Each year a topic concerning human rights is chosen with grade-specific contest parameters. The information below is provided for the 2022-23 contest.
LATAH COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS TASK FORCE
2022-23 MARTIN LUTHER KING ART AND ESSAY CONTEST
THEME: THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY
In Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? (1967), Martin Luther King, Jr. voices his fear that communities marred by inequalities and violence would descend into chaos. To make communities successful, he argued, would take care, commitment, and a hopeful vision. In this year’s MLK Essay and Art Contest, we ask students to think about the Value of Community. What sustains a community? Why is it important for a community to welcome diversity? What challenges do communities face? “Where do we go from here” to create a bright future for our community?
Early Elementary Prompts, (Grades 1-3)
Essay: Create a recipe for a good community. What are some important ingredients? How do you mix them together? Art: Draw a community cake. Decorate it with the features of a good community.
Later Elementary Prompts, (Grades 4-5)
Essay: Write a three-to-five paragraph essay, addressing one or more of the following questions: What is a community? What are its main features? What challenges do communities face? How can these challenges be successfully met? Art: Create a poster or a mural depicting the main features of our community or the super community of the future in which you would like to live; consider using the image of a bridge to link together the features of the community you envision, (Possible resources for elementary students include www.commonlit.org and Scholastic News.)
Middle School Prompts, (Grades 6-8)
Essay: Write a 400-500 word essay, addressing one or more of the following questions: What is the importance of diversity for a community? What are some different kinds of diversity that can contribute to a community? What challenges might diversity bring, and how can these challenges be successfully met? Art: Create a poster representing the diversity of our community or a diverse community of the future in which you would like to live.
High School Prompts: (Grades 9-12)
Essay: Write a 600-800 word essay on the following topic: What challenges did Kings’ community face in 1967? What challenges does our community now face? How can these challenges be successfully met? (Research sources include websites on Kings’ book and on his concept of “the beloved community.”) Or “Where do we go from here?”- Write a 600-800 essay presenting your vision of a community you would like to help create. Art: Create a work of art that presents your vision of your community.
Contest entries are due January 31. Teachers and individual students can, of course, turn them in whenever they are ready. To have entries picked up, contact Walter Hesford (hesford @uidaho.edu). Entries can also be mailed to Latah County Human Rights Task Force, P.O. Box 8613, Moscow, ID 83843. Contest winners will receive a certificate of merit, a $25 gift certificate from BookPeople of Moscow, and be honored in a ceremony on February 11, 2023.