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Inner city sagasEssays provide insight
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By Anne Egan-Waukau
WEAC Media Relations Consultant
This was my second year of judging the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Contest in Milwaukee. Just like my first year, I was moved, as were the other judges who read the 4,000 essays.
Donelle Johnson, who has been involved with the Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Contest for 17 years, celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with her 5th-grade class at the Elm Creative Arts School in Milwaukee. Johnson co-chaired the writing contest committee with MTEA President Paulette Copeland. |
The theme was “We Cannot Walk Alone,” and many of the essays offered moving portraits of the lives of inner city children. Here are excerpts from three of the essays.
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“When I was little my cousin and I were watching TV. All of a sudden a fire started. A man broke in the house and snatched me and my cousin up and then left out of the house.
He took us outside. He called the fire station, then my mother showed up and the man went away.
We never knew his name. If I knew his name I would look him up. If I found his number I would call him and thank him for saving our lives. Without this man I could not walk alone,” wrote one student.
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“I went inside the gas station to buy some chips. The attendant told me they were fifty cents. I told him the sign said twenty-five cents. He said white people pay twenty-five cents and black people pay fifty cents. I couldn’t believe my ears. We all need to do something about prejudice,” wrote a 6th-grade boy.
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A 5th grader had the following heartwarming story to share: “Everyone needs someone to walk with at times. I have a brother who suffers from reactive attachment disorder, a condition in which someone does not bond to other people. My brother was violent and mean and would not listen to anyone because he had no conscience. Doctors said that my brother should spend his life in an institution. I felt sad that my brother wasn’t like other children. “My mom found specialized therapy for my brother in Colorado. The therapy was very expensive and insurance wouldn’t pay for it. People helped by setting up a fundraiser. In addition, many friends, church members and co-workers of my mom’s donated money directly to our family for my brother’s therapy. With everyone’s help, we finally had enough money to go to Colorado.” The brother was able to eventually return home to his family. “He is developing a conscience and learning to love others. “We have learned that, when everyone walks together, we can accomplish great things.”
Posted February 9, 1999
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