ‘cause we all have it thought up in our heads we’re supposed to be dumb so we might as well go ahead and be dumb.”2
Our culture is so saturated with stereotypes and subtle racism that we
subconsciously set expectations for ourselves based on how others perceive us. The black student’s words are ugly, but true. For blacks and Latinos, higher education isn’t what’s expected, so many believe it’s too fanciful and they don’t seriously consider it. Likewise, Asians and whites are expected to pursue a degree, so they meet this expectation and achieve higher goals. Dr. King dreamt of a nation of equal opportunity despite skin color and we’re getting there. But now the issue isn’t that the “colored” school is inferior to the “whites only” school—the problem is that racist ideology is so heavily embedded in American culture that psychological barriers are erected, impeding minorities from
reaching their full potential.
All the studies tell a story of inequality in education, but nothing is louder than experience. I’ve grown up in Hartford, surrounded by more Spanish than English, and I’ve attended magnet schools for years. I’ve seen the Hartford
residents slip to academic probation, while the suburban students float to honor roll. All my life, I’ve heard them say that I aced the test because I’m Asian and Asians are somehow inherently smarter. But worst of all, I’ve heard the black kid slam his algebra book shut and walk out of class, saying “I ain’t meant for this.”
One day, “Asian” won’t mean “intelligent” and “black” won’t mean “destined to fail.” One day, success will truly be dictated by character. Then, Dr. King’s dream will become our reality.
Sixteen-year-old Jennifer Ky lives in Hartford. She plans to major in
biomedical engineering in college.
1 Hector Becerra, “Trying to Bridge the Grade Divide,” Los Angeles Times,
16 July 2008.
2 Harold Berlak, “Race and the Achievement Gap,” Rethinking Schools, 15,
no. 4 (2001).
University of Hartford winning essay
by Saleema Josey ’12
Dr. King’s Dream: A Modern Perspective
In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of over 200,000 supporters of the civil rights movement. Often described as one of the most powerful examples of rhetoric in American history, this speech served as a defining moment in King’s career and the civil rights movement. Today, however, this speech is rarely seen as an inspirational tool for African Americans. As an African American student I have come into contact with the “Dream Speech” solely for academic purposes. When I examine the people in my community, I am forced to conclude that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has lost its relevance in today’s society.
Even today blacks live under a feigned sense of freedom created by the media, the government, and the community in which they live. As a people we still inhabit an “island of poverty” and have ceased to continue the necessary upward mobility that will naturally lead to true freedom. Last summer I witnessed many young women with whom I attended junior high school bring their newborn babies to the doctor, exploit themselves for the attention of young men and view their part-time jobs at The Levi’s Store or Johnny Rockets as long-term careers. The problem is that we have become content with our current status in society and Dr. King would have been appalled. We have become settled with what we have been given by government, such as public housing and underfunded public schooling, and tend not to collectively attempt to overcome poverty and oppression through education and a sense of peoplehood.
However, the blame does not lie entirely on the black community. Americans unconsciously segregate themselves because it is easier to associate with people of the same background. This issue goes beyond skin color. When I attended Talent Unlimited High School, a performing arts school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, there were Russian cliques, Asian cliques, Italian cliques and African American cliques. While association with people of a similar background builds cultural unity, it’s also important to experience the other cultures America has to offer. High school students, the future of America, are often reluctant to take that step.
Since the 1960s the black community has not had a leader who could rival King in his determination and charismatic speech. King’s death resulted in the death of many of his lifelong goals. America has not since seen the black community unite across the country and fight for a common cause, such as an end to black-on-black violence or an end to police brutality against young black men. There is still so much to fight for. Our present state of disunion has left us crippled and unequipped to continue our progress toward the greatness of which we are capable. This absence of a singular political and spiritual leader as well as the lack of initiative has halted the advancement of Dr. King’s dream.
It is safe to say that much has changed since 1963. Thanks to a series of civil rights laws passed by Congress under President Lyndon B. Johnson, most forms of discrimination have become illegal and voting has become a reality for southern blacks. These acts have decreased the chances of obvious legal racism. But since then, little progress has been made in the black community. Many black students are left out of AP and honors courses in high school because they are not receiving the proper educational foundation in elementary schools, are intimidated by the lack of color in these classes, or simply do not see “school intelligence” as a “cool” quality. Even more students are hesitant to apply to college due to lack of knowledge about the application process or merely lack of drive. However, the problem is not only our students. Many adults are unable to hold decent jobs because they lack skills. Others avoid fields that seem “too white”: accounting, medicine or journalism. Many blacks do hold prestigious careers and own their own homes but there are still so many people being left out of this dream. While there are no longer signs designating certain areas or careers as “White Only,” the ghost of our once segregated nation still looms over our society.
First-year student Saleema Josey is from Staten Island, New York. She is a history major with concentrations in American history and the Middle East.