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Powerful speeches from Clear Creek Amana students inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.
4 winners at the district’s second-annual speech competition for third- to sixth-graders
Feb. 20, 2024 5:45 am, Updated: Feb. 20, 2024 8:25 am
TIFFIN — Four students were recognized this month for their powerful speeches emanating Martin Luther King Jr. in the Clear Creek Amana Community School District’s second-annual speech competition.
Students in third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade were asked to memorize and recite an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech followed by their own speech.
Many of the speeches were about equity, anti-bullying, world peace and sustainability.
The first-place winners are:
- Melina Ramirez Dominiguez, third-grader at Tiffin Elementary School
- Deeksha Sekhar, fourth-grader at Oak Hill Elementary School
- Hayden Davis, fifth-grader at Oak Hill Elementary School
- Matthew Charbon, sixth-grader at Clear Creek Amana Middle School
The overall winner was fourth-grader Deeksha Sekhar, whose speech is below.
The speeches were judged by:
- LaNisha Cassell, executive director of the African American Museum of Iowa,
- Grace King, K-12 education reporter for The Gazette,
- Christine Berlin, Clear Creek Amana High School teacher librarian and head speech coach
- And Gant Elsbernd, Clear Creek Amana Middle School counselor and assistant speech coach.
Deeksha Sekhar’s speech
As we remember and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there are valuable lessons that should give us hope that we can overcome what we face today in a divided and teetering world.
This was made abundantly clear in his “I have a dream” speech during the historic march in Washington in the summer of 1963.
“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, Black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
In his speech, Dr. King said, “We have come here to cash a check.” The check he was referring to is FREEDOM, EQUALITY, PROSPERITY and PEACE. America’s promise of FREEDOM, EQUALITY, PROSPERITY and PEACE should be for everybody, no matter their skin color, religion or gender.
A promise I would like to see in our world is that everyone still has faith in America’s promise. Despite her imperfections and failures, and faith in the decency and goodwill of our fellow people. Then we will continue to rise and protect the nation and to make our way of life better.
If Dr. King was alive today, what would he think about the status today of all people of color and disenfranchised groups? He firmly believed that resorting to violence and hatred was not the way to get the country to honor its promises when it came to racial inequalities.
In that same speech Dr. King said, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. So, my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, remember that every individual human in this world is equal, no matter what color they are or where they are from.
We all have one life and one earth. So, let us uphold love, equality, forgiveness and treat each other the way we would like to be treated. These qualities would transform this nation into an oasis of freedom and justice.
Let’s all join hands to fulfill Dr. King’s dream where all children in this nation will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Let’s make this world a better place for us and for the generations to come.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
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