High school and college students are invited to participate in the inaugural “Word from the Mountaintop” Oratory Contest, to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The contest is co-sponsored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and Urban Impact Inc.

The purpose of this 2018 King Week oratory competition is to recognize and give high school and college students the opportunity to reflect on King’s words while connecting his message to issues facing the nation in the 21st century. Participants are charged with composing a speech to answer the question “What steps should we take to honor Dr. King’s legacy of uniting our communities and forging human progress toward the goal of social equity?

Finalists will be selected from the top three written speeches from each division. The finalists will be invited to participate in the oratorical portion of the competition. Prizes will be awarded to all finalists, and a grand prize will be given to the overall winner from each division.

Finalists will present their speeches on Saturday, Jan 20 at 3 PM at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.