Chicago elementary students pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by delivering powerful speeches in an oratory competition honoring the civil rights icon.
Eleven-year-old Alanna Atwood, a fifth-grader at Wendell Smith Elementary, took home first place with her impassioned plea for non-violence and respect. Her remarks, honed over several weeks with the help of her parents and teachers, echoed Dr. King's message that words matter and can bring about change.
"Dr. King said we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline," Alanna said. "The right message of hope is to be compassionate and respectful." Her voice remained steady despite initial jitters, sending a clear message to her audience.
Other students, including Tremond Williams from Cather Elementary, shared similar sentiments about continuing the fight against racism, gun violence, and despair. Their words were met with applause and encouragement from the crowd, which cheered on even those who stumbled during their presentations.
Each finalist received a cash prize, a new laptop, and a congratulatory letter from Governor JB Pritzker. The judges, including author Arshay Cooper, praised the students' stage presence, content interpretation, and memorization skills.
The competition aims to pass on Dr. King's lessons to a new generation, emphasizing that young people have the power to enact change. Alanna's mother, Fritzlene Atwood, said winning the competition was one of her daughter's goals this year, but she appreciated how her child learned about King's struggle and her own value through the process.
"This opportunity gave my daughter the understanding of that, learning her history, and knowing that she matters," Atwood said. "Being a young African American woman, she matters, her voice matters, her decisions matter."
Eleven-year-old Alanna Atwood, a fifth-grader at Wendell Smith Elementary, took home first place with her impassioned plea for non-violence and respect. Her remarks, honed over several weeks with the help of her parents and teachers, echoed Dr. King's message that words matter and can bring about change.
"Dr. King said we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline," Alanna said. "The right message of hope is to be compassionate and respectful." Her voice remained steady despite initial jitters, sending a clear message to her audience.
Other students, including Tremond Williams from Cather Elementary, shared similar sentiments about continuing the fight against racism, gun violence, and despair. Their words were met with applause and encouragement from the crowd, which cheered on even those who stumbled during their presentations.
Each finalist received a cash prize, a new laptop, and a congratulatory letter from Governor JB Pritzker. The judges, including author Arshay Cooper, praised the students' stage presence, content interpretation, and memorization skills.
The competition aims to pass on Dr. King's lessons to a new generation, emphasizing that young people have the power to enact change. Alanna's mother, Fritzlene Atwood, said winning the competition was one of her daughter's goals this year, but she appreciated how her child learned about King's struggle and her own value through the process.
"This opportunity gave my daughter the understanding of that, learning her history, and knowing that she matters," Atwood said. "Being a young African American woman, she matters, her voice matters, her decisions matter."
also what's the vetting process for these students' parents who helped them prepare their speeches? seemed a bit fishy that Alanna's mom just happened to say some powerful stuff about her daughter feeling valuable. and how do we know these kids didn't just memorize some basic talking points from Wikipedia or something? 
, I'm still not loving the online live streaming feature on the competition platform... it's so buffering! 
Can't they get their servers to keep up? 
And btw, why do the videos have to be 30 seconds behind? 
Can't we just watch them in real-time like everyone else? 
Alanna Atwood's speech was like, totally powerful - she kept it real and showed us all that we can make a difference with our words. The fact that they're being mentored by parents & teachers to hone their skills is dope too 
. I love how the judges praised them for their stage presence, content interpretation & memorization skills - it's clear these kids are not just speaking from the heart but also putting in the work! 
As a society, we need more youth like Alanna & Tremond who are unafraid to speak up about the issues that matter. Let's keep supporting & uplifting them! 
I'm literally blown away by Alanna's speech! She's only 11 and already speaking truth to power like Dr. King himself. 
Her words about non-violence and respect resonated so deeply with the crowd, it was amazing to see. 
. I mean, Alanna's speech was straight fire 
- she held it down with conviction and poise. And it's awesome that her parents and teachers were there to support her every step of the way 
, 'cause they're the ones who are gonna shape the future and make a difference in this world. And let's be real, it's not just about Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy - it's about all the struggles that come with bein' black, female, and American 
.
, too. It's a small thing, but it means somethin' when we take the time to acknowledge these young people's achievements 
. Anyway, I'm feelin' all sorts of good vibes about this oratory competition 
- let's keep liftin' up the next gen! 
i mean i was struggling to do online research and now everything is so much easier... anyway back to this competition... i think its really cool that the kids are learning about martin luther king Jr. and how he inspired change... but u know what would be even cooler? if they had a prize for the best meme 
just kidding kind of...
this is so inspiring!!! I'm literally teary-eyed reading about these 11-yr-old geniuses who are carrying the torch for Dr King's legacy 
. Alanna's words are EVERYTHING and I love how they're not just repeating what's already out there, but actually making it their own 
. And can we talk about Tremond's sentiment? "We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline"? CHILLS 
. And can we please give these young orators some book deals? They need to share their wisdom with the world ASAP 
"
. It shows that their voices are being heard, and that's what it's all about - giving these young people a platform to share their thoughts and ideas! 
They're just being praised for doing what their parents and teachers already told them to do. Where's the substance? What if they don't get "The Message"? Are they being forced into a certain narrative? How about students who don't fit that mold? 
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. The fact that they're learning about his lessons and feeling seen and heard as young people of color is just... ugh, it's making me emotional 
. Can we give a round of applause to these future leaders?