What Martin Luther King Jr. means to me - schoolchildren speak out

Ebony, Jan, 1992

As a young female African-American, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means a lot to me. He was a very special person who fought for civil rights. He was a bold and courageous man.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled all over the United States and all over the world. He often helped people who were working to have bad laws changed for better ones.

Even though Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is gone, his memory lives on forever. He lives in the hearts of many Americans. Martin Luther King's words and deeds and ideas live on. People can live as he lived, work as he worked. In this way, he will never be forgotten.

Kelli Ivey, age 13 Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Atlanta

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest men to walk this earth and he will be remembered always in the hearts of those who knew him.

His accomplishments were greater than many people would ever hope to achieve. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fighter. He fought for the rights of Black people like no one else.

I was deeply affected by Martin Luther King Jr., just like millions of other Americans. Whites may not appreciate him as much as Blacks do, but he did great things for Whites too. Everybody wants to be treated equally, and Dr. King promoted freedom and equality for all. I know that when this brave man died in 1968, a little part of everyone's heart died too.

Though I was not brought into this world until 1978, just hearing about the great things that Martin Luther King Jr. did has been inspiring for me.

No doubt, the best word to describe him is "hero." His courage set many people free from slavery in their hearts and bondage in their minds.

IF I were given a wish to meet someone no longer existing, Martin Luther King Jr. would be that person. I believe there are many things this generation could learn from him. He not only fought for the rights of Blacks, he stood for peace.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may be deceased, but his dreams are vivid in my heart and mind.

Lucy Sandoval, age 13 Charles Drew Junior High School Los angeles

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. means the world to me. I feel that he is and always will be a very special person because of those great deeds he did not only for Blacks, but for all Americans. He believed that all men and women are and always will be created equal. He also got through to people without violence of any kind.

Nowadays, I feel that people are starting to forget Dr. King. In this society, the children of today need him more than ever because there is still prejudice, not only against Blacks, but against all minorities. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools."

I believe that we must live by this rule. If we don't learn how to get along, then I fear that we will perish--that all of mankind will eventually destroy each other.

Many times I have cried myself to sleep with all of my thoughts running around crazily. Sometimes I wish that we had to skin so we could only be seen on the inside, not the outside.