"Dear President Obama, My dream is...."

Poetry and Essays by K-12 students on the theme
“Dear President Obama, My dream is....”

Written during the Martin Luther King Celebration at Peabody Museum and for the African American History Month High School Arts and Writing Competition sponsored by the People’s Weekly World in Connecticut, 2009. Bound and given to Rep. Rosa DeLauro for presentation to President Obama

First Place Poetry:
Dear Mr. President, My dream was A Mighty Domino Effect

Aishah Jenkins, Age 16
Hopkins School, New Haven

And In my dream,
A man went to sleep one night,
And as he slept, he had a dream.
He dreamt of equality and equal opportunity,
He dreamt of one water fountain,
He dreamt of one bathroom for each gender,
And he dreamt of schools where his children too could prosper
Like their white counterparts had been able to for so long.
Soon after, another man spoke unto the world,
This man however was not born in the city,
He was born in a little tent, by the riverside.
This man claimed to know for a fact that change would come.
Simply because, it had been such a long time coming.
And one more great man said,
That there is nothing enlightened about shrinking
Just so that the people around you won’t feel insecure.
He let us know that once we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give others permission to do the same.
These three men have become famous names
Their names have circulated for generations in each black home throughout America.
And as Martin spoke, and peered over the mountain top,
He heard Sam singing a song of promise.
And as Sam sand,
He read in the news, the inaugural speech of Mr. Mandela.
And as Mr. Mandela gave his speech,
He spoke to You, Barack Hussein Obama.
And as You listened,
You decided.
You decided to go to Harvard.
You decided to become senator.
And you decided it was time for change.
And because you decided, Mr. President
So have I.
I have decided, that the time has come for me, along with America,
To set aside childish things,
Thank you Mr. President