MLK Recitation Celebration
Thank you!
The inaugural MLK Recitation Celebration was a great success. We had a full room of spectators and incredible performers celebrating the legacy of Dr. King through his own words.
Please check back to this site next summer as we make plans for the 2nd year of this event.
What is it?
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2019 (Monday, January 21), middle and high school students will gather in Asheville, NC to celebrate the words and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a recitation competition.
Students will seek to perform the most accurate and engaging reenactment of some of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous and important speeches.
$500 in prizes are available to the top middle school and high school competitor. Participants will be judged on:
- Physical Presence
- Voice and Articulation
- Dramatic Appropriateness
- Evidence of Understanding
- Overall Performance
When and Where?
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Monday, January 21, 2019 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Address: 39 S. Market Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Phone #: (828) 257-4540
Who can compete?
- Any student currently in grades 6-12 are eligible to compete. There will be separate winners in the middle (6-8) and high school divisions (9-12).
How does this competition work?
Students
1. Students will select one of the pre-selected speech excerpts and learn it.
2. Students will recite the speech and compete in their respective classrooms and schools.
3. School winners for each division will advance to the Finals at the YMI Cultural Center on January 21 in Asheville.
4. If you are a student wanting to compete individually (your teacher or classroom are not competing), please email us at williamsonb@ashevilleschool.org and let us know. We encourage you to participate!
Teachers
1. Please email us to let us know you have elected to use the recitation competition in your classes and plan to hold a class competition.
2. Share the competition details with your class. Consider integrating with a lesson plan on MLK. We recommend the MLK resources from Teaching Tolerance.
3. Hold a competition in class and send us the name of your winner that will move on to the Finals at the YMI. Please send these to us by Wednesday, January 16. Email names to williamsonb@ashevilleschool.org.
Questions:
Why isn't "I Have a Dream" listed as one of the excerpts to recite?
- When schools teach students about MLK, often "I Have a Dream" is the speech that is used. While we believe "I Have a Dream" is one of the great speeches on civil rights, we hope this competition will allow students and teachers to learn about MLK's many other outstanding writings and speeches that may be sometimes overlooked.
Do I need to try and sound just like Dr. King?
- No! We want each student to be themselves. The words are what are important. This is not an MLK impersonation contest, but a competition that measures each student's ability to recite these speeches accurately and with their own personal delivery style(s). Please review the "Recitation Tips" page to learn more and the "Scoring" page to learn about what, specifically, judges will be looking for.
What if the student is home-schooled or is the only student participating from a school?
- No problem! We want to include as many people as possible while ensuring the Final event is reserved for the most proficient competitors this year. Please email williamsonb@ashevilleschool.org and let us know if you have a student in this situation and we can work something out (options may include competing at a local school or competing with other students in a separate pre-Finals event).
Does the student have to live in the Asheville area to participate?
- No. Any student anywhere is welcome to participate.
How much does it cost to participate in the contest and to attend the Final event?
- There is no cost to participate or compete.
- There is no cost to attend the Final event, though we will take donations at the door to benefit the YMI Cultural Center. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Note: This event has been approved by The King Center and is co-sponsored by BeLoved Asheville.
Inaugural Martin Luther King, Jr., Recitation Competition
Monday, January 21, 2019
YMI Cultural Center, Asheville, NC
Thank you for participating or supporting the first year of this event. We are so excited to launch a new tradition here in Western North Carolina to explore the teachings of Dr. King through the voices of local students.
Details of the event:
- The event is scheduled to run from 7-8 PM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Please be on time as we will need to start promptly to be respectful of everyone’s time. Some students and parents are traveling from Henderson County and we realize it is a school night!
- Parking can be found on the street or in nearby parking decks. The closest deck is located at 4 Biltmore Avenue. Please allow enough time to park and walk to the YMI.
- There is no charge to attend the event, though we will have a volunteer at the door to accept donations (cash or check) to support the YMI Cultural Center. The YMI was kind enough to donate their space for this event, and we are honored and humbled to hold the event in such an important and historic venue. If you would like to learn more about the YMI, please take time to visit their website and learn more.
Competition:
- Competitors will be scored based on the criteria posted on the event website. A copy of the scorecard judges will use is here. A panel of 3 guest judges will score each competitor. An event volunteer will tally scores and determine our top performers.
- Each competitor is allowed to have one supporter near the front of the room to prompt them in the event they request or forget a line (note: this will result in a small deduction to the performers’ score). Please see the Accuracy score sheet for more details on accuracy and deductions.
- Families and spectators are allowed to photograph or film competitors if they have secured permission to do so. Unless given permission by event staff, please do not film or photograph other competitors.
MLK Recitation Agenda
- Welcome
Ben Williamson, Major Eason, Griffin Girvan-Morris, Justin Merriwether
- Recognition of Sponsors
Griffin Girvan-Morris
- Opening Remarks
Rev. Amy Cantrell, BeLoved Asheville
- Recognition of Teachers and Judges
Major Eason
- Review of Competition Format
Justin Merriwether
- Competition
o Mason Perry (7th) – Apple Valley Middle
§ Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech - Oslo, Norway – December 10, 1964
o Yadon Qualls (8th) - Asheville Middle
§ Conclusion of Selma to Montgomery March – Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, AL, March 25, 1965
o Quincey Kraig (7th) – Apple Valley Middle
§ Letter from Birmingham Jail (2)– Birmingham, AL – April 16, 1963
o Nash Klein (6th)- Asheville Middle
§ "The American Dream" - July 4, 1965 - Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
o Kaly Brookshire (7th) – Apple Valley Middle
§ “Beyond Vietnam” – Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967
o Mavis Harrison (8th) - Asheville Middle
§ Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech - Oslo, Norway – December 10, 1964
o Lia Hayes (7th) - Asheville Middle
§ Montgomery Bus Boycott – Holt Street Baptist Church, December 5, 1955
o Sukita Aguirre (8th) – Evergreen
§ Conclusion of Selma to Montgomery March – Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, AL, March 25, 1965
o May Currens (8th) - Asheville Middle
§ "The American Dream" - July 4, 1965 - Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
o Amelia Krebs (8th) – Evergreen
§ Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech - Oslo, Norway – December 10, 1964
o Willow Rose (7th) – Evergreen
§ Montgomery Bus Boycott – Holt Street Baptist Church, December 5, 1955
o Zonia Dungca (7th) – Apple Valley
§ Conclusion of Selma to Montgomery March – Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery, AL, March 25, 1965
- Awards
- Call to Action
