Murmurs of appreciation flittered through the audience even before Matthias McBride took possession of the stage. Thunderous applause and shrill whistles soon followed, echoing beneath the vaulted ceiling of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ.
Inside the historic Houston church, founded by nine former slaves and cherished as a stalwart symbol of freedom, the spectators filling the hand-carved oak pews were expectant, emotional – and eager to witness his performance.
For more than an hour, they had been held in thrall by the voices of fourth- and fifth-graders, who stepped before the throng and, with resounding words and theatrical gestures, wove a line of succession from Martin Luther King Jr. to themselves, their families and their worlds.
The onlookers nodded their heads in concurrence when Samaya Watson, picture perfect in a gold-and-black dress, urged them to “put on a badge of courage to make changes others can see.” They roared in approval for Dinochi Sandifer, elegant in a dove-gray formal jacket, who punctuated his speech with the roiling rhythms of a preacher.
And they marveled at the eloquent language of Donovan Williams, a slender reed of a boy, whose rhetoric traced Dr. King’s vision of the bending “arc of the moral universe.”
Then, as the 16th annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition wound toward its finish, it was time for Matthias – 10 and three-quarters years old, second-time competitor, unimaginably confident – to face the crowd.
“You know he’s good,” whispered one audience member, whose program was filled with notations next to the competitors’ names. Several bore a mark of “excellent.”
Moments before Friday’s competition began, the 12 finalists sat side-by-side in the front row of Antioch Baptist. They had worked hard to get here, giving up countless hours researching King’s life and poring through his words, writing and rewriting speeches, and practicing in front of mirrors, teachers and parents.
Their journey began in October when 244 students from 23 Houston ISD elementary schools met for a preliminary round of competition. The first-place winners went on to a semifinal on Jan. 6, where the remaining 12 were chosen.
Their task was to address a single question: “As a student of Dr. King’s life, what message of hope do you think he would have for the world today?”
The competition, which has become a centerpiece of Houston’s Martin Luther King celebration, is the brainchild of the Gardere Wynne Sewell law firm. The first contest was held in Dallas in 1993, with the Houston event launching in 1997.
Every year, the young contestants bring their own experiences, insights and concerns into the competition. This year was no different.
Jennifer Soto, who sat quietly holding her mother’s hand after the contest, spoke passionately against violence and bullying. “My message of hope is for violence to stop and everyone to come together as friends. Dr. King had this wish. I share this wish too,” the 10-year-old pleaded.
Gabriel Seyoum, a solemn 10-year-old in a Sunday-best blue suit, fashioned his speech around the theme of global connectedness, wondering how King would disperse his message in the 21st century reality of a planet made more intimate by Facebook, Twitter and the Internet.
“I believe Dr. King would tell us that we are each other’s hope,” Gabriel asserted. “He would say: one hope, one world, one destiny.”
Matthias McBride, a student at Pleasantville Elementary, scanned the audience, searching out friendly faces and supportive smiles. The world seemed to fade away, he later said, as all the work and rehearsal and study flowed into his voice.
He spoke of misplaced hope, of people putting too much stock on positions and possessions, of the need to “uplift each other.” He emphasized his message with fingers pointed to the spectators, as if calling on all the onlookers to do their part.
“When one is hungry, everyone is hungry. When one is homeless, everyone is homeless. When one is unemployed, everyone is unemployed,” Matthias continued, his voice gaining power and cadence as the speech thundered to a close.
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor popular nor political. But one must take that position because it … is … right!”
With that last punched word, the church erupted into cheers and applause.
The night before, Matthias had told his mother he needed to “bring it.” And bring it, he did – emerging as the winner of this year’s contest.
“That’s my baby!” said his mother, Elmila McBride, as she wiped tears from her eyes. “The gift was already there. It has just come to fruition.”