Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest winners to be honored Jan. 20

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest ceremony will take place Sunday, Jan. 20 at the Old Central Cultural Center in Galveston.

The event, sponsored by the Galveston Historical Foundation's African American Heritage Committee and the Old Central Cultural Center, will start at 3 p.m.

The ceremony will honor essay contest winners. Children in grades nine to 12 were invited to submit writings on the theme “What would be Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream today?”

According to a press release from organizers, "When the MLK essay contest was first conceived in 2000, the students' assignment was to write a letter to Coretta Scott King, Dr. King's widow. For the five years previous to her death, the students wrote these letters and the committee organizers mailed them to Mrs. King. The year before her death, King sent this response to organizers Maggie and Ennis Williams: 'Please tell your students to continue to read and study about my husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his life, and read books that he wrote. I hope they will grow to be like him and someday help those who need help. He gave his life loving and serving others.' "

The event is free and open to the public with a complimentary lunch.

The Old Central Cultural Center is at 2627 Ave. M, Galveston.

For more information, call 409-765-3404 or visit www.galvestonhistory.org.