SALEM — Vincent Zheng, a seventh-grader at Collins Middle School, and Emily Anne Impeartrice, a fifth-grader student at Horace Mann Laboratory School, were recently named winners of Salem State University’s Center for Justice and Liberation Martin Luther King Jr., Essay Contest.
Zheng’s essay was named the winner of the middle school division while Impeartrice was named the elementary school winner, and Mychaelah Brooks, also a fifth-grader at Horace Mann, the elementary school runner-up, the university announced Jan. 10.
Teairra Riley and Lux Scully, both fifth-graders at Horace Mann, received honorable mentions.
All five students will be honored at the SSU Center for Justice and Liberation 36th Annual MLK Luncheon at Veterans Memorial Hall Monday, Jan. 26, at 12:30 p.m. (following the convocation at 11 a.m.).
Zheng and Impeartrice each received $100 and a copy of the book “March,” by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. Brooks received $50 as well as a copy of “March.”
Impeartrice is the third Horace Mann 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.”
Zheng’s essay, titled “Uniting Races,” discussed 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 this.
In her essay, Impeartrice praised MLK 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, Brooks wrote about the importance of 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 Brooks’ words, Riley emphasized how 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, Scully made reference to a world without 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…”
To find out more about the Celebration and SSU’s Center for Justice and Liberation, visit salemstate.edu/CJL.