Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was truly a phenomenal orator whose speeches left millions impassioned to bring about change through his words. The Houston Law firm, Foley & Lardner LLP, created a yearly competition to keep that legacy alive.
This year’s 28th Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition was truly filled with amazing passion and talent; however, first-place honors went to fourth grader, Montoia Murray from HISD’s Blackshear Elementary School.
According to the law firm’s website, “each year, fourth- and fifth-grade students from Dallas, Houston, and Chicago ISD elementary schools are invited to compose and present original three-to-five-minute speeches, incorporating ideals from Dr. King’s teachings, to address a pre-selected topic. The students’ speeches celebrate Dr. King’s enduring messages and demonstrate how his words continue to impact and inspire their lives.”
The topic for this year’s competition was, “How would Dr. King reflect on the 60 years since his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech?”
And of course, Montoia nailed it, as she grabbed first place, taking us all on a journey that Dr. King himself would unquestionably approve.
“If Dr. King could reflect on the 60 years since his ‘I Have a Dream speech,’ Martin’s reflection would be a confession of the goodness of God. First, he would thank God for bringing us over,” Montoia began her speech.
The fourth grader went on to deliver an eloquent oratory that according to, KHOU 11 News, garnered “laughs, cheers and tears from the audience.”
In an interview with the outlet regarding her win, Montoia said that, winning made her “feel good” because she got to talk about Dr. King and his dream of “changing the world.”
“What made me feel good about winning was that I get to be a part of this competition and talk about Dr. King,” said Montoia. “I was inspired to write my speech because I get to talk about Dr. King and what he did to achieve his goals and what he did to change the world.”
Photo: Blackshear Elementary School Instagram; Foley & Lardner LLP/YouTube
