MLK

Today I went to the 14th annual Martin Luther King, JR. Oratory Competition held at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ in downtown Houston. (say that 3 times fast)!

Basically, there were 12 finalists chosen from all the HISD elementary schools who recited a short speech on what they can accomplish because of what Dr. King accomplished.

To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about going, it made for an earlier morning, but it was really neat. The finalists were 4th and 5th graders from different schools (3 of which are schools that I have kids in) and they were incredible. The most memorable was a young girl who basically wrote her speech as if she was giving her acceptance speech as the first female, African American President. Very creative. The boy who won was actually a very powerful speaker and if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't actually see him because he was so short, I would have mistaken him for a preacher!

The best part was the venue. This church is the oldest African American Church in Texas (I think), built in 1866 by a group of freed slaves who needed a place of worship. The history of the building alone was worth the early morning!

At one point I'm pretty sure I cried... I know... I'm a dork! But something about sitting there listening to young kids talk about how their lives are forever changed because of one man's determination to bring about change was moving.


Happy MLK Day everyone!