Speeches
Remarks by Charge d'Affaires, a.i. David Elmo
Reception Honoring the Winners of the U.S. Embassy's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest
February 13, 2009
British Colonial Hilton Hotel
Thank you all for joining us today to commemorate and celebrate the life of a great American - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The U.S. Embassy is once again pleased to honor Dr. King's legacy through our annual essay contest. The goal of this contest is to give Bahamian students the opportunity to reflect on Dr. King's words and teachings.
We were overwhelmed by the response to our essay contest this year - more than 100 essays were received from 11 schools in New Providence and 7 schools throughout the Family Islands. We'd like to give special recognition to Bishop Michael Eldon School in Freeport - we received 23 essay submissions from this school alone and were impressed by the enthusiasm this school demonstrated.
I think Dr. King would be proud to know that he serves as an inspiration to people, and especially young people, throughout the world even 40 years after his tragic death. Dr. King fought tirelessly for civil rights in America, challenging his fellow countrymen and people around the world to live together as brothers and to pursue racial justice.
You all know about Dr. King's dream - and his message of hope, justice, and brotherhood around the world. We have come a long way since his speech in 1963.
The celebration of Martin Luther King Day on the 19th of January was especially meaningful. You know what occurred on the 20th . It is a remarkable connection. President Obama is not only our new commander-in-chief, but the first African-American to be elected President of the United States of America.
I am certain Dr. King would be immensely proud to know that an African-American won the presidency through fair, democratic elections and was overwhelmingly supported by the American people. This is a special time in U.S. history and I know the people of The Bahamas were just as eager as we were to see Dr. King's dream fulfilled through the inauguration of President Obama.
Reaching a little further back into history, but underscoring the same journey, I'd like to note that yesterday was the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. Think of his contributions and of how far we have come. We have come a long way. Which brings us to today.
This essay contest has become a tradition at U.S. Embassy Nassau, and it is a wonderful way of demonstrating the thoughtfulness, understanding, and vision of many young Bahamians. We know from experience that our essay winners go on to do great things with their lives - Mr. Tyrone Fitzgerald, our first essay winner in 1987, is with us today and has been part of our selection committee for the past three years. I'd like to thank Mr. Fitzgerald, as well as the other members of the selection committee, for their time and diligence in reading all the submissions.
I would also like to give special thanks to our sponsors who made today's event possible: the Bahamas Hotel Association; the d'Albenas Agency, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for being a partner - thank you for your generous donations.
And last but not least, I'd like to say congratulations to the students who took the time to submit essays to us this year - we are continuously impressed with the quality of the responses we received and look forward to doing this again in the future.
Let's celebrate our common values and the strength of our relationship. Thank you again for joining us to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.