Kids show off their hands which have been covered with multiple colors of chalk. Photo by Scott Ball.
Kids show off their hands which have been covered with multiple colors of chalk. Photo by Scott Ball.

The Eastside chapter of The Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a little inspiration from Artpace‘s annual Chalk It Up event and a giant bucket of colorful chalk on Wednesday evening at Martin Luther King Academy.

Reading all the messages from children to their community was inspiring and served as a reminder of the times in which we live. According to their temporary sketches, these children see inequality in our times, but they also see hope. And they demand action.

“Put down the guns now.”

“My dream is to change the world.”

“Colors don’t matter,” reads one, however misspelled.

A portion of the chalked sidewalks at the Boys & Girls Club San Antonio Eastside Branch. Photo by Scott Ball.
A portion of the chalked sidewalks at the Boys & Girls Club San Antonio Eastside Branch. Photo by Scott Ball.

After large sidewalks had been filled with inspiring quotes and dreams, a guest speaker arrived. Walter Perry of San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (SAGE) and a former Boys & Girls Club member gave encouraging words of friendship and community.

His words seemed to be rubbing off on the children…and the sidewalks.

SAGE associate and former member of Boys and Girls Club Walter Perry gives an inspirational speech to the children. Photo by Scott Ball.
SAGE associate and former member of Boys and Girls Club Walter Perry gives an inspirational speech to the children. Photo by Scott Ball.

The elementary school at 3503 Martin Luther King Dr. is also start of the MLK March route.

The event was one of more than 100 included on the DreamWeek San Antonio calendar that culminates with the MLK March on Monday, Jan. 18. The City expects more than 150,000 participants in this year’s march, one of the largest in the nation.

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Scott Ball is San Antonio Report's photo editor and grew up in San Antonio.