The Austin Area Heritage Council (AAHC), in collaboration with ACC African American Cultural Center, Google Fiber, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and, Child, Inc. are sponsoring the 18th Annual MLK Oratory Competition.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic two years ago, we have done this event virtually. We are happy to announce that this event will be live and in person in order to continue the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and most importantly, for the students who are the future of this country.
The competition will take place on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 6:30pm at the ACC Eastview Campus which is located at 3401 Webberville Road, Building 8500 – Multipurpose Room.
The competition is opened to individual 4th, 5th and 6th grade students on your school campus. (Unfortunately, previous winners of this competition are not allowed to participate in this year’s event). Your campus may determine whether to open the contest to all of its 4th, 5th and 6th grade students or limit it to certain classes.
Today, as we attempt to move forward as people of different cultures and backgrounds in this country, we are still facing the evils of racism, inequality and unjust acts from others. Dr. King gave us the courage and the hope to keep ahead of the storm by giving us the power of the mind to overcome fear. He dreamed of civil and economic rights and the end to racism in the United States.
In order to fulfill his dream, we must continue to carry forward Dr. King’s unfinished work because change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are one nation and one dream and we look to our youth to see what the realities of the world are because they are the next generation to embrace and to carry forward his dream by making it a reality.
The topic for the 2023 MLK Oratory contest is: “The DREAM: Uniting Together to Make It A Reality – If Dr. King were alive today, what would you share with him with the changes you would personally make in order to have his dream become a reality for this country and the world and how would you do it”?
The students should be encouraged to consider Dr. Martin Luther King’s ideals and principles when creating their speeches and should follow the following criteria:
- The speeches must be written by the student and cannot be more than 5 minutes in length;
- The speeches should not include props or audience participation;
- And, if a student decides to sing as part of his or her speech, the total amount of song should be no more than 30 seconds in length.
- At the school-wide and final competition, judges will be aware of specifications and will keep them in mind as they judge the students on:
- Delivery
- Stage Decorum
- Content Interpretation
- Expression and Memory, not on whether one student has more musical talent than another