2010 Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Winners Announced
Twenty fourth- and fifth-grade students competed on Friday, January 15 as part of the Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, held in Dallas and Houston. Winners included Tamia Gaines of Dallas, fifth-grader at John Neely Bryant Elementary School, and Christian Burgs of Houston, a fifth-grade student at Garden Villas Elementary.
Before a panel of judges comprised of leading business and community leaders, students delivered their original speeches, not exceeding five minutes, on the topic: “What will I be able to achieve in my life because of what Dr. King achieved in his?” Students were judged on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation, and memorization.
The 20 finalists were selected from amongst 375 elementary students, representing 39 schools in Dallas and Houston. Students first competed in preliminary contests for the right to represent their schools at the final competition.
The 18th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Dallas, co-sponsored by Dallas ISD, was held at the Majestic Theater. The 14th annual Houston event was held at the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ.
Tamia Gaines captured the first place title in Dallas with an engaging speech, declaring she would “not let [Dr. King’s] dreams die,” crediting the civil rights leader for giving her the confidence to know she can be anything as long as she has good character. The aspiring attorney challenged others not to “hate” but appreciate”. Determined and confident, Tamia passionately pledged to the audience: “ I can! I must! I will achieve my dreams and my successes… because Dr. King kicked down the door so I can walk through.”
Courtney Ivie, a fifth-grader at R.L. Thornton Elementary School placed second. Third place went to Alexis Van Zandt, a fifth-grader at Clara Oliver Elementary School.
Ten-year-old Christian Burgs from Garden Villas Elementary took top prize in Houston with his inspiring speech, “teaching” the audience in his “classroom” how to achieve their own dreams by following Dr. King’s example. Christian, a fifth-grader who placed second in the 2009 competition, hopes to attend Harvard and become a lawyer, offering words of advice to others: “I along with others will too have to face some hardships, but one thing is certain that obstacles Dr. King faced made ‘our’ road achievable. Dr. King’s actions have taught me not to just knock on the door of opportunity, but kick it in.” His inspirational speech received a standing ovation from the audience.
Second place went to Ronson Hawkins, a fifth grader at MacGregor Elementary, and fourth-grader Raiya Goodman was awarded third place in the 14th annual competition .
2010 Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Wrap-up Press Release
Dallas MLK Fact Page - English version
Dallas MLK Fact Page - Spanish version
Dallas 2010 Finals Press Release
Houston MLK Fact Page
Houston 2010 Finals Press Release
Link to MLK Event History
View the winning speech from the 2010 Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Dallas.
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View the entire 2010 Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Dallas
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View the winning speech from the 2010 Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Houston
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View the entire 2010 Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition in Houston
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History of Gardere’s MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
Gardere introduced the competition in 1993 in Dallas to celebrate the cultural diversity of the community, while also recognizing and encouraging the writing and presentation skills of elementary school students. The event's success led to the establishment in 1997 of the competition in Houston. The oratory competition, which is held each January in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, encourages the community to remember and pay tribute to the late civil rights leader's legacy.
