Durham, N.C. – Kids Voting Durham and the Durham Cooperative Extension invite all Durham County residents to contribute to the creation of a community poem for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day! In honor of Dr. King, Langston Hughes, and all those – past and present – who have dared to dream of a more just and equitable world, KVD invites you to share your dream of our community to be included in the poem – “I Dream of a Durham Where …”

“Kids Voting Durham and the Durham Cooperative Extension Office have been holding MLK activities for nearly 20 years, encouraging Durhamites to follow in Dr. King’s tradition of working for a more just, equitable society,” said KVD Director Carolyn Kreuger. “This includes the ‘Dream of a Durham Where…’ Community Poem for the past two years. Last year, over 100 Durham County community members contributed their visions to the poem, and most were youth under 18 who had some bold and marvelous dreams for our community!”

It's simple to add your contribution to this community project. Submit your dream for our Durham by Friday, January 17, 2025, at http://www.kidsvotingdurham.org/blog-1/dreams2025 and the staff and volunteers at Kids Voting Durham will weave your dreams into a collective poem celebrating our hopes for Durham and its dreamers. Past contributors ranged in age from 4 to 94 years old.

Over the course of the next week, be sure to check the Kids Voting Durham social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter), where KVD will share daily dream inspiration – including quotes from Dr. King, pictures of the dreams Durham youth have drawn in previous years, the last two community poems, and more.

Kids Voting Durham will unveil the 2025 “I Dream of a Durham Where…” Community Poem online on Monday, January 20.

For more information about Kids Voting Durham or questions about the Community Poem submissions, contact Kreuger at 919-560-7321 or ckreuger@dconc.gov.

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