When Aziza McClain-Baxter walked out of the backstage of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library auditorium on March 24, she walked confidently toward the auditorium’s glass podium and in front of 40 people seated above her.
McClain-Baxter was the last participant out of seven in the Marion Barry Jr. Youth Oratorical Contest.
The competitors before her had centered their speeches on the life and work of the late Barry, who served the District as both a mayor and Councilmember, and is affectionately called D.C.’s “Mayor for life.”
A 12th grader at BASIS DC Public Charter School, McClain-Baxter’s speech clearly characterized the need for African Americans to vote.
Influenced by the contest’s theme,”The Ballot Box: Marion Barry Jr. Legacy on the Right to Vote as a Vehicle of Change,” she focused on “democratic ideals” and “encouraging citizens to participate in their civic duty.”
“Voting alone is not the absolute vehicle for change,” McClain-Baxter said, before proceeding to talk about the voting rights advocacy of Barry and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how their work highlighted the need to confront voter suppression and practices such as gerrymandering in redistricting.
McClain-Baxter’s speech earned her first place in the contest, winning a $1,000 educational achievement grant. Zhevyn Shorter-Carson, a 10th grader at Dunbar High School placed second and won $750. Third place went to Armani Bailey, a 12th grader at Benjamin Banneker High School, who received $500.
The four other competitors—Tynel Caldwell-Cowan, a freshman at Friendship Online Academy, Bereket Mengistu Mara, an 11th grader at Cardozo Education Campus, Serenity Shamburger, a 12th grader at Idea Public Charter School and Yasmine Shaner, a 10th grader at McKinley Technology High School—were guaranteed a $100 gift from Norm Nixon, the president of Marion Barry Youth Leadership Alumni Association. All orators received a gift bag and a certificate.
Continuing Barry’s Legacy
The oratory contest is a product of Marion Barry Jr. Legacy Foundation in which former Cora Masters Barry, the late mayor’s widow, and Michael C. Rogers, a former District city administrator, serve as founder-president and chair of the board of directors, respectively.
The District’s former first lady said her husband cared about the youth of the District.
“Marion would be proud that 165 students throughout the District submitted applications to compete in The Marion Barry, Jr. Youth Oratorical Contest,” Barry, 78, told The Informer. “As the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Marion spent his life fighting for the rights of others, including the right to vote. It is very appropriate that this year’s topic is ‘The Ballot Box: Marion Barry Jr. Legacy on the Right to Vote as a Vehicle for Change.’”
The goal is for students to be inspired by her late husband’s work and legacy.
“It is my hope that these students’ lives will be impacted by their research, and that it will influence all of them to work hard to effectuate positive change, like Marion Barry did,” she said.
Linda Wharton Boyd, a longtime public relations professional, chairs the contest. She said the orator’s speeches were judged on their content, organization, originality, language, style, and bibliographical resources.
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with students throughout the District, in preparing them to compete in the Marion Barry Jr. Youth Oratorical Contest,” Boyd said. “Our children and youth are the future. Their enthusiasm to learn was extremely impressive. Not only did this competition provide the mechanism for them to learn about Mayor Barry, but it also helped them sharpen their writing and public speaking skills.”
Boyd said the orators were among the scores of District high schoolers who submitted essays on Barry. She said the process for the oratory contest started in September. The seven finalists received feedback and coaching from volunteers solicited by the foundation for the competition.
Boyd said she was pleased with the number of students who showed interest in the contest. However, with the contest in its third year, she said there are plans to expand.
“It is great to see our young people learn the art of oratory,” Boyd said. “We want more young people to participate next year. As this event grows, we want this event to be bigger than the American Legion Oratorical Contest. We are going to get better and better.”