Read the winning entries in an MLK essay contest for Richardson students

PLANO, TX – Richardson has announced the winners of the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest for students in grades 3 through 12. Students were asked to write an essay about how to use King’s teachings to support diversity and inclusion.

Here are the winners and some excerpts from their entries:

Clara Eves won in this division for her essay that included examples on how to make people feel included and welcome.

“I can make everyone feel included by being kind, standing up for others, and by helping people. If I do all these things I will make more friends in my school community,” she wrote.

Grades 6-8

Sara Heiser’s winning entry was titled “The Art of Including Others.”

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, in Washington, D.C on August 28, 1963, ‘I have a dream…[that] little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers.’” she wrote. “I think that there are many ways to promote Dr. King’s dream of inclusion in the city of Richardson, and if everyone works together toward this dream we can become a diverse community in which people include others that are not like themselves.”

Grades 9-12

Grace Brantley wrote about the diversity of Richardson in her winning entry.

“We can use the teachings of MLK to realize that just because someone looks different than you doesn’t mean you cannot be friends or that they are lesser than you,” she wrote. “We are all people who were put in this world to make a difference. We are all unique, yet we are also similar in so many ways. No one should ever be punished or bullied because of how they look.”

Each winner will receive $100. Their essays will also be published in various city communication outlets. Additionally, the students will be recognized at an upcoming city council meeting.

The contest was open to students in grades 3-12 who live in Richardson or attend a Richardson ISD or Plano ISD school in Richardson. The contest was sponsored by the city council, Richardson ISD, Plano ISD and the University of Texas at Dallas.