Youth activists have urged Bermudians to embrace the values of a groundbreaking civil rights leader in their daily lives.

Ajai Peets, of Bermuda Youth Connect, William Campbell, from Bermuda Is Love, and Gabriel Smith, representing the Human Rights Education Network, shared the message during a panel talk at the inaugural Martin Luther King and Progressive Group youth awards at the Bermuda College on Saturday.

Dozens of people, from middle school students to members of the Progressive Group that organised the 1959 Theatre Boycott, attended the event organised by the college, Imagine Bermuda, the Department of Education, Bermuda Is Love and Chewstick.

The panel, moderated by activist Glenn Fubler, discussed Dr King and his speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.

Dr King delivered the speech, which criticised the US and the Vietnam war, on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before he was assassinated.

Mr Campbell said: “I think when we discuss [Dr King’s] call for greater values of love and respect and for living in that truth every day, it’s not just a call for us to talk about those values as something that would be nice to aspire to, but something that we have to work on deliberately incorporating and integrating in our day-to-day lives.”

He added that Dr King’s values “required a renaissance in which we look at each other, the way in which we look at societies and the systems that we use to develop and maintain those societies”.

Dr King’s speech also urged societies to shift from being “thing-centred” to “people-centred”.

Mr Smith explained: “This shift means rejecting everything that has to do with uplifting private property, the profit motives and the rule of the few over the many as much as possible and doing everything we can to centre people at every single level of politics in terms of decision-making.”

Ms Peets highlighted how young people can embrace Dr King’s spirit by standing up for what they believe in.

She said: “Like minds think alike and I’ve always found that, whenever I’m in a room with a few people and just start the conversation, we all can make a difference. We all come together to put our heads in and to solve the issues.

“It just starts with making that first leap of faith and saying ‘I’m done with the status quo and the state of affairs of what’s going on’ and just to make a difference.”

Students from Whitney Institute Middle School, Bermuda High School for Girls, Warwick Academy, Bermuda College, Somersfield Academy and Pauulu Heritage Institute — named after National Hero Pauulu Kamarakafego — read original poems and essays about Dr King’s speech after the panel discussion.

Emily Foster Skelton, from Whitney Institute, shared how she e-mailed her area MP about unsafe playground equipment when she was 10 years old.

She said: “He, luckily, did not take it lightly and things were done to make sure the issue was dealt with.

“Now there’s a newer, safer playground at Admiralty House and I’m so glad to be able to say that I helped raise awareness for it to be built.”

Ryan Walker, a Warwick Academy student, said he embraced Dr King’s values by inviting someone into a group conversation.

He said: “Once he began speaking, the rest of the group started listening and responded to him. That’s when the atmosphere changed completely.

“What struck me afterwards was how small the action was. I didn’t do anything dramatic, I simply noticed someone who was feeling left out and made space for them. But for that kid, it clearly meant a lot.”

At the event, five student presenters whose names were drawn from a bag received $1,000, raised by members of the community.

Nekesha Holdipp, a social studies education officer with the Department of Education, said: “The award given to you is but a small token to say thank you, but also that we expect goodness from what you have and to whom much is given much is expected, so we look forward to your contributions.”