Show Martin Luther King Jr essay contest winner announced announce I t. t Jeren W. W Canning Globe Weekly News Donna Brazile kicked off the event back in late January now there is a winner David Vala was awarded first place for his entry in inthe inthe inthe the Martin Luther King Jr Essay Contest For the first annual Martin Luther King Jr Essay Contest students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents were asked to write on How the work of Dr Martin Luther King Jr has affected my civil rights today The Multicultural Diversity Programming Martin Luther King Human Rights Celebration Subcommittee reviewed all of the submissions and judged them based on their content mechanics and interpretation of Dr Kings King's work Vala a General Studies major was awarded the grand prize of a waiver for Fall Semester and he was also given a cash prize The cash prize was added to the grand prize by Vice President of Academic Services Dr David Richardson in order to spur students' students interests on such an important topic Valas Vala's essay began by clarifying Dr Kings King's vision and showing he was not just an advocate for the American African-American community but for all Americans One of the greatest misconceptions surrounding the work of Dr Martin Luther King Jr is the belief that his struggle was solely for the benefit of the African American community This misconception that the Civil Rights movement is a struggle for minorities is the likely reason that so many law makers including legislators in Utah resisted resist resist- ed the creation of a holiday honoring honoring honoring honor honor- ing Dr Kings memory This ignorance ignorance ignorance igno igno- rance is disheartening because it diminishes the beliefs all Americans have enjoyed as a result of the Civil Rights movement Dr Martin Luther King ling struggled to awaken Americas America's conscience he struggled to bring truth to the promise of liberty and justice for all Valas Vala's essay will be printed in inthe inthe inthe the Fall edition of Folio along with the rules and guidelines for forthe forthe forthe the second annual Martin Luther King Jr Essay Contest slated for 2006 His essay personifies what it means to be an American with his passage The United States was founded on the ideal that all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights However in practice we have been less that compassionate as a nation Freedom can be a double edge sword on one hand you can exercise exercise exercise exer exer- cise your freedom to benefit all humanity On the other hand you are just as free to hate as you are love f 4 mm L LI I f. f ee 4 r. r L Fy fati l J. J v. v n 1 f C 5 c c is r r V r 3 c m CI CI C David Vala wins free tuition for the fall semester and from the Martin Luther King Jr Essay Contest j. j |