U.S. Embassy to honor winners of youth essay competition

The following is a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Riga:

Riga, March 10, 2010. – Tomorrow the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Judith Garber will meet with and present certificates of merit to the winners of the Embassy’s essay competition on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Embassy received over 200 essays from across Latvia that discussed the civil rights leader’s quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

The panel of judges reviewing the essays noted that they were deeply impressed by the thought that went into them. In many compositions, the students not only discuss Dr. King’s life and legacy, but also apply his ideas to their own lives and communities. Such essays talk about the need to speak out and get involved in issues which concern the students’ schools and neighborhoods, and Latvia itself.

After a careful review of the essays, the Embassy’s panel of judges picked eleven regional winners - two each from Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Latgale and Zemgale, and three from Riga - who have all been invited to the Embassy. From these regional winners, the Embassy will choose one student to participate in this summer’s Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute – a three week long exchange program in the United States for European high school students, which focuses on civic participation and community service.

The essay competition was organized in February as a part of Black History Month, which celebrates the rich legacy of African-Americans in U.S. history, culture, and society.

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