News

Friday, February 3, 2012

ADL’s Martin Luther King Contest Winners Recognized at Board Meeting

My name is Alondra Gatica Reyes. Born on May 5th 1999, in Acapulco Guerrero. I am a proud Mexican, but sadly there are people in this world who don’t treat us equally because we’re different. That is exactly why Martin Luther King Jr. inspires me, because he fought peacefully so that African Americans would be treated equally. I’m only 12 and I don’t know where I’m going yet, but all I know is that I want to make an impact. It may not be as big as the impact that Martin Luther King Jr. made, but I at least want to make a change. I know that some people try to make us stand down and not fight for our rights. So when I start to feel like there’s no hope, I stop and think, “What would Martin Luther King Jr. do?” and then I think, “Maybe I can make an impact too?” This is why I want to take you on MY mental flight, so that you can see that even for a 12 year old I can be very aware.

My Mental Flight
By: Alondra Gatica Reyes

If I were standing at the beginning of time, I would take my mental flight by going back in time to when the Aztecs lived so that I could learn more about heritage, culture, and ancestors. But I wouldn’t stop there, I would come up to when Mother Teresa lived. But I wouldn’t stop there, I would even come up to when my great grandmother lived so that I could get to meet her and cherish every single moment with her. I would even go by when Cesar Chavez lived so that I could march with him. But I wouldn’t stop there. Strangely enough, I would go back to several seconds before Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, and I would take the bullet for him. Ending my mental flight, but it would be worth it.