HOUSTON – Houston’s Antioch Missionary Baptist Church once again hosted one of the city’s most inspiring events—the Foley & Lardner LLP Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Houston tradition, where fourth- and fifth-grade students from the Houston Independent School District take the stage to deliver heartfelt speeches honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“What would Dr. King tell us about our responsibility as citizens and leaders in America today?”
On January 17, ten young finalists answered the thought-provoking question: “What would Dr. King tell us about our responsibility as citizens and leaders in America today?” Their original speeches, lasting three to five minutes, were judged on delivery, stage presence, decorum, memorization, and content interpretation.
The event holds special significance this year as longtime event chair and emcee, Claude Treece, retires after 29 years of leadership. Under Treece’s guidance, the competition has grown into a beloved tradition, empowering young leaders and showcasing the cultural diversity of Houston’s communities. Treece called the ”a labor of love.” He even reflected on being honored to watch Dr. King’s iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech live. Watch the player below for his entire conversation with Houston Life co-hosts Derrick Shore and Tessa Barrera.
The competition has a rich history of highlighting Houston’s brightest young minds. Last year’s winner, then fourth-grader, Montoia Murray, appeared on Houston Life before earning her top honor, and this year she returned and claimed first place again. Something that has never happened in the competition’s history.
This year, Murray delivered a captivating speech that compared the late civil rights leader to “a drum major for justice,” [who] “kept the rhythm of the heartbeat of America alive.” The 10-year-old believes Dr. King would tell us that “the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe damage to our country and our nation’s heartbeat lost its rhythm, causing us to need bypass surgery.” She continued her metaphor and touched on examples of how the country has bypassed justice, peace, and righteousness over the years, reflecting on current events to showcase that “just like the heart needs surgery when it is damaged or weak, the heartbeat of America requires care when it is out of sync filled with hateful rhetoric.”
Watch Montoia’s full speech here.
She joined us once again on Houston Life via Zoom to tell us all about her back-to-back win and the lasting impact Dr. King has made in her life.
Jae’Lauryn Brown, a fifth-grade student from Windsor Village Elementary School, earned second place in the 29th annual Houston competition, and fourth-grader Rashaud Williams, a student at MacGregor Elementary School, was awarded third place.
Treece is passing the torch to Scott Ellis, managing partner of the Foley and Lardner Houston office. Treece says he cares about the competition just as much as he does.
Foley & Lardner LLP established the competition in 1993 in Dallas, later expanding to Houston in 1997 and Chicago in 2020. Since the start, the program has impacted thousands of students, fostering critical thinking, public speaking, and a deeper understanding of Dr. King’s ideals.