Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Hello there. My name is Martin Luther King Jr., and I want to tell you about a very special dream I had. When I was a boy, I noticed something that made me very sad. Some people were treated unkindly just because of the color of their skin. I had friends who I couldn't play with in certain places, and it just didn't feel right. I thought everyone should be able to play together and be friends. So, I started to dream of a better world. I imagined a place where children of all colors could hold hands, share their toys at the park, and sit together at the lunch table. In my dream, it didn't matter what you looked like on the outside. What mattered most was how kind and good you were on the inside. This dream was so big and bright that I knew I had to share it with everyone.

To help my dream grow, my friends and I decided to organize a big, peaceful walk. On a warm, sunny day, August 28th, 1963, thousands and thousands of people came to a city called Washington, D.C. It was like a giant family picnic for fairness. People of all colors walked together, holding signs and singing songs about hope and friendship. I felt so happy seeing everyone united. When it was my turn to speak, I stood in front of a giant crowd and told them all about my dream. I said, 'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.' That’s a grown-up way of saying that what’s in your heart is what truly matters. It felt like the whole world was listening, and for a moment, my dream felt real.

That day was a very long time ago, but the dream is still very important. Years later, on November 2nd, 1983, a decision was made to create a special day to honor that dream. Now, every year in January, you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a day for everyone to remember the importance of being kind, fair, and helpful to all our neighbors. It’s a day to think about how we can make our schools and towns more friendly for everyone. My work was about showing that love is stronger than hate. You can help keep my dream alive every single day. When you share a crayon, invite someone new to play, or stand up for a friend, you are being a dreamer, too. You are helping to build a more beautiful and peaceful world, one kind act at a time.