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Martin Luther King Essay Competition winners announced at a reception in celebration of King’s legacy January 23, 2008 "I am concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that."
These were the words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King in his last address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here,"
On January 21, 2008 as Americans across the United States observed a National Holiday celebrating the birth of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., here in The Bahamas the United States Embassy honored Dr. King's legacy in a reception at Liberty Overlook, hosted by United States Ambassador Mr. Ned L. Siegel and Mrs. Siegel. The highlight of the event was the announcement of the 2008 Martin Luther King essay competition winners, and the special guest appearance of distinguished, best-selling author, acclaimed poet, award-winning screenwriter, director and film producer, Antwone Fisher.
Reflecting on the quote above and using Dr. King’s teachings of non-violence and conflict resolution, this year’s essay competition sought to stimulate constructive discussion among Bahamian youth on responses to crime and violence and to evoke their thoughts and suggestions on how to address these challenges in The Bahamas. The competition was open to students in grades 10-12 in both public and private schools in The Bahamas. Thirty-two essays were received from eleven schools in New Providence, Eleuthera and Andros.
In his remarks Ambassador Siegel commented that he was “deeply impressed by the depth of feeling, understanding, and commitment these young people articulated about this complex issue facing our modern society.” Antwone Fisher impressed upon the audience and especially the students, the importance of hard work, perseverance and a willingness to set high goals and to strive for excellence.
Marquez Danae Williams, a 12th grade student at St. Augustine’s placed first and Lizinga Rolle, a 12th grade student at Jordan Prince William High placed second. They both walked away with flat screen computers donated by the Embassy. Reggia Bain of Jordan Prince William High placed third, while D’Anthra Adderley of St. Andrew’s High School placed fourth. Third and fourth place winners received a variety of materials on Dr. King and a DVD of the Antwone Fisher movie.
Honorable mention went to the following: Michelle Knowles, Queen’s College; Sydney Delancy, Queen’s College; Vaughn Abdul, Mangrove Cay High School, Andros; Mia Simone, Queen’s College; Randesha Lewis, Queen’s College, and Brolin Xavier, St. Andrew’s High School. Click on any of the links below to read the top four Martin Luther King Essay submissions:
Caption: 1st place winner Marquez Williams, 12th grade student at St. Augustine’s College accepting her award from U.S. Ambassador Ned L. Siegel and Director/Screenwriter Antwone Fisher.
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