MLK Oakland Competition

Speeches, poems, monologues and more were performed in memorial of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr by school children in the city of Oakland, California, documented by HBO and put on its streaming service, called We Are the Dream: Oakland MLK Fest. 

The children were part of a public speaking competition that honors and remembers King during Oaklands 40th MLK Fest. Within the competition the children gave spoken dialog about King or recited some of his own speeches. 

The event is held to help younger students face social injustices and learn how to handle and navigate these issues from the past and present while also giving themselves a voice through Kings legacy.  One nine-year-old student, Karunyan Kamalraj, was very interested in learning about Kings legacy after learning of the celebration for him.  

“I was not born here; I was born in Sri Lanka. Last year, I heard about this contest, and I was like “who is Doctor King?” First of all, I want to know that,” said Kamalraj.  

“When I first came to America, I didn’t know there was a problem with people not being treated fairly. So, when I read more about him, I knew more about him, so I was like there's this competition in two weeks, why not do it then,” said Kamalraj. 

Kamalraj said he practiced every day reciting his speech he planned to deliver, not only aiming to get the words down correctly but also perform the speech with many hand movements and different postures to draw in the crowd and make his voice heard beyond volume.  

Gregory Payton, 9, is also a student who competed in the MLK Fest, practicing after and before school with his tutor on speech delivery. Payton planned on reciting Kings “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, mixing it with Bible verses. Throughout the documentary, Payton builds upon himself, constantly reaching new highs with his delivery and creating a powerful, moving dialogue on stage. 

Payton choose to do Kings last given speech as a way to honor and memorialize him, saying most people would choose his I have a dream speech. Payton, who is the grandson of a minister, felt more connected to this speech as it reminds him of his grandfather.  

Although this is a competition, it is still viewed as a way for the students to learn about social injustices and how to stand up to these issues. Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District Kyla Johnson-Trammell says the competition and overall event is a great way for students to learn more about themselves and what their passions are.  

“These are kids getting in front of 100’s of people, and it really gives an opportunity for kids who may not have their talent highlighted in the classroom. For some, we don’t know if these are going to be future politicians or writers. That’s the whole purpose of education. We are helping kids to discover their own passions,” said Johnson-Trammell.  

The competition is a good way for students to learn about King while also finding their inner voice. As Johnson-Trammell said, the competition is a way to have the children present themselves to their community and set an example for their generation on what future leaders should be capable of. 

The competition is held at three stages. It begins with students competing with each other in their own schools, before winners are chosen to advance to the regionals. From there, chosen winners are sent to the district finals with winners from each grade.