Watch the speeches live

Eight outstanding young public speakers from Dallas ISD have advanced to the finals of the MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, and their performances can be watched live starting at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, by clicking on this livestream link.

Established in Dallas in 1993, the Floey & Lardner LLP MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is hosted annually to encourage the community to remember and pay tribute to the late civil rights leader's legacy. The competition is designed to recognize and foster the writing and oratory skills of elementary students. Fourth- and fifth-grade elementary students composed their own original three-to-five minute speeches incorporating ideals from King’s writings, speeches and other records to answer the competition’s theme question, “What would Dr. King’s vision be for America in 2020?”