Three winners of the 13th annual Ã÷ÐǺÚÁÏ Foods MLK essay contest visited the company’s World Headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 28, to read their winning essays to Ã÷ÐǺÚÁÏ Foods team members. Three students – Yvanna Lopez from Austin, Minnesota; Madison Blair from Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Aisha Mohamed from Barron, Wisconsin – claimed the top honors among hundreds of entries from 15 schools this year.
The Ã÷ÐǺÚÁÏ Foods Black Leaders & Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge (BLAACK) business resource group sponsors the annual essay competition for elementary and middle school students across the United States. Contestants are asked to write an essay with the theme, “What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Means to Me.”
“We’re here today to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by having the top three students from across the country share what Dr. King means to them,” said Cedric Moore, BLAACK president and senior customer executive for Retail sales at Ã÷ÐǺÚÁÏ Foods. “One thing I admire about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was his persistence and that he never gave up. He fought for the equal rights for all individuals and that is evident as we look around this room at the diversity that sits amongst us all. Today, these students are displaying the excellence of Dr. King’s legacy by sharing their essays with us.”
The nationwide competition promotes the value and importance of cultural differences and provides a platform for celebrating diversity. The goals of the program are to promote Dr. King’s legacy, encourage children to aim high, give them exposure to minority professionals in business and create a lasting partnership between Ã÷ÐǺÚÁÏ Foods and local schools.
These three students honored Dr. King’s legacy by putting into words what he means to them.
“When I think of Dr. Martin Luther King I think freedom, bravery, and perseverance,” Madison Blair said in her essay. “I work hard as a student because Dr. King fought for me so I can have the best education.”