WJZ announces Black History Oratory Competition semifinalists
BALTIMORE -- Maryland's high school students have been taking the stage to compete in the WJZ Black History Oratory Competition for 30 years.
On Saturday, the 2023 winners will finally be announced.
Year after year, hundreds of high school students have stepped up to the microphone to vie for the top prize.
This year, 20 semifinalists were chosen out of 200 applicants who delivered speeches based on their interpretation of inspirational quotes by George Washington Carver, Charles Chestnutt, or Madam C.J. Walker.
After two years of hosting virtual competitions, the contest returned to an in-person experience. It was welcomed by a live audience at Morgan State University.
Among the people who showed up to watch the speeches was one very special guest—the great, great-granddaughter of Walker.
Author and journalist A'Lelia Bundles said she was impressed by the applicants and hoped they walked away knowing how much they had to give to the world.
"I just really wanted to tell them that they are orators, they are thinkers, they are people that making a difference in the world," Bundles said.
The decades-old tradition will air as a WJZ Black History Oratory TV special, during which time the winners will be announced.
Although only 20 semifinalists will be selected, everyone who participated in the competition will be able to walk away with a new experience or perspective.
"Getting here was the first step, and really just proving to ourselves that we can do it and do things we wish to do," finalist Nia Bryant said of the competition.