WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. DAY COMING UP
MONDAY, WE ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO
THE NATIONAL HOLIDAY
BY FEATURING A LOCAL EVENT TO
COMMEMORATE HIS
LEGACY.
IT IS THE MARTIN LUTHER
KING JR. DAY WRITING
COMPETITION SPONSORED BY
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY.
THERE IS AN EVENT MONDAY
FEATURING THE WORK OF AREA
STUDENTS.
WE HEARD EARLIER FROM TWO
OF THE STUDENTS,
PALOMA SIERRA AND ELIAH ROBERTS
AND NOW WE WENT TO
HEAR FROM SERENA JILLIAN, AN
UNDERGRAD ALONG WITH
PROFESSOR AND AWARDS FOUNDER
JIM DANIELS.
A LOT OF
NAMES TO GET OUT.
I'M GLAD YOU ARE ALL WITH US.
PROFESSOR, WE WANT TO START
WITH YOU.
THIS HAS BEEN
GOING ON FOR 21 YEARS YOU SAID.
A LOT OF PEOPLE
ENTER THIS.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
SURE.
AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WE
CONTINUE TO
TRY TO EXPAND.
THIS YEAR WE HAD ENTRIES FROM
25
AREA HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH IS THE
MOST WE HAVE EVER
HAD.
AND HUNDREDS OF ENTRIES.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE
DO IS WE GIVE A BEST OF SCHOOL
AWARD TO THE BEST
ENTRY FROM EVERY SCHOOL.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE THAT
QUICKSET HAS TO BE
DIFFICULT.
IT IS DIFFICULT.
WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL JUDGING,
WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT HELP DO
SOME OF THE
PRELIMINARY JUDGING FOR US.
SO EVERY PIECE GETS
READ BY AT LEAST A COUPLE OF
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE A
PROCESS TO GET A LOT OF VOICES
INVOLVED.
FANTASTIC.
SERENA, YOU ARE TELLING US
HOW MARTIN LUTHER
KING JR. HAS INSPIRED YOU.
LET'S HEAR SOME OF YOUR
ESSAY.
AND YOU ARE A CMU STUDENT.
YES.
I CAN DO THAT.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING WITH
US.
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE
MIDDLE OF THE
PIECE.
I DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT ALL
AWAY.
WE WERE
EVENTUALLY SEATED AND ANOTHER
BOOTH.
FEELING
HUMILIATED, THEY FELT THEY WERE
ENTITLED TO WHAT
THEY WANTED.
WE SET PICKING AT THE FOOD WE
PLAN ON
DEMOLISHING.
MY MEATBALLS CONGEALED AND GREW
COLD
AS WE TRY TO EXPRESS THE
INJUSTICE WE FELT TO ONE
ANOTHER.
DOES THIS WRITING
COMPETITION GIVE YOU A CHANCE
TO HAVE A VOICE WHERE YOU GET
TO SAY THINGS THAT ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT THAT OTHERS
NEED TO HEAR?
DEFINITELY.
IT GAVE ME THE COURAGE TO TALK
ABOUT THESE LITTLE THINGS.
ESPECIALLY IN THE NEWS,
YOU SEE THESE EVENTS HAPPENING
THAT ARE DEVASTATING.
WITH THESE SMALL EVENTS AFFECT
PEOPLE TOO.
IT IS A
GREAT PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT
THIS.
I FIND MYSELF FEELING SAD
THAT WE ARE HEARING
ABOUT THESE INCIDENTS AND
PEOPLE STILL HAVE TO GO
THROUGH THESE EXPERIENCES.
ALSO PROUD THAT THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A VOICE AND
ARE STANDING UP AND
SAYING THESE THINGS.
HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL TO
HAVE THIS EVENT AND SHARE WHAT
YOU HAVE WRITTEN?
FOR ME, IT MAKES ME FEEL
GRATEFUL.
JUST
INSPIRED BY OTHER PEOPLE TOO.
HEARING OTHER STORIES
AND SEEING DIFFERENT CULTURES
AND HOW THEY GO
THROUGH EVERY DAY LIFE
EXPERIENCING THAT.
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
IT GIVES YOU A
CHANCE TO HAVE A VOICE HEARD BY
MANY MORE PEOPLE.
IT GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY
TO HEAR OTHER
STORIES AND TO KNOW THAT YOU
ARE NOT ALONE.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT
ALWAYS TO KNOW THAT YOU
ARE NOT ALONE.
AND THIS IS FOR THE EVENT
COMING UP MONDAY.
THERE WILL BE READINGS AND A
LOT MORE ACTIVITIES
PLANNED.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE MUSICAL
THEATER STUDENTS
PERFORMING.
SOME STUDENTS WILL PERFORM
CAREFULLY
HAVE FOOD.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT AND I
ENCOURAGE YOU
TO TRY TO MAKE IT, ON OUR
WEBSITE, WE HAVE COPIES OF
THE WINNING ENTRIES FOR PEOPLE
TO READ.
IF YOU WANT
TO GET MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
INVOLVED, WE JUST HEARD
SOME SAMPLES OF THESE GREAT
PIECES.
YOU WANT TO
READ TO AS WIDE AN AUDIENCE AS
YOU CAN.
A COOL THING TO HEAR RIGHT
FROM YOUR MOUTH.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
, AND HEAR ALL THE WINNING
SELECTIONS IN THE MLK
JUNIOR DAY WRITING AWARDS.
ON THE CMU CAMPUS
MONDAY.
