Click to read DJ Joquay's speech entry from the 3rd MLK Oratorical Scholar's Contest
Imagine yourself in this scenario. You are outside, playing with your friends. You and your friends are having a great time. A group of bullies arrive from nowhere. They start picking on you. No one but you. They call you names, push you around, and steal your backpack. Why would they commit all these diabolical things? At the end, you’re left with tears in your eyes, while your friends just looked at you the entire time. No one said anything or stood up to the bullies at all. Recess is over, and you immediately run to the principal’s office, recalling your horrid experience. Even though you gave names, descriptions of the bullies and proof of their crimes, the principal and staff don’t care. They send you back to your class. Not even with an ice pack. That is injustice. You might think to yourself, “poor kid, that’s not fair.” but life is unfair. Life is unjust.
Similar circumstances happen everywhere. Most being more brutal than what was earlier mentioned. These are examples of an unforgiving and cruel world. Many of us have dealt with at least one encounter of injustice. It happens to most people, but the target is bigger for those who are melanated. I have grown up with this mindset. My mother warned that my cocoa bean skin might make life difficult for me. While not all aspects of my life are affected, some are. Many are major checkpoints in my life. Those include job placements, scholarship consideration, and a simple look from my counterparts. These are not only unfair, but unjust. Once again, life is unjust.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This applies to the millions of people who have been in any unjust situation. This applies to those being unjust to others. This applies to those being unjust with themselves. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for others for a chance to expel as much injustice as he could. That gave us the power to speak up if we see something wrong. We don’t want to deal with confrontation, but injustice and discrimination are confronting us every day. Think about the number of people who can’t speak up. This is why we use our voices. To fight the good fight. To help those in need. To destroy the demon named Unjust. Use your voice. Speak up for what’s right.