The Martin Luther King Arts & Writing Contest
&
The Lionel Washington Johnson Youth Awards
The Martin Luther King Coalition has always considered involving youth an essential component of the community celebration of Martin Luther King Day. After all, in his most famous speech, one of Dr. King’s most poignant statements was the expression of his dream for the children: that they would one day be able to attend school & play together regardless of the colors of their skin. Therefore, from its early years, the Coalition has invited all children from the state of New Hampshire to participate in the celebration, initially through an Arts & Writing Contest – which grew to be so large that it was impossible to judge; then revised as the Arts & Writing Contest, made manageable by being aimed at a particular age group: Middle School students.
The importance of youth is strongly reflected in the Martin Luther King Coalition Community Celebration itself: when the School Board of the state’s largest School District (Manchester) moved to recognize Martin Luther King Day as an official school holiday, many school districts followed, and although it was to be years before the Legislature would do the same, the Community Celebration was moved from the Sunday prior to Martin Luther King Day, to the federal government holiday on Martin Luther King Day itself
The late Lionel Washington Johnson (January 16, 1923 – June 5, 2004) was a Founding Member of the Martin Luther King Coalition; some considered him the “backbone” of the group. He had great compassion for our young people, and was an outspoken advocate for youth-at-risk. Elected to 8 terms in the NH House of Representatives, in addition to helping establish Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday in NH, his focus was clear: he served three terms as a member of the Committee on Children, Youth, and Juvenile Justice; two terms on the Committee on Judiciary and Family Law; and three terms on the Committee on Children and Family Law.
He was passionate about youth being educated about the principles of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was frequently sought out to speak on the subject at schools throughout the state. Manchester Central High School was his favorite, and, likewise, he was its favorite Guest Speaker; year after year he was chosen to address the student body of the most diverse student body in the state of New Hampshire.
He served on the Steering Committee of the Martin Luther King Coalition from its inception 28 years ago. At the June 2004 Steering Committee Meeting after his passing, following a long moment of silence, 2010 Martin Luther King Award Recipient-to-be, Arnie Alpert said “Now let’s do what Lionel would want us to do: move on!” And the first move they made was to pay tribute to him by changing the name of the award given to the winner of the Martin Luther King Youth Challenge/Arts & Writing Contest to the Lionel Washington Johnson Youth Award.