TAMPA, Fla. -- Second graders Da'nae Deleon-Thompson and Chantel Patterson are friends because of who they are, not what they look like.
"I've learned she's a very nice person and she works very hard to do some stuff," says Da'Nae.
Chantel says about Da'Nae, "She's nice and friendly."
The students and their classmates are learning about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped tear down the barriers that separated Americans by the color of their skin, that kept adults and kids from being friends.
Da'Nae says, "I look for what's on the inside not the outside."
Chantel adds, "Someone nice, same color, different color, any kind of color."
The details and facts about Dr. King's life will be taught when they're older, but today these 7 and 8-year-olds at Essrig Elementary learn about the civil rights leader's message through poems.
"Treat people kindly. Do what is fair. Work for all people. Show that you care," these second graders read aloud.
Students say Dr. King dreamed everybody would get along, no matter the color of their skin, and everyone would be treated with respect. They say Dr. King hoped people would believe in faith and hope, resolve problems without violence, and stop fighting. They pledge to keep his dream alive by not fighting, by treating people fairly and kindly.