Ypsilanti student writes on King, wins contest

By Dan DuChene
Dec. 18, 2008    ·    2:50 p.m.

Caleb Roberts, a fifth grade student at Erickson Elementary School, looks to the election of the first African American president as progress toward equal rights.

“People voted for him not because of his color but because of change,” Roberts wrote in an essay looking forward to Martin Luther King Jr. Day next month.

“We can change the world,” he said. “We can make the world a better place.”

Roberts’ essay won him a seat at Eastern Michigan University President Susan Martin’s luncheon, part of the events happening for Martin Luther King Jr. Day at EMU. The luncheon follows a keynote address from Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ed Gordon.

Essays were entered from all over Ypsilanti Public Schools. Roberts, 11, was one of more than 70 other submissions in the district. The theme for the essay contest was The "Struggle for Equality."

Though Roberts’ was the only grand-prize winning essay, a first-place essay was selected for each grade. Marcie Angeli, first grade; Illana Hall-Vit, second grade; Trinity Kelso, third grade and Chevaun Johnson, fourth grade were the district’s elementary school winners.

Daniel Blakely, a seventh grade student from East Middle School, and Stephanie Sweeney, an Ypsilanti High School junior were also first place winners in their grades.

Roberts’ 300-word essay is titled, “Making the world a better place by making a difference.” It speaks of King’s message, his non-violent resistant tactics from the civil rights movement and his relevance to today.

“Let us continue to make love work!” Roberts said in his essay.

“We can make love work at Erickson Elementary School,” he said. “We can make love work in our own communities.”