HISD fifth-grader becomes first back-to-back champion in historic MLK Oratory competition

Montoia Murray heard only her pounding heartbeat before she took to the stage to win her first Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratory competition last January.

Now a fifth-grader at Blackshear Elementary, Montoia incorporated those very sounds — "boom-boom, boom-boom," — into her next speech before becoming the competition's first two-time champion at the historic Antioch Missionary Baptist Church Friday morning.

"Just like the heart needs surgery when it is damaged or weak, the 'heartbeat' of America requires care when it is out of sync and filled with hateful rhetoric," Montoia said before pretending to perform CPR. "C! Call on God to uphold justice ... P! Promote peace among all people. In a world fractured by division, Dr. King would implore us to build bridges, not walls. R! Righteousness living required."

The competition, which has been held annually for nearly 30 years in Houston, Dallas and Chicago, aims to showcase local talent and communities while reminding people of the meaning behind MLK Day, said longtime event chair and emcee Claude Treece.

"They turned out to have so much talent and so much energy, and it seemed to strike exactly the right chord for everything that we were trying to accomplish," Treece, who represents event sponsor Foley & Lardner, said. "But to be honest, we didn't know they were going to be when we first started. It was pretty breathtaking."

Montoia and 10 other fourth- and fifth-graders from Houston ISD elementary schools practiced for months before the final competition, reviewing historic speeches, practicing in front of classmates and friends and consulting with librarians and speech coaches, including Rhonda Miller-Eaglin, Montoia's coach.

Students competed at each school last week before qualifying to perform at the finals Friday. Students performed in the nearly-150 year old church in front of friends and family, judges including U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks, UH Dean of UH Law Center Dean Leonard Baynes, and NAACP Chapter executive director Yolanda Smith, as well as state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles and Jacqueline Bostic, the great-grandaughter of Antioch's first Rev. John Henry Yates.

First erected in 1879, the elaborate Gothic revival building was the sanctuary for Houston's first African American Baptist Church, which was organized by nine former slaves in 1866.

"I cried (backstage) because I was just so grateful," said Briarmeadow Charter School student Charles Black, who embodied Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson in his impassioned speech.

Because MLK Day and the presidential inauguration coincide this year, students were asked to convey what King would say about their responsibility as a citizen, Treece said. Students impersonated and quoted King and other leaders, supporting civic duties ranging from doing chores and voting to ending gun violence in schools and pushing for racial, religious and economic equality in America.

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Third-place winner Rashaud Williams ran, walked and crawled to embody a famous King quote while showing support for clean air, the Black Lives Matter movement and affordable housing, and second-place performer Jae'Lauryn Brown called for broader ideas to make every citizen's voice heard.

"He’d remind us that being a citizen isn’t just about living in America, it’s about caring for it, changing it, and always working toward justice and peace for everyone," Brown said. "Dr. King once said, 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' He’d remind us that being a leader starts with speaking up for what’s right, no matter how young or old we are. We all have a voice, and we all have the power to use it."

While the competition marked a first for Montoia, it served as a last hoorah for Treece and Miller-Eaglin, both of whom will retire this year. Judges commended Treece's legacy before the competition, while Miller-Eaglin, Montoia and a group of her classmates erupted into tears as her first-place title was announced.

"It was hard, but I knew it was important to get Dr. King's message out," Montoia said after she was awarded her plaque. "I want people to know that Dr. King would not enjoy all the hate and all the rhetoric that's happening."