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'He Made The World A Better Place': Mount Vernon Youngsters Reflect On MLK Jr.'s Impact

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 91 years old on Jan. 15.

And while he's been gone for more than 50 years, his legacy lives on.

Dr. King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech in 1963 at the March on Washington.

CBS2's Cindy Hsu recently spoke to some of his youngest admirers, students from The Milestone School in Mount Vernon.

"He made the world a better place," pre-K student Caleb Bond said.

"He marched for everybody," youngster Ryan Ramkissoon added.

Civil Rights Act
President Lyndon Johnson shakes hands with the Rev. Martin Luther KIng Jr. on July 3, 1964, in Washington D.C., after the president signed the Civil Rights Act. (Credit: Getty Images)

"He wanted everyone to be equal," little Maxwell Dixon said.

The kindergartners were reading about Dr. King and wanted to share.

"He wanted people to live together in harmony," 5-year-old Leighton Arthur said.

PHOTOS: Remembering The Legacy Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The fourth graders, just 9 years old, are studying all about his life.

"Dr. Martin Luther King graduated high school at 15 years old and later on he moved to college," Ariel Duncan said.

The young ladies talked about Dr. King's time at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

"In Morehouse, he met Coretta Scott King and married her in 1950," Payton Richardson said.

"He wanted to end segregation and he wanted world peace, love, and equality," Duncan added.

And they each shared their favorite quote.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere," fourth grader Viola Vettorino said.

They know the price Dr. King paid to fight for justice, and how they can help.

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that we should prepare our next generation of leaders and he also believed that education is one of our biggest weapons against injustice," 9-year-old Riley Dixon said.

So Hsu asked if they'll help lead the next generation.

"We hope," they said. "We hope."

And so do we.

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