Alanna Atwood, a fifth grader at Wendell Smith Elementary, thinks Martin Luther King would tell us today to use our words before resorting to violence. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be using any weapons or anything because weapons can cause a lot of things, it can cause injuries and more things like that, and we don\u2019t want that in the world,\u201d Alanna said. The 11-year-old delivered that message to a crowd of more than 150 at the Drake Hotel on Friday in an oratory competition honoring the civil rights icon organized by the Foley and Lardner law firm. She was one of eight Chicago elementary school finalists who wrote and memorized their own speeches for the contest. Alanna won first place.<\/p>\n
Frank Pasquesi, managing partner of the firm\u2019s Chicago office, said the event is more than a competition \u2014 it\u2019s a chance to pass on King\u2019s lessons to a new generation. \u201cWe don\u2019t want people to forget the impactful words and the approach he took,\u201d Pasquesi said. \u201cWords matter, and I think Dr. King taught us that just with words you can accomplish anything.\u201d The competition was created in Dallas in 1993, and its popularity led to an expansion to Houston and later Chicago, where it is now in its seventh year. More than 260 students participated in this year\u2019s competitions across the three cities.<\/p>\n
King has many connections to Chicago. In 1966, King moved his family to the West Side and spent a year in North Lawndale advocating for fair housing, education and jobs.<\/p>\n
Alanna Atwood presents her speech during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Alanna\u2019s parents and teachers helped her with her remarks over several weeks. She said she was nervous before taking the stage, but her voice remained steady and poised throughout her remarks. \u201cDr. King said we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline,\u201d Alanna said. \u201cThe right message of hope is to be compassionate and respectful.\u201d <\/p>\n
Alanna Atwood celebrates her win during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Other students spoke about continuing the fight against racism, gun violence in communities and not succumbing to despair when things look bleak. \u201cThere is a lot going on in the news in the world, which is why it\u2019s so necessary to find joy in your friendships with people,\u201d Tremond Williams, 5th grader at Cather Elementary, said in his speech. \u201cFind joy in celebrating life.\u201d <\/p>\n
Alanna Atwood wins 1st place at the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Students represented schools including Joseph Warren Elementary, Arthur Dixon Elementary and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago. The crowd encouraged students with claps and shouts of \u201cyou got this\u201d when they stumbled. <\/p>\n
From left to right, Anjolaolua Ekemode, 3rd Place, Alanna Atwood, 1st place, and Kaiden Phelps, 2nd place, hold their ribbons during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Each finalist was awarded with a cash prize, a new laptop and a congratulatory letter from Gov. JB Pritzker.<\/p>\n
Arshay Cooper, an author who was raised in Chicago, was on the panel of judges who scrutinized the students\u2019 stage presence and decorum, content interpretation and memorization. He hopes the competition helps show students that their voices are influential, and they don\u2019t have to rely on an adult to enact change. \u201cI want them to understand that you have a lot of power to go back to your school and you can [inspire] every day in your life,\u201d he said. \u201cIt can\u2019t just be the teacher. It has to be young people, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
Azaria Brown presents her speech during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Kaiden Phelps celebrates his second place finish during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Kaiden Phelps presents his speech during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Kalani Cox-Dembry presents her speech to judges and an audience at the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
Alanna\u2019s mother, Fritzlene Atwood, said winning the competition was one of her daughter\u2019s goals this year, and she was proud of her accomplishment. The prizes are welcome, but Atwood appreciated how her daughter learned about King\u2019s struggle and her own value through the process. \u201cThis opportunity gave my daughter the understanding of that, learning her history, and knowing that she matters,\u201d Atwood said. \u201cBeing a young African American woman, she matters, her voice matters, her decisions matter.\u201d <\/p>\n
Alanna Atwood celebrates with a loved one during the 7th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at The Duke Hotel.
\n |
\n Anthony Vazquez\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n
The MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is an event that not only honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. but also empowers young students to find their voice and make a positive impact in their communities. By participating in this competition, students like Alanna Atwood and others are able to learn about King\u2019s teachings and apply them to their own lives, becoming leaders and change-makers in their own right.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the MLK Jr. Oratory Competition?
\nA: The MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is an annual event where elementary school students write and deliver their own speeches about Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy.
\nQ: How many students participated in this year\u2019s competition?
\nA: More than 260 students participated in this year\u2019s competitions across three cities: Dallas, Houston, and Chicago.
\nQ: What are the prizes for the competition?
\nA: Each finalist is awarded with a cash prize, a new laptop, and a congratulatory letter from Gov. JB Pritzker.
\nQ: What is the goal of the competition?
\nA: The goal of the competition is to pass on Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s lessons to a new generation and to empower young students to find their voice and make a positive impact in their communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Alanna Atwood, a fifth grader at Wendell Smith Elementary, thinks Martin Luther King would tell us today to use our words before resorting to violence. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be using any weapons or anything because weapons can cause a lot of things, it can cause injuries and more things […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35807","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/7643f04\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6122x3495+0+294\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3a%2Fff%2Fb712fd4a4763ab620add4484de68%2Fmlkspeeches-260119-06.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35810,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35807\/revisions\/35810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}