Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech called for unity throughout the nation and this year the Georgia Southern University Multicultural Student Center asks for students to do the same through an essay contest.

The inaugural “Dr. MLK Jr. Essay Contest” is in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday and the 50th Anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We wanted to start this contest to get students involved and let them know that we are interested in the past, present and future of the holistic student at Georgia Southern,” Jabal Moss, Multicultural Student Center graduate assistant said.

The prompt for the essay is for students to show how we can move forward in unity through writing their own “I Have a Dream” speech.

“Just wanting to be a lawyer and a motivation speaker this essay contest is a big opportunity for me. This contest wasn’t just about the prizes to me. It allowed me to be able to write what I truly think and how I feel. I want to motivate people to continue to dream and never underestimate what they can accomplish when they believe” Sheila Francois, junior political science major said.

The contest is open to GSU graduate and undergraduate students and only one individual submission can be entered per student.

“I’m looking for essays that truly show unity. Unity not only based on color and religion but also big issues that are sometimes overlooked like the challenges that the LGBTQ community face, poverty, homelessness and mental health,” Moss said. “Basically anything that changes can be made in that will unify the world today and further MLK Jr.’s vision of equality.”

The essays should have elements from students’ own experiences and also feature compelling text from the famous speech itself.

The Multicultural Student Center will choose three winning essays.