Strong words were spoken by young minds Wednesday night at the Third Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest.
Three Memphis-area high school students were selected to compete in the oratorical contest, which honors the legacy of King in the Fogelman Executive Center Auditorium at The University of Memphis.
The annual speech competition is dedicated to King’s life, legacy and humanitarianism.
The theme this year was “Living the Legacy: How I Hope to Contribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dreams of Peace and Social Justice.”
The keynote speaker was Samuel H. Pieh, great-grandson of the leader of the slave revolt aboard the Spanish ship Amistad in 1839. That event was dramatized in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film of the same name.
Pieh is also the founder of the Mid-South Africa Link and works to support and encourage young people in reaching their ideals. He said a dream is only realized when all tasks and responsibilities are fulfilled and education must be relevant in a civil society.
“Thank God in this world we have dreamers,” Pieh said. “The dream of a world that has no barriers lies in each one of our hands. Look for the efforts of dream makers to contribute to the realization of your dreams.”
The contestants in the competition were Felicia Douglas, senior from Central High School, Tammy Rayford, junior from Hamilton High School, and Quinton Taylor, senior from Northside High School.
Felicia Douglas spoke first about how she is determined to carry King’s dream by being an example to the youth who are dreamless. She said she wants to build people up and wants today’s youth to interact with one another to promote brotherhood.
Tammy Rayford spoke next about her contributions to King’s legacy. She said she will cross the “bridge of ignorance” and surround herself with people of different races, religions and ethnic backgrounds. By “slaying the dragon of judgment” and “climbing the mountain of achievement,” Rayford said she would be able to reach all of her goals so that no one can judge her.
Quinton Taylor was the final speaker and said he wishes for everyone to “come together in a coming togetherness”. He said it is the duty of American citizens to promote non-violence. He said he wants to seek higher education, strive for life-long goals and show leadership.
“I am encouraged by the students’ work and research that went into each of their speeches,” said David Acey, assistant professor of the Department of Communication, which sponsored the contest. “They demonstrate leadership, courage and dedication, similar to Dr. King.”
Felicia Douglas and Tammy Rayford, the two runners-up, each received $100 cash award and a special certificate.
The 2003 competition winner, Quinton Taylor, received a $300 cash award and was invited to speak at the opening day ceremony of the Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival.
Taylor said that non-violence is the main way to contribute to King’s dream and added that if you want to be something in life, you must be educated.
“A person will not follow a leader if the leader doesn’t live up to the people’s expectations of a leader,” Taylor said.
