In January we invited HHY youth to reflect on Martin Luther King Jr and what he means to them today. They also read and reflected on some of his quotes. Here are some responses the youth shared:

• I think it is horrible what is going on in the nation right now. All of the racism and hate crimes. It makes me want to scream! We can’t let Dr. King to have died in vain! He once said, “Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people, but we will also have to repent for the appalling silence of good people.” Everybody needs to be aware of what is happening in our country. Everybody should speak up, somehow. Don’t let the King have died in vain. RIP Dr. King.
• Martin Luther King Jr was telling us that he wish for us to be nice to each other. I fell like MLK is trying to tell us white and black people to get along for once.
• If it wasn’t for MLK then we wouldn’t have this freedom today and we wouldn’t have a good education.
• Just let people be free because nobody in this world is better than anybody, so everyone should be treated equally. Everybody has their flaws so just let everybody be free and everybody should just be peaceful.
• Martin Luther King, Jr was a civil rights leader. If he lived today, he would be mad at the world. He did not fight for equal rights only to see black people getting locked up and getting shot.
• Martin Luther King, Jr fought so that minorities would have the opportunity to go to college, and now we have a black president. But African Americans are not always using the system* (*they were referring to the opportunities granted them) to benefit and further themselves.
• Comment on the quote: “Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that.” – The resident who chose this quote explained how though we may all look different, we are all humans who bleed the same blood and we need to support each other and focus on the similarities between us.
• Comment on the quote: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – The resident who chose this quote agreed that a man’s true colors show when he is placed in tough positions. He said, “MLK was placed in many tough positions, including several attempts to take his life, and he maintained non-violence in the face of the aggression and hatred. MLK was a man of integrity. He was human and he must have wanted to get back at the people who meant him harm, but he chose not to.”