Letter: Student MLK essays make the day special

The Hilton Head Island Martin Luther King Jr. March seemed to have special energy. Maybe it was the brisk, sunny day. But during the program, it became clear something special was at work when the students read aloud their winning essays about the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. here on Hilton Head.

The audience erupted in standing applause for each of them with whistles and cheers, many with tears in their eyes.

All I can say is that the dream of Dr. King is not dead but deeply alive in these children, despite all the negativity they have seen, especially in this past year. I hope someone will see that their essays are published for all of us to meditate on and act on.

Bravo to Ella Grace Cook, fourth-grader at Hilton Head Christian Academy, and Chynna Sneed, eighth-grader at Hilton Head Island Middle School. And kudos to the MLK Celebration Planning Committee.

Mary Sullivan

Hilton Head Island

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Letter: Student MLK essays make the day special."