Leadership Lessons from Children

Happy Martin Luther King day!  Today we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr day with personal & professional life leadership lessons from children.

Nearly 400 fourth-and fifth grade students, representing 39 schools in Houston and Dallas, competed in the Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition presented by the Texas-based law firm Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.     The competition commemorates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and is designed to highlight the cultural diversity of the community while recognizing and encouraging the writing and presentation skills of elementary school students.  The final competition was held on Friday, January 14, 2011 in both cities.  All the 15 finalists are winners!

MLK Jr. Oratory winners included Elijah English of Dallas, a 5th-grader at Jerry R. Junkins Elementary School, and Morgan Hunter of Houston, a fifth-grade student at Dodson Elementary School.

2011 Dallas MLK Jr. Oratory winner, Elijah English, delivered this powerful speech on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011.  In his speech, he said it’s “…your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude.”

2011 Houston MLK Jr. Oratory Competition speech winner, Morgan Hunter, an aspiring physician, captured first place with her winning speech.  She shared her ambition to become a “change agent”, following in the footsteps of the late civil rights leader.

How will you carry forward the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in your personal and professional life?

Related Articles

• “The Top 100 Famous, Free Speeches including Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speech” and related posts (freelyeducate.com)
• Martin Luther King Jr. on The Mike Douglas Show (1967) (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
• “Martin Luther King: “I Have A Dream— and related posts (mominthecity.com)
• Remember The Message of Martin Luther King’s Dream (socyberty.com)
• “Watch Martin Luther King Jr. I Have A Dream Speech Video With Your Kids” and related posts (blogs.babble.com)