Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competitions
Honor the Late Civil Rights Leader This MLK Holiday
In honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 20 elementary
school students gathered to express their dreams for today’s world
during the Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competitions in Dallas
and Houston. Winners included Wesley Stoker, a fourth-grade student
from Harry C. Withers Elementary in Dallas, and Tchanori Kone, a
fifth-grader from Gregory-Lincoln Elementary in Houston.
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Tchanori Kone, a fifth-grade student from
Gregory-Lincoln Elementary, won first place in the 22nd Annual
Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Houston with a captivating
speech titled “Making the Dream Come True.” She shared that her
dream for today’s world is to “eliminate poverty,” and she hopes
one day that “every human being will have fair and equal access to
education and health care.” (Photo credit: Katy Anderson)
Finalists were selected from more than 300 fourth- and
fifth-grade students representing nearly 40 schools from the Dallas
and Houston Independent School Districts. The competitions began
with in-school qualifying rounds in the fall, and one student from
each school was selected to advance to the semifinals. From there,
eight students from Dallas and 12 from Houston were selected to
advance to the final competitions Jan. 12.
Participants presented original three-to-five minute speeches
addressing the question, “What is your dream for today’s world?”
which both commemorated Dr. King’s iconic speech and encouraged
children to showcase their knowledge of current events. During all
three levels of the competition, students were evaluated on
delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation, and
memorization. At the finals, panels of locally renowned community
and business leaders judged the students on their performances.
“I want to commend the students on their knowledge of Dr. King’s
impact and the talent they displayed today. They delivered
well-crafted, emotional and insightful speeches that impressed the
entire audience and judges,” said Gardere Chair Holland N. O’Neil.
“Gardere is honored to partner with the Dallas and Houston ISDs
each year to provide these bright and articulate students a
competitive platform that showcases their exceptional talents.”
Dallas’s first-place winner, Wesley Stoker, delivered a speech
he says was inspired by his father, who is the senior minister at
First United Methodist Church of Dallas. “Dr. King was a minister’s
son, and I am a minister’s son, as well. I can only imagine he went
to church a lot,” joked Wesley. His speech incorporated his own
dreams, routed in Dr. King’s philosophies. “I wish we would all be
friends with our neighbors and see that we have more in common than
we think.”
Wesley emphasized each of his hopes by repeating, “I may not
look like Dr. King, but I believe like Dr. King.” He ended by
encouraging the audience, “Like me, you don’t look like Dr. King.
But like me, you have the choice to believe like Dr. King. We can
believe in equality, love for our neighbor, world peace among all
nations and races, but it takes you and me to work together.”
Skye Turner, a fourth-grader at Charles Rice Learning Center,
earned second place in the Dallas competition, and Jeremiah Wilson,
a fourth-grader at Thomas L. Marsalis Elementary School, was
awarded third place.
Houston’s first-place winner, fifth-grade student Tchanori Kone,
titled her speech “Making the Dream Come True,” and shared that her
dream for today’s world is to “eliminate poverty.” Tchanori hopes
one day that “every human being will have fair and equal access to
education and health care.”
The 10-year-old reminded the audience of the Poor People’s March
on Washington, led by Dr. King and his efforts to draw government
attention to poverty in America. Kone concluded that we should
follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and bring government attention to
these issues by voting into office “sincere, caring people who are
committed to helping their communities.”
Caleb Kiteka, a fifth-grade student from Windsor Village
Elementary, placed second in the Houston competition, while former
MLK Oratory Competition winner, and now fifth-grader, Nhedrick
Jabier of Crespo Elementary took home third place.
“The energy these students exhibited today was remarkable,
exciting to watch and very inspiring,” said Gardere CEO Claude
Treece. “I’ve been chairing this event in Houston since its
inception 22 years ago, and I’m still amazed by the talent,
insight, and creativity the participants display each year.”
Established in Dallas in 1993 by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, the
Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is hosted in conjunction
with Martin Luther King Jr. Day to encourage the community to
remember and pay tribute to the late civil rights leader’s legacy.
Gardere introduced the event to encourage students to learn more
about Dr. King and to help cultivate the writing and speaking
skills of elementary school students. The event's success in Dallas
led to the establishment of the competition in Houston in 1997.
To watch the winning speeches and to learn more about the Annual
Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competitions, click here.
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one of the Southwest's largest full-service law firms, has offices
in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere
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