Milwaukee students respond to Martin Luther King Jr.'s call to remember their significance

More than 50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. asked a group of students at a junior high school in Philadelphia what the blueprint of their life would be. His message was that their lives are significant. 

The question King posed in 1967 is something Milwaukee-area students answer today. It was the topic of the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration that took place at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday. 

The ceremony showcased the writing, speaking and artistic talents of Milwaukee students who were inspired by King and the message he gave those students in Philadelphia: "Your life has significance." 

Students as young as second grader Chriscyris Gil Midence laid out a blueprint of how she could one day become an FBI agent. Salam School junior Samawia Akhter told a story about how her teachers showed her that her life could have significance and encouraged others to believe the same. 

Anthony Smith, director of community engagement and inclusion at the Marcus Center, said reminding kids that their lives are significant is especially important in today's world.

"Because of all the different ills that's going on in the community now, we want children to remember that their life has significance," Smith said. "Regardless of what others may say and others may do and situations they're involved in, there's still hope."

Local leaders, elected officials and members of the Democratic National Convention Committee were at the celebration with students and families from Milwaukee-area schools. 

"I have the honor of being able to attend this event every year, and I think it's important for us as a community, nation and even the world to remember the significance and project the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and what his life was about, and what his teachings were about," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. 

Participation was opened up to students beyond Milwaukee Public Schools for the first time since the Milwaukee Martin Luther King Jr. celebration started in 1984.

"We were able to expand it to the Wauwatosa School District to participate, along with the West Bend School District to participate, and next year we're going to be able to expand it to even more school districts," Smith said. "We want to be known as the largest Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event in the Midwest." 

Dozens of students had their work recognized, which was no easy feat. 

"I was very, very worried. I had no idea what I was going to do," said Golda Meir School third grader Matthew Dawursk. 

Dawursk talked about how Jesus and Boy Scouts are significant in his life, and how he is significant to his family. And his writing paid off when he got third place in the competition.

"Dad gave me a call and said I had a surprise, and then he told me 'you got third place for the contest,' and I was shocked," Matthew said. "And then a few days later, my friend Zakaira told me she was second place, and I was also very happy for her." 

Here are some of what other students said about King in their first-place essays. 

Nayeli Batista Sanchez, third grade, Honey Creek

"Dr. King said we should all have a blueprint. First I want to go to college and be a lawyer. I feel like I would be a good lawyer because I like making things right, and I would love to change some laws." 

Iesha Sawyer-Green, fourth and fifth grade, Samuel Clemens School 

"We will use our hands to lift each other up, instead of holding people down because someone says they are not the right skin color. We will use our assertive voices to tell people that they have worth and significance, instead of using passive behavior to sit by and let people be bullied because someone else says they do not fit in. We will not use our bricks to build walls to keep people out. We will build each other up because we all belong and have a place in this world." 

Olivia Lane-Lawrence, sixth grade, Hartford University School

"I used to think I was not special and had no significance, but his 1967 speech 'Blueprint' made me realize all the small things that make me significant ... it taught me not to care what other people think and just be me." 

Naama Meadows, seventh grade, Bader Hillel Academy

"'What is your life's blueprint,' a speech by Dr. Martin King. Jr., inspired me to be the best I can be. It encouraged me to believe in myself, to be someone, and to strive to be supportive of other people's dreams as well." 

Ilhan Mohamed, 10th grade, Salam School

"Like Dr. King, step by step, we can take the steps to improve the faults of society in order to reduce the racial biases and create accurate perceptions of one another. Racism has not been erased completely, but it has decreased because of Dr. King's beliefs and ideas, such as abolishing the segregation of different races, which has benefited many lives. We need to continue his legacy by drastically spreading his beliefs, to not only show our support, but our desire to create change as well." 

Khaled Mahamed, 12th grade, Salam School

"We are the future generation, and we can do whatever we set our minds to, but to put our lives into action, we have to be determined. ... We have to know our self-worth and the importance of our lives and that they all count. MLK never backed down from what was right. This set up the path for us, the future generation, to continue his legacy and fight for what is essential."