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Contact: Rebecca Karcher, (404) 787-3377
Gary Tarleton, NPS, HFC
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, in partnership with the International World Peace Rose Gardens (IWPRG), will host its 23rd anniversary program of the "I Have a Dream" World Peace Rose Garden. This annual celebration is conducted at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary and on the Peace Plaza, at the Rose Garden, located near the Park's Visitor Center. The ceremony will feature students reading their winning entries from the 2015 Messages of Peace contest, and unveiling plaques featuring the student's messages of peace which will be on display in the Rose Garden. This year, 2,267 school-age students from around the world and Metro Atlanta were invited to enter the Message of Peace writing contest;incorporating their own personal thoughts into original compositions reflecting Dr. and Mrs. King's messages of peace, justice and nonviolence. Winning compositions were selected from each grade level, kindergarten to 12th grade. "This Message of Peace Contest inspires youth from all walks of life to use their skills and talents in critical thinking, creative writing, and speech delivery, which are very similar skills that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. embraced and developed early in his life," said Superintendent Judy Forte. "This writing competition demonstrates youth's commitment to becoming the next generation of world class leaders, but also supporting their communities, becoming good resource stewards and advocates of the National Park Service" stated Superintendent Forte. The 2015 winning messages unveiled on May 14th will remain on display throughout the year. Park visitors will be able to admire the rose garden while being inspired by the incredible peace messages written by future, global leaders. |
Last updated: May 12, 2015