Dr. Martin Luther King, by Jenny, a Second Grader

 We had a writing contest in which the students were to write about someone who was a hero to them.  Jenny chose Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Here is her essay.

My hero is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He stood up for what he believed and didn't care what other people thought who wanted to fight and be mean.  He believed that all people should be treated the same.  And he was right because we all have the same feelings and we all get sad or are happy.  We all get hungry and need to eat.  And everyone needs to be treated nicely and fairly. And that's just how it is.

But Dr. King didn't want to be like the mean people and fight.  So he followed Gandhi and did things in a nice way.  He got other people to be nice and peaceful, too. But everyone still knew they didn't like the way things were.

He wrote a speech called "I have a Dream"  It is hanging up in our classroom with his picture.  I'm glad he told us about his dream, and I'm glad our school is now like his dream.  If it wasn't, Serita might not be allowed to be my best friend.  I would not want her to have to go to another school, especially if it wasn't a nice school.  I like sitting next to her at lunch and playing with her at recess.  But I couldn't do this if people made a fuss because her skin is brown. 

I hope that I can be as brave as Dr. King was.  And that is why he is my hero.  What he did is good enough for me to follow it.

Jenny didn't win the contest, but she is still a winner, don't you think?