KAPA‘A — Ryan-Leonard Peters from Kapa’a Middle School was awarded the Kaua‘i grand prize in the 22nd annual the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poetry Awards by the International Peace Poem Project.
“We are delighted to receive work of this caliber from this young Kauai poet,” said Melinda Gohn, awards coordinator.
Officials honored nine student winners from a field of more than 100 entries from five Kaua‘i schools for their peace poems in the countywide competition organized by the International Peace Poem Project, a nongovernmental organization of volunteers, including teachers and artists.
The annual competition is to honor King, the civil-rights leader who promoted nonviolent means to achieve social change.
Congratulating students were Hawai‘i First Lady Mrs. Dawn Ige, President of the state Senate Ronald D. Kouchi, Mayor Derek Kawakami and former County Councilmember and Mayor JoAnn Yukimura.
Peters received an aluminum portrait of King, entitled “Content of Character,” donated by Maui artist Mimi Stuart, and a certificate from Gov. David Ige.
Gohn said Peter’s winning peace poem, “Protest with Them,” employs a fresh look at the civil-rights era in a poetic narrative using rhyme, imagery and metaphor.
Peters’ poem begins, “This country was wounded and sore/different races and cultures at war/…there was a leader who could provide some gleam/His name was Martin Luther King/His words would inspire/When he shared his dream.” His work continues: “The protests continued, emotions started to climb/…Their actions making a mark for all time.” The poem concludes, “We see this today, more hardships and trials…We work through the hatred to reconcile.”
The grand finalist prize went to Rayden Machado, a fourth-grader at Kilauea School. Teacher Angela Berardi from Hanalei School was named as the King teacher of the Year.
Ige’s office provided certificates for the nine “Golden Circle” winners, recognizing them for poetic excellence. All 24 Kaua‘i contest winners received certificates of achievement from Kawakami and a King commemorative prize poster furnished by the International Peace Poem Project.
The International Peace Poem Project has sponsored King poetry competitions in the four counties of Hawai‘i for over 20 years. Project organizers participated in Millennium Peace Day at the United Nations in New York in 2000.
More information about the International Peace Poem Project is available at peacepoem.org
