MACON, Ga. — Bibb County high school students gathered at the Elaine Lucas Senior Center Saturday morning to share speeches based on a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote.
The quote says, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
The competition began with a violin performance followed by the students' speeches.
Each speech was memorized, and touched on topics ranging from gun violence to self-image.
Macon-Bibb Recreation Programmer Dominique Lewis says these topics are important for youth to dive into and create a vision for their futures.
"There's so many issues they deal with daily, whether it's in their personal lives, in schooling and just in society in general. They are our future, so they're the best ones to take hold of this quote and really share what it means to them," Lewis said.
This is the fourth year for the Oratorical Contest.
The winner will speak at the 29th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Celebration on Jan. 21 and the county commission meeting on Feb. 5.