Fifth-Graders de la Cruz Ureña, Tafua, San Named Winners in Salem State MLK Essay Contest

Winners to be recognized Monday, Jan. 27 at Salem State’s 35th Annual MLK Convocation and Celebration
SALEM (Jan. 21, 2025) – Salem Public Schools fifth-grade students Enmanuel de la Cruz Ureña, Erin Tafua and Johnny San – each students at the Horace Mann Laboratory School – were named the co-winners of Salem State University’s Center for Justice and Liberation Martin Luther King, Jr., Essay Contest, the Center announced Friday, Jan. 10.
Rosely Mojica, also a HMLS fifth grader, was named a runner-up.
All four students will be honored at the SSU Center for Justice and Liberation 35th Annual MLK Convocation at the Sophia Gordon Theater Monday at 11 a.m., and luncheon at SSU’s Veterans Memorial Hall following.
Mr. de la Cruz Ureña, Mr. San and Ms. Tafua each received $100 while Ms. Mojica earned $50. The three co-winners will also receive a copy of the book “March,” by late U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D, Ga.)
The honors marked the second straight year that a student from HMLS was named a co-recipient. Last year, Amaya Hicks, then a fifth grade student, was named a co-winner while then-fifth grader Maddisyn Washington earned Honorable Mention honors.
The subject matter challenge for this year’s essay was “Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of NonViolence365,” a training course offered at The King Center.
Mr. de la Cruz Ureña wrote about Dr. King’s resilience despite setbacks such as arrests and incarceration, examples of nonviolence and Dr. King’s impact on the world, not just the U.S. and African-Americans.
“The legacy Martin Luther King, Jr. has left behind is that he contributed to the overall success of civil rights for African-Americans,” Mr. de la Cruz Ureña wrote. “His name and his movement is known all around the world and is an example to many and he believed in what he was doing, he communicated his vision effectively, and he got others on board.”
Ms. Tafua expressed her admiration for Dr. King’s desire for unity, how his legacy impacted her and her hope that it will impact future generations. “I hope in the future that everyone will be treated better and have equality. I also hope for everyone to have more equal rights,” she wrote. “And to learn more about Dr. King and his beliefs.”
Mr. San expressed his admiration for Dr. King’s perseverance and persistence in fighting for equality with words – not violence: “Dr. King showed me that giving up is not the right choice,” he wrote. “If you give up you can never get what you want. Martin Luther King, Jr. never quit and he helped to stop racism.”
Ms. Mojica noted in her essay that she tries to carry Dr. King’s words with her daily: “MLK has helped me learn violence is not the answer to anything even if you are very frustrated,” she wrote. “Violence needs to be stopped. Learn from MLK because he taught a very important lesson everyone should know.”
The MLK Campus Celebration at Salem State is currently in its 35th year.
To find out more about the Celebration and SSU’s Center for Justice and Liberation, visit salemstate.edu/CJL.







About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.