The essays on this page have been provided by a wide cross-section of Bermuda's school children as their contribution to Education Month. Every Thursday in February, The Royal Gazette , in conjuction with the Department of Education, will present a page of students' work.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that everyone would be able to live together in peace and harmony despite the difference in their skin colour or ethnic background. He dreamed that one day people could be judged according to "the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.'' Dr. King was a symbol of peace and honour for black people past and present.

His speech in 1963 in Washington restored hope for the doubting and gave a sense of pride back to the despairing.

When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated every black person in the world was probably affected. Many were devastated and it didn't matter if you were ten or 20. The morale in the small community of Bermuda was low. It was like the best striker on your football team being injured for life. You would wonder what was the hope for the team. This is the same thing many people feared for Dr. King's dream of equality -- would it die with him? One man told me that the event made him wonder if we all could just get along being that one person was killed when trying to help mankind at large.

The people I've talked to say that it's up to the younger generations coming after them to keep hope alive. Some fear for what will happen to the world under the administration of "the children of the future'' was expressed.

Nowadays when an adult gets on the bus he/she has to practically ASK for a seat from children young enough to be grandchildren to them. I don't want to be a traitor to my generation, but even I wonder what is to become of the world. Like the song says, "If you want to be somebody, if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention.'' My neighbour says that steps to achieve "The Dream'' have been taken over the years but we still have a long way to go before we can truly call each other brother and sister. It's up to us, the leaders of tomorrow, to pick up the reigns and guide the community into the 21st century. My daddy always says that we must make the world we want to live in.

I'm at the end now and I just what to leave you with this: the dream is in our grasp but we have yet to seize it. We must try to bring about a better world so that all that our forefathers shed blood, sweat, and tears over would not be just a dream but a reality.

By Fanaye Broadbelt Age: 14 Berkeley Institute EDUCATION MONTH ED MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. -- He dreamed that one day people could be judged according to "the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.''