2021-22 Contest Gallery

Art Contest Winners

Click here to view all art contest finalists at MLKofNorthTexas.org.

Essay Contest Winners

Selections chosen from each winning essay

4th Grade: Auspyn Kubasta, Mill Street Elementary, Ms. Nicholson

5th Grade: Zoya Tapia, Hebron Valley Elementary, Mrs. Nelson

6th Grade: Tanvi Padala, McKamy Middle School, Mrs. Edge

Divided buses and schools created a schism

Discrimination created many innocent victims

Dr King proposed peaceful progress with pacifism

As the world raged with racism

There were no opportunities for equalism

The three evil threats created situations that were lethal

Poverty, War, and Racism mad e us feeble

Like the cotton crops damaged by a weevil

Division in our societies brings upheaval

We need to soar united like a bald eagle

We were divided communities

That lived in different proximities

We didn’t have equal opportunities

Dr. King believed civil rights would prevent future vanities

But still, we treat and divide each other with profanities

Deeply patriotic, he saw an American future blooming

Instead of dividing, we should be binding

Together our voices would blend and ring

sweet land of Liberty we would sing

But right now, we’re dividing

If we continue on, it will become chronic

It will never be idyllic

But it can be more organic

If we have a better perspective

Then this will become dynamic

Dr King never retired

He had a dream that he acquired

Hours and hours and hours it required

Today all of us have been inspired

He changed people's hearts and became admired

With steadfast dedication

The message of hope will have increased amplification

We will be determined

As we grow a new civilization.

7th Grade: Thiyanah Nimallan, McKamy Middle School, Mrs. Warriner

As a person of color, I've seen the effects of racism. People get scared, angry, and frightened when others don't look the same way they do. Sometimes, we've got look within others. We've got to understand that we are all people, no matter what. Instead of words such as "my", "they", and "your", we need to start using "our". Today, we are a piece of shattered glass. Broken. Fractured. Tomorrow, we will add warmth and care to the glass. We will mend it together as a community. Tomorrow, we are a whole. Today, the world is divided, but tomorrow, it will be united.

8th Grade: Lara Makkapati, Lamar Middle School, Mrs. Reynolds

Our current world is split by this ocean. One side containing wealthy civilization - The other, scattered with the unable who are manipulated by the self-righteous. I look from the edge of the coast, across this ocean and see nothing but the dark waves of the future knowing most of my life was built on the foundation of oppression. Oblivious to a world where my worth can be defined by my appearance and my status. MLK wanted to change this. MLK had an unbreakable faith that America could reach his goals of love, peace and equality among everyone as long as we follow his philosophy and take a stand against the Triple Evils. As citizens it is our duty to discard our kaleidoscope. Instead MLK would encourage you to put the world under a microscope, everyday. To see how you can drain the ocean of oppression to unite the landmass once divided.

9th Grade: Abhijay Kodali, Flower Mound 9 High School, Mrs. Greenlaw

A child has just completed a puzzle, a piece at a time. Each piece is unique, but the puzzle looks best when all the pieces click together. It is a beautiful work, with many different parts contributing. Every puzzle piece is not featured on its own, but rather as a cohesive whole, attached to reveal the vibrant colors and beautiful work within. The child looks at this beautiful, cohesive puzzle, entranced. The child is oblivious, however, to the fact that his whole world can be defined by this singular puzzle. We, by ourselves, cannot always change history, but by uniting together and accepting all kinds of people, we can form something incredibly remarkable and create a lasting impact upon the shape of the world… As puzzle pieces, we must click together to form a complete community. Unfortunately, the demons of discrimination and inequality are still prowling about in today's society, and a new monster, political partisanship, has also entered the fray to create a divide between mankind. With all of these issues bubbling in the waters of mankind, the puzzle of the world is not complete, and we must do all that we can to take these issues out of the picture. When we look at the world of today, it is obvious that it is divided. It is being cut into pieces by the same old demons and monsters of racial and ethnic discrimination, partisanship, and gender inequality.

Luckily, the world of today is not the world of tomorrow. In the past few decades, work has been done by society to start putting the pieces back together. We must do our own part with the rest of the Earth, from the United States of America to France to Russia, to mold our community into one where unity is key, and all individuals are appreciated for being themselves, not what someone else wants them to be. With these little changes here and there, our tomorrow may finally click together, forming a finished puzzle, rather than the incomplete one we see today. Tomorrow, Dr. King's vision will be complete, with society's cracks being repaired and with the puzzle becoming whole, the masterpiece it was intended to be.

10th Grade: Valerie Parada, LHS Harmon, Mrs. Phillips

The belief that humanity stands as united

The classification that humans are one

Even though we tear each other apart,

mistreat one another

We all fall into the same category of humans

Flesh and blood, that's what we as a people are.

A person, a human, a homo sapien

Different words

Same definition

Yet we seemed to treat one another unfairly

We are the same species.

So why?

Why do we mistreat each other?

Do we stand as united?

No!

Of course not. We judge

we hate

We become what we fear

United only when we

F

A

L

into the category of hateful beings

We are the ones who cause harm

You and me?

No, you and I

Our generation, our world.

We mirror the hate we are taught

How embarrassing, how absurd!

11th Grade: Lahari Guduru, Flower Mound High School, Mrs. Figueredo

Although it may be shocking to some, racism and class division traps minorities in an endless cycle of unrelenting poverty resulting in lack of socioeconomic equality. While many of their white counterparts enjoy wealth on a diamond encrusted throne, a disproportionate amount of minorities dwell in poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Often, this is caused because many minorities, who tend to grow up in more modest homes, cannot afford an expensive but necessary aid for jobs: college education. Take for example the notion of offering need-based scholarships to universities. Although this method has been implemented within some prestigious colleges such as Harvard, many attainable colleges have not made the step towards providing support for families who cannot afford the hefty price that comes with a degree. Martin Luther King advocated for economic equality for all people, changing the world around him to diminish hierarchy and celebrate equality among one another. When we truly love each other, we make sure our brothers and sisters in society who cannot afford the same resources are provided free access. The world's success can only be achieved by reaching out to others and granting everyone an equal playing field. With equal education comes economic freedom, creating a tomorrow in which everyone can thrive, thereby breaking a cycle of poverty that has chained minorities to the legacy of the past.

12th Grade: Advika Rajeev, Flower Mound High School, Ms. Bowen

In those days, the nation was above party. These days, compromise equals weakness. In those days, the mute far outnumbered the vocal. These days, thanks to Dr. King, the voices that were once mute speak for those still whispering. When I was in middle school, reading the news was meant to prepare myself to become a participant in society. But today, switching on the news requires a mindset to block the daily shot of sorrow…If the news itself was a serrated knife, the media is a whet with which to sharpen even the dullest of stories. Gun legislation, abortion rights, and vaccination mandates split brothers against fathers, sisters against cousins. Society is actualizing the idea that the world is black and white-to hear the other side is to compromise your main values.

Almost six decades later, Dr. King's answer remains the same. Through the current turmoil, Dr. King's belief that anyone can make a difference has prevailed. Regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or disabilities, it is a societal understanding that the only requirement to make change is passion. lt is up to us to keep Dr. King's dream a reality. During the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King and fellow activists did not promote equality with the surety that justice will ensue in the end. Although we praise their perseverance for the liberties we enjoy today, their success was by no means guaranteed.

Click here to view all essay contest finalists at MLKofNorthTexas.org.

Photography Contest Winners

Click here to view all photography contest finalists at MLKofNorthTexas.org.

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