Students from Hibbing High School, Rosemount Middle School and Creek Valley Elementary School in Edina were the statewide winners in the Minnesota Department of Human Rights I Have a Dream youth video contest, the Department announced today.
The competition invited young people from across the state to create short videos on what the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream mean to them in their lives today, 50 years after the historic March on Washington in which Dr. King delivered his iconic message. The winning videos were announced as part of Human Rights Week in Minnesota, and can be viewed online this morning at http://youtube.com/mnyouthvideo
A video by students in the Hibbing High School Drama Club was the highest-rated entry at the high school level. The Hibbing entry, which looks at diversity issues at the school, also received the most points overall. A panel of independent judges gave the Hibbing entry high marks for creativity and cited the students' courage in challenging their school to better embrace diversity.
A video by students at Rosemount Middle school scored highest among entries in that age group, and was the second-highest rated video overall. The video features students in the school lunchroom talking candidly about diversity-related issues in their lives. Judges also praised the video's creativity and found that it holds a powerful message.
Students at Creek Valley Elementary in Edina submitted the top-scoring video among students in that age group, and the third highest rated entry overall. The video features students in Mrs. Jamie Hawkinson's 4th grade class sharing their personal dreams -- to live in a world in which everyone will feel respected and no one will have to be scared. Judges praised the students' insights on race and diversity and called the presentation a lovely and straightforward way to honor Dr. King's theme.
Commissioner Lindsey will recognize the Rosemount Middle School students at a 1 p.m. event on Friday and will be visiting Edina winners in the days ahead to recognize their work and talk with students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message as it relates to jobs, education and equal opportunity. Recognitions for other schools will be scheduled.
The contest challenged students to show how they view race, diversity and the ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream today. The videos were judged by an independent panel that included representative from the communities of color and video/communications professionals.
For more information about the 'I Have a Dream' video contest and other Minnesota Human Rights Week events, visit mn.gov/mdhr or follow us on Twitter at @mnhumanrights.
###
Contact: Jeff Holman at 651.539.1090 or Jeff.holman@state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Communications Department Freeman Building, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155