SPS Seventh-Grader Vincent Zheng, Fifth Grader Emily Anne Impeartrice Win Salem State MLK, Jr. Essay Contest
Winners, honorable mention recipients to be recognized Monday, Jan. 26 at Salem State’s 36th Annual MLK Convocation and Celebration
SALEM (Jan. 15, 2025) – Vincent Zheng, a seventh grade student at the Collins Middle School, and Emily Anne Impeartrice, a fifth grade student at the Horace Mann Laboratory School, were named winners of the Salem State University’s Center for Justice and Liberation Martin Luther King, Jr., Essay Contest, the Center announced Friday, Jan. 10.
Mr. Zheng’s essay was named the winner of the middle school division while Ms. Impeartrice was named the elementary school winner, and Mychaelah Brooks, also a fifth grade student at Horace Mann, the elementary school runner-up.
Two scholars – Teairra Riley and Lux Scully – both fifth grade students at HMLS, received honorable mention honors.
All five students will be honored at the SSU Center for Justice and Liberation 36th Annual MLK Luncheon at Veterans Memorial Hall Monday at 12:30 p.m. (following the Convocation at 11 a.m.).
Mr. Zheng and Ms. Impeartrice each received $100 and a copy of the book “March,” by the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D, Ga.). Ms. Brooks received $50 as well as a copy of “March.”
Ms. Impeartrice is the third HMLS student in as many years to win the Elementary School division. Last year, then-fifth grade students Enmanuel de la Cruz Ureña, Erin Tafua and Johnny San shared the elementary school division distinction. Amaya Hicks, then a fifth grade student, was named a co-winner in 2024.
The subject matter challenge for the 2026 essay was “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation in a Nonviolent Way.”
Mr. Zheng’s essay, titled “Uniting Races,” detailed how race and multiculturalism are “a crucial part of building a community, sustaining peace and creating equity.” He also wrote about the importance of standing firm in situations of race and inequity and offered subtle but effective suggestions to combat such.
In her essay, Ms. Impeartrice praised Dr. King for his resilience in his fight for equality, how it inspires and impacts her today. “MLK Jr. was a wonderful (man) who helped many people,” she wrote. “If it wasn’t for him then some of my classmates wouldn’t be in my school with me.”
Similarly, Ms. Brooks wrote about the importance of Dr. King’s legacy and how it impacts her: “I want to live by Martin Luther King’s teaching and I know it can take me far in life. I would like to live a nonviolent and peaceful life forever.”
Echoing Ms. Brooks’ words, Ms. Riley emphasized how Dr. King’s message must carry on to future generations. “MLK was and still is a very important person in this world and I hope no one ever forgets that,” she wrote.
In her essay, Ms. Scully made reference to a world without Dr. King’s influence. “He was the man who changed the world and if he didn’t speak up the world wouldn’t be the same…”
The MLK Campus Celebration at Salem State is in its 36th year.
To find out more about the Celebration and SSU’s Center for Justice and Liberation, visit salemstate.edu/CJL.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.
