Detroit — There’s work to be done to heal the wounds of racism, and to improve the quality of life for those in the inner city of Detroit.

Those aren’t just the sentiments of local religious and civic leaders. Those were the thoughts voiced by Rosie DeSantis, a 16-year-old parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish in the city.

DeSantis was one of three young people who won this year’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Poster and Essay Contest. She read her winning essay in front of hundreds at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Mass on Jan. 17.

“Especially today, in Metropolitan Detroit, we really need to bridge the gap,” said DeSantis after the liturgy. “There’s a huge separation between people in this area, and I think if we regarded Dr. King’s message a little bit more, that wouldn’t exist. We’re really, really separated – and we can’t grow if that’s going to be the case…”

DeSantis, a tenth-grader at Roeper School, won the high school division of the essay contest, and was awarded an Apple iPad for her winning essay. That essay, titled “All Things Well and Good (The Revelatory Banana)” can be viewed online.

Taylor Jones,  an eighth grader at Gesu, won the grade school division of the contest for an essay in which she wrote about her religion teacher, John Kiley, and how he inspired her to be an agent of change in her community. Her essay can also be viewed online.

“I appreciate being able to talk about my teacher and what he’s done for me,” said Taylor after the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Mass.

Taylor said she could help fulfill King’s vision by continuing to serve her community.

“He had a dream that he wanted everybody to live, and hopefully we can keep up that dream,” she said.

She noted that she’s found various ways to serve the community through her membership in the National Junior Honors Society.

Among the younger contest entrants, Ghable Bell, a young member of Sacred Heart Parish and an elementary school student at Detroit’s Chrysler Elementary, took home the top prize for a drawing of King’s “Beloved Community.”

The colorful drawing can be viewed online.

“I drew a picture of all the things he said,” Ghable said after the Mass. She added that getting to share her artwork with the community made her feel “happy.”

The three award winners weren’t the only ones recognized at the Cathedral. Several other contest entrants received medals for their testimonies.

The student contest was sponsored by the Knights of Peter Claver, Fourth Degree – Assembly No. 11, and the Fourth Degree Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights.