The U.S. Embassy to The Bahamas is pleased to announce the results of the Fifth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest.  The following eight winners were selected from among 77 essays received from high school students attending public and private schools throughout New Providence and the Family Islands:

• Abel Abraham – St. Paul’s Methodist College, Grand Bahama
• Denzel Bazard – Queen’s College, New Providence
• Michael Dames – Temple Christian High School, New Providence
• Roberta Dean Macintosh – St. Francis de Sales School, Abaco
• J’quianne Lowe – San Salvador Central High School, San Salvador
• Brittany Mackey – Crooked Island High School, Crooked Island
• D’Leangelo Rahming – Doris Johnson Senior High, New Providence
• Raquel Rose – Sunland Baptist Academy, Grand Bahamas

The grand prize for the eight winners is an all expense paid trip to Atlanta Georgia January 22-24, where the students will visit historic civil rights sites with Her Excellency, U.S. Ambassador Nicole A. Avant.  The Bahamas Consul General to Atlanta, Katherine B. Smith, will also host a reception to honor the eight students’ achievements.

The purpose of the U.S. Embassy’s annual essay contest is to encourage Bahamian students to reflect upon Dr. King’s life and work and think about how civil rights and diversity affect their lives.  This year, the U.S. Embassy asked students to select a quote from Dr. King and submit an essay that answers the following question:  How can I keep Dr. King’s dream alive in my community by promoting tolerance, equality and a just society?  The U.S. Embassy anticipates that the visit will be an enlightening and rewarding experience that will encourage the students to become agents of positive change in their communities.