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�鶹ֱ�� & Lardner LLP’s annual 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition attracted notable media attention this year as fourth- and fifth-grade students in Dallas, Houston, and Chicago echoed Dr. King’s powerful message of hope.

�鶹ֱ��’s annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition invites students to present original three- to five-minute speeches on a topic central to the civil rights leader’s legacy. This year, students answered the question: “As a student of Dr. King’s life, what message of hope do you think he would have for the world today?“

�鶹ֱ��’s annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition is held each year to remember and pay tribute to the late civil rights leader’s legacy. �鶹ֱ�� established the event to inspire students to learn more about Dr. King and help cultivate elementary school students’ writing and speaking skills.

To read more about the 2026 competition and view the winning speeches, please visit �鶹ֱ��’s MLK Jr. Oratory Competition 2026. 

Notable media coverage of the 2026 oratorial competition is listed below.

Dallas:

• , interview with first-place winner Blen Teklu and �鶹ֱ��’s Dallas managing partner Michael Newman – WFAA / ABC Dallas
• , on-site interview with partner James Carlos McFall – CBS News Texas
• , on-site interview with first-place winner Blen Teklu and partner James Carlos McFall and also features 2008 first-place winner Dalton Sherman’s speech – FOX4
• – CBS News Texas
• , Blen Teklu speech – NBC5
• – Dallas Morning News
• – D Magazine
• – Dallas Express
• – Dallas ISD News Hub
• – Dallas ISD News Hub

Houston:

• , first-place winner Otis Marks III speech – KHOU/CBS Ch.11
• , interview with second-place winner Stormii Olezene and �鶹ֱ��’s Houston managing partner Scott Ellis – Houston Life
• – Telemundo Houston
• – CW 39 Htown Morning News
• – KHOU/CBS Ch.11
• – Houston Chronicle
• – Houston Chronicle

Chicago:

• , interview with first-place winner Alanna Atwood and �鶹ֱ��’s Chicago managing partner Frank Pasquesi – CBS Chicago
• , interview with first-place winner Alanna Atwood and �鶹ֱ��’s Chicago managing partner Frank Pasquesi – FOX 32 Chicago
• , Alanna Atwood speech – WGN-TV
• , onsite interview with Alanna Atwood and Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer – NBC5 Chicago
• – Chicago Sun Times
• – WBEZ Chicago

National:

• – interview with Houston’s first-place winner Otis Marks III
• – Fifth-grader from South Side elementary school shares her message of hope on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• – His grandmother was beaten at a civil rights protest. This student honored her in his MLK Day speech.
• – �鶹ֱ��’s MLK Jr. Oratory Competitions Spotlight Inspiring Students Delivering Powerful Messages of Hope