In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
PPGJLI and the Minnesota Twins partnered to host a writing contest for youth to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and we couldn’t be happier to announce our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
1st Place: Cecilia Young
2nd Place: Deborah Adedigba
3rd Place: Soliana Ruva Emmanuel
In February of 2023, we invited Minnesota youth in grades K-5 to engage with the nation as it remembered the injustices and the dream for which Dr. King fought.
These 3 young ladies reflected on the quote below and wrote the winning submissions on what it means to be a Drum Major for Justice.
“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Here are some quotes from their writing to inspire you!
"We all have a drum major in us we just need to show it and believe it and trust ourselves. You can be a drum major for justice if you set your mind to it, show that you matter BELIEVE that you matter!
A drum major for justice is a person and a leader brave to say what’s wrong and unfair to honor their rights."
- Cecilia Young
"I can be a drum major for justice by being brave and helping my classmates and my community follow CARES (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control).
A drum major for justice is a person who is brave, powerful, has leadership and will lead people with their voice- like YOU and ME."
- Deborah Adedigba
"When we chase our dreams, we have to follow our hearts
You can make it right
We are not giving up without a fight
Never ever give up keep trying to fight back."
- Soliana Ruva Emmanuel
