COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio MLK Holiday Commission held its 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration on Thursday, and the youth were the stars of the event.

During the event, the commission presents awards to recognize those working to advance King's dream and philosophy of nonviolent social change. 

Earnie Davis III of Wyoming, Ohio, received the Capturing the Vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. award.

“We do not need only adults to figure everything out, but also the children, too,” said Davis. “Just like how Martin Luther King sent out the children to march out with him.”

Between studying and playing basketball, 11-year-old Davis holds classes at his local library to teach kids about heroes throughout Black history. He started the classes in 2018 at just 6-years-old with his mom, Judith.

She said they came up with the name “Roots” for their classes because everyone deserves to know where they come from.

“I taught one class, and the kids were like, 'Boo, we want Earnie,' and so that's how we realize that’s the magic in the classes, kids teaching kids, but the kids that we teach come from areas that are lower resourced and we really believe that every child can be a Earnie if given the right confidence,” said Judith. 

Earnie said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of his inspirations and, like him, he wants to continue making a difference in society.

“This award means a lot to me,” said Davis. “I mean, I'm very proud. This award is only the beginning; there's a lot of people that are not yet helped, but I want to help in the future.”