2011 Houston Martin Luther King Oratory

Ten-year-old Morgan Hunter, an aspiring physician, won first place at the Houston competition after sharing her ambition to become a "change agent", following in the footsteps of the late civil rights leader. Challenging the audience to "...glance past the outward appearance and see [people] just like you and I," the passionate fifth-grade student at Dodson Elementary offered a captivated audience a "prescription", just as "Dr. King gave the world a prescription for injustice, [which] was the legacy of his dream." Morgan's prescription included a "daily dose of hope to ease heartaches...a tablespoon full of faith...and a drop of compassion as needed to help cure community."

Raiya Goodman, a fifth-grader at Cornelius Elementary School, took home second place. No stranger to the competition, Raiya earned third place at last year's event. Placing third in the competition was Joshua Jacobs, a fourth-grader at Garden Villas Elementary School.

"These young children are society's future leaders, intent on making a difference in their communities," explained Claude Treece, Houston event chair and Gardere operating partner. "Even after more than a decade of experiencing this event, the remarkable motivation, dedication and talent seen in students at all levels of the competition continue to amaze me."

The Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is presented, hosted and sponsored by Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP (GAR-DEER, WIN, SUE-ELL), and co-presented by Dallas ISD in Dallas. Gardere introduced the competition in 1993 in Dallas to celebrate the cultural diversity of the community, while also recognizing and encouraging the writing and presentation skills of elementary school students. The event's success led to the establishment in 1997 of the competition in Houston. The oratory competition, which is held each January in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, encourages the community to remember and pay tribute to the late civil rights leader's legacy. All finalists receive savings bonds and other prizes.

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