[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1234-1235]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE WINNERS OF DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS' POSTER AND ESSAY 
  CONTEST IN REMEMBRANCE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor those students from 
Deptford Township schools who participated in a contest to honor Dr. 
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks on January 11, 2006. The way in 
which these students portrayed their thoughts on Dr. King and Ms. Parks 
was touching and memorable.
  During this contest, students were given the opportunity to express 
their thoughts on these important historical figures by creating a 
poster or writing an essay highlighting memorable events in the lives 
of these two heroic Americans. The contest corresponded with the annual 
celebration of Dr. King. The students whose essays and posters won are: 
Scott Medes, Andrea Akins, Lauren Perry, Rachel Hajna, Jimmy Kunkle, 
Sheena Williams, Sara Duffy, Zachary Kummer, Ashley Duffy, Danielle 
Hogan, Ronald Grace, Danika Atkinson, Jordan Johnson, Michael Baney, 
Justina Dougherty, Jared Field, Ann Mary Tullio, Nicholas Eisen, 
Madelyn Elliot and Sean Clason. Their works showed exceptional thought 
and creativity.
  We have seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that Dr. King's 
and Mrs. Parks' message of justice for all people is still as important 
today as it was in the 1950's and 1960's. Although it 
disproportionately affected people of color, Hurricane Katrina affected 
anyone young enough, old enough or poor enough to be left behind. The 
students that participated in this contest embodied Dr. King's and Mrs. 
Parks' message and are truly an inspiration to all citizens of the 
United States of America.
  The following are five of the winning essays:

                      Making a World of Difference

                      (By Zachary Kummer, Grade 6)

       As I sit in my classroom and look around, I see students of 
     many different races. We are all here to learn and everyone 
     has the same opportunity to get a good education. The teacher 
     treats us all the same, and we use the same books, desks, 
     fountains, and lavatories. All the students are together in 
     the same classroom without any discrimination by race or 
     religion. If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he 
     would see his dream fulfilled in my classroom.
       Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister who believed in 
     equality for all. He thought that the Constitution of the 
     United States was meant for all people. His famous speech of 
     ``I Have a Dream'' said that he dreamed of a time when people 
     of all races and religions would be treated the same. Dr. 
     King was influenced by many people. His grandfather, his 
     father, Abraham Lincoln, and Rosa Parks were some of these 
     people who had an influence on him.
       Dr. King admired the courage Rosa Parks showed in her 
     refusal to give up her seat on a bus. He respected her non-
     violent protest. Rosa Parks' action was one of the things 
     that led to the boycott of the buses by people of color. Dr. 
     King became involved in this peaceful action and showed that 
     there is power when people join together in a protest.
       Not only has the United States changed because of Dr. King, 
     but the rest of the world has been influenced by his peaceful 
     ways to bring about change in laws to give equality to all 
     people. People of color in South Africa were influenced by 
     Dr. King and have changed the apartheid laws.
       In conclusion, the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
     and Rosa Parks has greatly changed the rights of all people, 
     especially minorities, from separation and discrimination to 
     equality in all parts of our lives.
                                  ____


                      Making A World of Difference

                       (By Andrea Akins, Grade 4)

       Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks made a difference. 
     For example, Dr. King was born Jan. 16, 1929 in Atlanta, 
     Georgia. He always was thinking about solutions to solve 
     racial prejudice. The civil rights bill ended discrimination 
     of black Americans in 1964. One day Dr. King was shot and 
     died.
       In addition, Rosa Parks was born Feb. 4, 1913 in Alabama 
     and was married sometime in 1932. She worked to help a lot of 
     black people. White people always pushed her around and she 
     was tired of it. One day Rosa Parks refused to give up her 
     seat on a segregated bus. She was arrested and put in jail. A 
     boycott was passed. Mr. Nixon and Dr. King got lawyers to 
     take Rosa's case to court. The boycott worked.
       Additionally, Rosa Parks and Dr. King had a lot in common. 
     One thing they had in common was the bus boycott. Another 
     thing they had in common was segregation. Of course they both 
     wanted fairness.
       In conclusion, Dr. King and Rosa Parks helped make a 
     difference. They made a difference because they both wanted 
     fairness. They helped blacks with problems and they made laws 
     right. They made a difference.
                                  ____


      Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks--``Making a World of 
                              Difference''

                           (By Rachel Hajna)

       Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in 
     Atlanta, Georgia. His parents named him Michael at first, but 
     later changed it to Martin Luther, which was his father's 
     name. Martin had an older sister and a younger brother. Their 
     mother always told them how special and wonderful they were. 
     The King family was very religious.
       Martin was best friends with a white boy, but when they 
     started school the friend's Dad said they couldn't play 
     anymore because Martin was black. The boys both cried.
       Martin learned more about segregation as he got older. 
     There were a lot of things that the black people were not 
     allowed to do. They were not allowed to play on the beach or 
     in the parks, they were not allowed to vote, and they could 
     not live where they wanted. Martin knew this was unfair.
       Martin graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 
     1944. He was so smart that he skipped ninth and twelfth 
     grades. He enrolled at Morehouse College when he was 15 years 
     old. He also began preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church where 
     his father was the pastor and he became Reverend Martin 
     Luther King, Jr. on February 25, 1948 when he was 19 years 
     old.
       Martin met Coretta Scott while attending Boston University. 
     They were married on June 18, 1953 in Marion, Alabama. Martin 
     became Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1955 after receiving 
     his Ph.D. from Boston University.
       Dr. King was one of the leaders of the Montgomery Bus 
     Boycott. This was a huge success. Dr. King and other black 
     leaders told the black people not to ride the buses. They did 
     this because they learned that a woman named Rosa Parks was 
     arrested and sent to jail on December 1, 1955 because she 
     would not give up her bus seat to a white man. On November 
     13, 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that it was against the law 
     to make black people sit at the back of the buses in 
     Montgomery, Alabama. Now they could sit wherever they wanted.
       Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, 
     Alabama. She grew up on a small farm with her brother, mother 
     and grandparents. In 1932 she married barber and civil rights 
     activist, Raymond Parks. Over the years, Rosa Parks received 
     many awards and honors, including the Medal of Freedom Award, 
     presented by President Clinton in 1996. Rosa Parks died 
     recently on October 25, 2005 at the age of 92.
       The boycott was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement 
     in America. On August 28, 1963 Dr. King led the March on 
     Washington. This is where he gave his ``I Have a Dream'' 
     speech. He wanted black and white people to live together in 
     peace in America. In 1964 he received Time magazine's ``Man 
     of the Year'' award. On July 2, 1964 President Johnson signed 
     the Civil Rights bill into law, which meant that the black 
     people could go wherever they wanted.
       On December 10, 1964 Dr. King received the Nobel Peace 
     Prize, which is one of the greatest honors any man can win. 
     He was only 35 years old when he won the award making him 
     youngest person to receive it.
       On April 4, 1968 Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee to 
     lead a march to help sanitation workers. He was shot and 
     killed on this day. People all over the world wept. Dr. King 
     made a difference by making black and white people get along.
       I am very glad that Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks 
     made a difference in our world.
                                  ____


              How Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World

                       (By Lauren Perry, Grade 4)

       Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks changed the world 
     from being prejudice forever.

[[Page 1235]]

       Little did the community of Sweet Auburn, Atlanta, Georgia 
     know that on the day of January 15, 1929, baby Martin Luther 
     King Jr. would change the world. As Martin got older, 
     everybody said that the last name King would suit him good.
       Martin Luther King had many strong beliefs. He believed in 
     non-segregation. Because of the time, many Americans in the 
     South were separating the whites from the blacks. His other 
     belief was non-violence. He solved many problems non-
     violently.
       His parents always told him to have pride in himself. He 
     always believed that having pride in yourself could take you 
     various places. Believing everyone was equal and being free 
     was the one thing that he would fight for.
       He argued many times for the freedom of African Americans 
     to go where they wanted to go and so on and so forth. But he 
     always protested peacefully. He protested to put a stop to 
     racial prejudice. He along with Rosa Parks boycotted many 
     things like being prejudice.
       Both African Americans thought segregation and being 
     prejudice was injustice. Rosa Parks got arrested for, what I 
     think, is very unfair. She got arrested for refusing to give 
     up her seat to a white man.
       After that incident, Martin Luther King Jr. knew something 
     had to be done. Martin did many speeches, marches, and 
     protests to bring attention to all Americans on what was 
     going on.
       On August 28, 1963 he made the one of the most memorable 
     speeches in history. ``I Have a Dream'' was his speech. He 
     dreamed that everyone would think that everyone was 
     ``brothers and sisters.''
       After his speech, a law was formed that no one could be 
     prejudice or segregate. Many people's lives were changed by 
     King's memorable speech. But things were about to change for 
     him.
       On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was standing on a 
     hotel balcony talking to a friend, and suddenly . . . Boom! 
     Martin Luther King Jr., at the age of 54, was shot and 
     killed.
       People all over the world were upset, but he will be 
     remembered.
       So, because of Martin Luther King Jr.'s pride and strength, 
     he was shot and killed. From his strong non-violent beliefs, 
     no segregation or being prejudice is ruining the world today.
                                  ____


                          Two Amazing Leaders

                       (By Jimmy Kunkle, Grade 5)

       Our world would be different if it weren't for two very 
     brave people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks both 
     fought for equal rights. Rosa Parks was born in 1913, and was 
     very determined. She made a big difference because on 
     December 1, 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus to 
     a white man, and she was put in jail. This act determined 
     many people and one of them was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
       Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important and 
     determined man. He led protests, marches, boycotts and all of 
     his hard work won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. On 
     August 28, 1963, Martin made his ``I Have a Dream'' Speech. 
     He dreamed that all mankind would be treated equally and that 
     there would be no more violence. On April 4, 1968, he was 
     shot and killed, but we still remember him, and we will never 
     forget him.
       So now you can see that two people can make a difference, 
     and they did! They did not only make a difference, but they 
     brought our world together. So that's how two unforgettable 
     people made a world of difference, by not using violence.

                          ____________________