North Texas elementary school students honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — North Texas elementary school students honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Friday by delivering original, inspirational speeches.
The 31st annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, sponsored by law firm Foley & Lardner, took place at W.H. Adamson High School in Dallas.
The eight finalists, all fourth and fifth grade DISD students, answered this question: What would Dr. King say to us today about hope for tomorrow?
They delivered three to five minute speeches in front of their peers, their teachers, and a panel of judges.
"Hope is that driving force to compel us all to great things," said Mohamad Mohamed in his second-place speech. "You see hope really does matter. I have hope. Do you have hope?"
The first-place winner, 10-year-old Zihair Douglas, didn't shy away from charged topics.
"Considering the recent changes to voting access, acceptance of immigrants, abortion rights, and the removal of books from our schools – some of our elected officials are using their power to injure, deprive and demean the very persons and communities they were elected to serve and support," Zihair said on stage.
He hopes his words will travel far beyond the auditorium.
"I wanted to compete because I wanted everybody to know my perspective on what Dr. King would say," he said. "We can tell people that you have to not judge people, and you have to get to know them."
Zihair plans to donate some of his $2,000 prize money to help others.
The end of his speech came with this message: "While I stand before you this day, I charge each of you and myself to fulfill Dr. King's legacy, and create a better world for ourselves and our future generations."
It was one of several calls to action during the competition, as the students reflected on the life and legacy of Dr. King.
"Start with self," said Bria Hider, the third place winner. "Examine your beliefs. Educate yourself on the issues. Volunteer your time, and share with those less fortunate than you."
The competition first started in Dallas 31 years ago. Since then, Chicago and Houston have adopted the tradition, and Foley hopes to spread it to even more cities in the coming years.
