High School
1st Place - Alia Hamdani, C.K McClatchy High School, Sacramento City Unified School District
2nd Place - LIsaac Nam, Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
3rd Place - Raelynn Floyd, Inderkum High School, Natomas Unified School District

Middle School
1st Place - Aishwarya Anand, Folsom Middle School, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
2nd Place - Simra Sohail, Folsom Middle School, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
3rd Place - Harper Clinkinbeard, Glen Edwards Middle School, Western Placer Unified School District

High School Division
Alia Hamdani, 1st Place High School Division

Moving Forward

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16th, 1963. He emphasized that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” These words were written 61 years ago. Now it is 2024.

Why has so little changed in the past 61 years, aside from desegregation? Burdens like homelessness that create significant challenges that affect healthcare access, crime, safety, workforce stability, and tax dollars are why, according to Caring Works (a company driven to fight homelessness). This problem creates a chain reaction that influences various aspects of our economy, not just the individuals directly involved—clouding our once easily attainable white-picket-fence dream.

To form my vision for a better future, I would combat generational homelessness by building shelters and educating youth about the issue. By guiding the younger generation, we can prevent homelessness and rebuild the American dream. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized the fight for justice and equality in his "I Have a Dream" speech, stating, "We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check…that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." Empowering youth with knowledge allows us to address homelessness at its roots and help the lower class achieve the American dream as well as bring them “the riches of freedom.”

Similar to homelessness, overconsumption also stems from a growing population. While the urge to consume is strong, we should strive to resist it as I believe we could have a better future without it. By encouraging donations of excess resources, we can create a future that promotes equity and helps lower classes pursue the "American dream."

Don’t we want our kids and their future kids to enjoy green parks and be able to enjoy the same paper we write on? If you give people something to be united by, such as helping one another to achieve the same success you have, then you have a future that is the true American dream—to live prosperously with no one to take away your right to live freely with no burdens.

My vision for a more equitable future focuses on everyone's well-being, as true progress requires unity. In Zlata’s Diary, Zlata Filipovic highlights the power of people coming together against war, stating, “People came out to be together, they don’t want war…I kept thinking about the march I joined today. It’s bigger and stronger than war. That’s why it will win. The people must be the ones to win, not the war, because war has nothing to do with humanity” (Filipovic 33). We must address related challenges like economic inequality, social justice, and environmental sustainability. By uniting our efforts, we can create a brighter and more equitable future for everyone, because together we are bigger than the problems we make.

Works Cited
-Filipovic, Zlata. Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo. 1994, ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA82837975.
-Npr. “Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech in Its Entirety.” NPR, 16 Jan. 2023, www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety.
-TeachingAmericanHistory.org. “Letter From Birmingham Jail | Teaching American History.”
   Teaching American History, 15 Mar. 2024, teachingamericanhistory.org/document/letter-from-birmingham-city-jail-excerpts.

Isaac Nam, 2nd Place, High School Division

Small Acts, Big Change

I think of the story about a man who lived in a world so segregated that the people he called neighbors dared not say his name across the street or invite him for coffee on a Sunday afternoon. A world where right and wrong were all too easily defined by one group over another. A world where people were all too comfortable with the way things were. Yet this man took the time to see beyond these tainted windows, through its shattered cracks to understand the struggle of another. He, just one man and his words, changed the trajectory of this world through his efforts to chip away at the walls of prejudice. He chose to empathize. He chose to see. That story – the story of Dr. King – is what we all must continue to remember: that everything begins with a choice.

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree,” said Martin Luther King Jr. to crowds of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, “If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star.” Six months before he was assassinated, Dr. King reminded us that greatness is not reserved for grand gestures; it's the dedication we bring into whatever we do. The message encourages us to take part in making the world a better place, even if it’s on a seemingly smaller scale. Dr. King knew that change was never built on the motives of single individuals but rather on the collective power of small, meaningful actions. I know, just as Dr. King did 61 years ago when he had a “dream”, we all matter when it comes to bringing everyone to the table.

Undoubtedly, our world has changed since Dr. King walked the streets of Selma. In what ways we have changed is also undoubtedly a hard question to answer. Much is still divided. Perhaps, even more so in some ways as our country continues down a path of polarization. People of all ages feel more drawn to having opinions rather than conversations. We are more interconnected than ever before, yet in some ways more isolated than ever before. In such a world, I envision a place where people feel empowered and encouraged to inspire change in their respective spaces and communities. For me, all of that starts by encouraging empathy. We have perhaps lost the art of understanding our neighbors. Perhaps we no longer know who our neighbors are.

But I believe that small acts of kindness can create ripples far beyond the moment. In a world where only great things seem to get attention, we often overlook the power of smaller moments. A single bush may not seem significant, but many bushes form a field—a place of rest and growth. A lot has changed, but much also remains the same as it did in Dr. King’s time in the sense that we all desire a better world, one that is understanding of our respective differences.

Raelynn Floyd, 3rd Place High School Division

A Dream Carved with Persistence: Upbringing Black Women in Medicine

An American dream; is a common dream among people without regard to race, gender, sexuality, or background. It was a dream that meant one has the freedom to succeed and prosper in life. The idea of an “American dream” was established in the early 1930s during the Great Depression, which was nearly 30 years before Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The American dream was to give hope to all people during the Great Depression; however, deep down we all knew it was not for African Americans.

People always told me that I would have to work multiple times harder than other people due to being an African-American girl. It was a central cultural theme and issue that most Black young people were told as advice to achieve their “American dream.” Martin Luther King Jr. built a dream for not only African-Americans but for everybody, as inequality. The American dream was soon replaced with, “I have a dream,” not only for African-Americans but for everybody. Today we strive to fulfill our dreams and not just an “American dream.”

My dream is to uphold equality in the healthcare field for all women. A large issue in Black communities is bias towards African Americans in healthcare. I specifically want to build a safe space for African-American women in maternal labor and mental health. Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy due to medical factors, but also implicit bias, racism, and intentional neglect from healthcare providers. Additionally, we have set a cultural agreement in Black communities, as mental health is deemed as a personal weakness rather than a medical issue. Educating Black young women and providing a safe space during times of puberty and growth can break this generational trauma. I plan to start a club for all women to learn and be able to express their emotions willingly without anyone saying, “You are too emotional.” I plan to take my knowledge from this experience and build it into my career as an obstetric anesthesiologist, who would do their utmost best to care for their patient no matter the race or circumstances they are in.

One similarity that Martin Luther King Jr. and I have is that both our dreams not only benefit us, but they benefit a whole community. A dream in life is a goal that people would be the happiest they can be, as their one selfish desire. I hope my dream, just like Martin Luther King Jr.'s, would be seen and spoken; advocating equality for all mothers, children, and young African-American girls when it comes to mental health and labor; that is my so-called “American dream."

Middle School
Aishwarya Anand, 1st Place Middle School Division

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was for equality and human dignity to be upheld. He wanted differences to be celebrated and for a “beloved community.”

Firstly, I envision the world to have true equity, and for it to be a living reality and sincere. Equity means that there should be no discrimination, regardless of race, gender, financial state, and beyond. It means that all fields of work and education should be open to everyone, but that of quality and with easy access—again, meaning that there should be absolutely no discrimination against others for things that cannot be controlled.

Secondly, I also believe in a future where environmental issues become an extremely serious concern—meaning that people should be more aware of the impact they’re making on our habitat and its beings, and how environmental health is declining rapidly. We should prioritize using renewable energy sources, and also focus on protecting our planet’s extremely limited resources, such as water. Water is an essential need in order for human beings to live. Without water, humans cease to exist. Which, in turn, is another reason to focus on our environment: without our resources, such as water and food (which, somewhere along the line, comes from the environment itself), humans truly do not exist. That is why we need to work to preserve them and not be wasteful (for example: taking extremely long showers, continuing to throw plastic in the ocean, etc.).

To contribute to my visions, some of the actions I will take are:

• Becoming a more active citizen: I will engage more in giving back to my community by supporting charitable organizations that are trying to get equality for all.
• Living more sustainably: I will reduce my daily water usage, like taking shorter showers, and conserve more energy. I will also be more careful about my choices of consumption.
• Educating myself and raising awareness: I will consistently learn about social issues and environmental impacts, in order to share my knowledge with others, raise awareness, and help inspire another person’s action to improve the education of others.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream serves to me and to others as a significant and powerful reminder that pure and sincere change requires persistence, patience, and commitment. I trust that by all of us working together, we can create a world that reflects the dreams of Dr. King.

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Simra Sohail, 2nd Place Middle School Division

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Our world is a beautiful place with beautiful people. My vision for a better future is a place where no matter where you’re from, people will be kind to you and love you for who you are. Everyone is special and unique, but we’re also not that different. We are all humans who walk on the same Earth, we all see the same sky, sun, moon, and stars. Our world should not be a place where people are treated better or worse because of their backgrounds.

What Martin Luther King Jr. meant was that people should never have to be judged by something about themselves that they cannot change. People should know and understand each other because of their actions, words, and attitude. It horrifies me that some people make fun of you and hurt you just for practicing or having a certain religion. The worst part is when someone insults your traditions, culture, and way of life—they don’t understand that they’re tearing up a part of you inside. But remember, fighting has never solved anything. There is so much violence and hatred on our planet, and I want to change that.

We could use our words and explain how making fun of people is not a joke. Try your best to treat everyone with kindness, even if someone is being mean to you, because you never know what someone’s going through.

An action that I will take to achieve a better future is helping homeless people. Numerous families who live in third-world countries don’t have enough to survive every day, so even children go to work every day in dangerous places. America has strict child labor laws, but not every country does. Those kids should be getting an education, not scars they will carry for the rest of their lives. Many people who are homeless are veterans. They helped our country, so the least we can do is help them. Me and my family actually know a veteran who lost his home once, and we let him stay at our house for as long as he needed. When we visited him afterward, we saw that he now had a beautiful house near the beach.

Another action I will take is buying less clothing and being careful with my things to make them last longer. If everyone did this, we could make the lives of factory workers a bit better. Even the environment would become healthier because fewer clothes would be thrown away. These may seem like small actions, but they will make a big difference.

So, no matter how old you are, believe in yourself and make a difference to help create a better future not just for us, but for the generations that are yet to come.

Harper Clinkinbeard, 3rd Place Middle School Division

Martin Luther King Jr. wanted peace in the world. He stood for civil rights for all people and specifically fought for equality for Black people. My vision for the future is similar to King’s because I also would like to see people helping one another.

One way I can help make this happen would be to gather donations of money, food, water, and clothes to take to countries or states that don’t have enough. This can help a lot of people around the world. In order to get all these donations and people to help, I would use the internet to communicate with people so they can listen and act by my side. I can create a YouTube channel about different areas struggling for these resources and how they can help me provide help.

Another vision I have for the future is also similar to King’s because we both want equality for people. Equality means being offered the same things as someone else and being treated the same way someone else is treated. That is what King wanted for everyone, and so do I. One way I can make this happen would be to let everyone know that it’s okay to stand up for yourself. I would do this by telling little kids this because when I grow up, I want to be a teacher. I would teach this in class, and when the kids I taught grow up and have kids of their own, they would teach this to them. That’s what I want everyone to do right now, whether they have kids or not.

Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a world once of despair and sadness to a world now that is better than before. He changed the minds of people. We both wanted what is best for people. He made this world better, but not completely better. We still have a long way to go until we reach the finish line. King started this race to peace, justice, and equality. Now we will finish it together.