To commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, 67 students from Omaha's Thomas Edison Elementary School made a special visit to HUD's Nebraska State Office on January 17th. The boys and girls - from first through sixth grades - treated the staff with a unique celebration full of songs, skits and essays.

Throughout their delightful 60-minute presentation, the music, songs and essays emphasized Dr. King's message: everyone is worthy of respect, we all share the same basic values, and disagreements can be resolved without resorting to harsh words or violence.

Several students had written their own personal essays on what Dr. King's struggle meant to them and recited them as part of the program. Some of the essays recalled how Dr. King's life was cut short by an assassin's bullet in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, his arrest in Birmingham, Alabama, and the march on Washington in 1963 and his famous "I Have A Dream" speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial. Still others tried to explain King's philosophy of tolerance and conflict resolution.

As an extra special honor to mark the day, a number of students worked together to make a paper quilt, pledging their support in writing on individual quilt pieces and signing their names to it.

In their celebration, the students expressed their ideals and a hope for the nation and each community to understand its history and examine its racial attitudes. They understood that Dr. King's dream included an end to political and economic suppression of poor and minority citizens, and also that - more than 30 years after his death - they are fortunate to live in a society where most of them have never even heard of segregation.

The program was a great success, and ended with students and HUD staff joining hands and singing "We Shall Overcome."