GREENBRIER COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – This year, the Greenbrier Valley Martin Luther King Day Committee ran into one big obstacle to running an MLK Day essay contest: A ferocious performance by Old Man Winter. A seemingly endless series of snowstorms made it difficult to keep up with regular class work, let alone optional activities like the MLK Day essay contest. The result: many fewer entries than in most years. Although entrants were few in number, the quality was good.
The essay contest is open to kids in grades 4-8. Over the next little while, we’ll be bringing you the winning entries in each grade. Today, we honor fourth-grade winner Hattie Cooper of Greenbrier Community School.
I Have a Dream
By: Hattie Cooper
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’”
What this quote means is a vital thing to so many people. In my opinion, it means that your skin color or how you look should not change how you act and treat people.
If you are different, it is a good thing, not bad. It usually makes me wonder what the world would look like if everyone were treated kindly and equally. Right now, 2025 is the closest we have been to America being equal, but we are still very far from everything being equal. As the years go on, I hope that love will overcome hatred and our world will be peaceful.
The way that King’s “I Have a Dream” speech relates to me is that I have some extended family members who are people of color, and it would be terrible not to be able to have them in my family. A while ago, when white and black people tried to get married, the government would not allow them to because of their different races! I am so grateful that Martin Luther King Jr. did what he did because it would be terrible if families of all races were not allowed to exist.
This quote impacts my life in significant ways. It moves me by making me think before I speak,helping me be more confident in who I am. It also reminds me that if someone feels down, you should try to lift them up, not put them down.
I hope this quote lives on and significantly impacts everyone’s future.
I want people to feel equal, respected, and loved, not self-continuous and uncomfortable. To sum up, Martin Luther King Jr. was a great, legendary man who is still very important, and we should cherish him forever!
