Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation to advocate for change through his compelling and thought provoking oratory. His greatest lesson was to inspire change through public discourse, not violence. Today, more than ever, we need to pay more attention to what we say and how we say it.

 

This year, the Thomas and Woods Foundation will be honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting the First Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Scholarship Contest. The contest is for Philadelphia high school students, grades 9-12. Each student will be asked to submit an application and a video of them giving their speech (5-7 minutes) on the topic area. The submission timeline is below. 

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The prompt for the First Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Scholarship Contest is: 

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Martin Luther King Jr. was not just a  dreamer, a leader or civil rights activist, he was a visionary who believed that tomorrow could always be brighter, and better than yesterday. He said, "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 

 

As a student and future leader of this country, what challenges do you feel we should pay most attention to and how can we over come them? Tell us your vision for the world ahead of you. 

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