Summary

Three local 8th graders take top awards in 15th annual competition

Story

Three local 8th graders have been honored for their winning submissions to the King County Civil Rights Commission's 15th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest. The purpose of contest is to encourage middle and junior high school students to think critically about Dr. King's legacy of peace and justice.

This year's winners are:

• First prize (two winners): Rae Hirshfeld-Smith and Mengmeng Gibbs, both from Lake Washington Girls Middle School
• Second prize: Lucy Mujugira of Saint Therese Catholic Academy.

"The Commission is very proud to honor these students for their awareness of Dr. King and the civil rights movement," said commission chair Justin Walsh. "Each student's essay demonstrated how the values of Dr. King continue in our young people."

Sponsored by the King County Civil Rights Commission, this year's contest carried the theme: "No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." All essays were judged on the author's knowledge of Dr. King and his work in the civil rights movement, originality of ideas, insight, clarity of expression, organization, and grammar. The annual contest is open to all 8th graders attending public or private schools in King County.

Essay contest winners will be recognized at King County's 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration ceremony on Thursday, January 16, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Seattle. This free event is wheelchair accessible, ASL interpreted, and open to the public.

For more information about the King County Civil Rights Commission or the essay contest, visit the commission's webpage at www.kingcounty.gov/exec/CivilRightsCommission.aspx or call Commission Administrator Paula Harris-White at 206-263-2444. Copies of the winning essays are also available on the Commission's webpage.