Norwich — Adults and youths alike used the words and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. Friday to expand on the theme “Restoring the Soul of our Nation” during the 34th annual Martin Luther King birthday celebration luncheon, held at Norwich Free Academy.

The event, sponsored by the Norwich branch of the NAACP and attended by about 140 people, featured reflections on King’s legacy that provide lessons for today. Middle school students were asked to cite a passage in King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech from Aug. 28, 1963 and apply it to their own lives.

Jeremiah Paul, an eighth grader at the Teachers Memorial Global Studies Magnet School in Norwich, said King dreamed the nation would one day “rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” Paul said as an African American male, he has been “judged, disrespected and even disliked” because of the color of his skin.

“This is why I am determined to fight,” he said, “to fight for equality and the right to walk down the street without being afraid that the clothes I’m wearing won’t get me harmed or even killed. I will fight for the equality of my unborn children and make sure they never had to endure the pain of being judged or disliked by the color of their skin.”

Leopoldine Bertrand, a student at Teachers Memorial Global Studies school, adopted King’s philosophy to always march forward and not fall back.

“I will never turn back,” she said, “because it is my desire to one day impact the world that I live in without being judged by the clothes on my back, the hair on my head, and most of all the color of my skin. My goal is to march ahead in my education, my career and to be a light of success to everyone who crosses my path.”

Mayor Peter Nystrom also cited a favorite quote from King — “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend” — and said everyone has the ability to “help or hurt” others and need to remember to choose love over hate.

“Only when everyone knows they have value,” Nystrom said, “will we be able to say that we restored the soul of this nation.”

Keynote speaker Cheryl Sharp, deputy director of the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, said King’s vision was that all Americans no matter what their race, wealth, backgrounds or physical characteristics "are all called to see the beauty in one another,” she said.

And others emphasized King’s insistence on taking peaceful, nonviolent action to ensure King’s dream and vision for America are realized.

“I think there’s a proper way to break your silence,” NFA Head of School David Klein said. “It can be with dignity and respect and love rather than with mean-spiritedness and hatred. So, I would caution us all and say to all of us, let’s think about how we lend our voices to important things, because what we do our children will follow. And in some ways, we are losing our way and we need to re-find our way about civility and compassion and love.”

Sharp said she was humbled to celebrate the vision, heart, life, soul and inspiration of King, along with his “enduring unwavering impact on our society." She said youths participating in Friday’s event already noted some of King’s key words that applied to their lives.

“I want you to imagine a world where we can dream the American dream, and that that American dream is not reserved for some of us but held up for all of us," she said.

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo received the 2019 Robertsine Duncan Memorial Award for service to youth for his support of public programs and longstanding advocacy for AIDS education, prevention and treatment.

Luckensley Paul, 17, of Norwich, a senior at NFA and president of the Norwich NAACP Robertsine Duncan Youth Council, was the recipient of the newly created Terell T. Wilson Memorial Scholarship Award, named for the past president of the youth council and a former Norwich alderman who died in a car crash. Paul said he plans to study engineering in college but hasn’t made a college choice yet.

“You being here means a lot to us,” Paul told the gathering Friday. “We work hard every day to be good in school. With you guys being here, it just shows us how much you guys care about us and love us. And for that we will keep fighting, and we will do good in school.”

c.bessette@theday.com