Ria Shah, a senior at Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala., was named the winner of the fourth annual “Word from the Mountain Top” Oratory Contest. The contest is hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as part of Birmingham King Week.

King Week is an annual initiative and collaboration between ODEI, UAB Student Affairs, City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office, Hands On Birmingham, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, local colleges and universities, and surrounding agencies to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr through a week-long series of events and service initiatives at UAB and throughout the City of Birmingham.

Each year, local high school and two-year and four-year college students have the opportunity to honor Dr. King’s legacy by reflecting on his words and connecting his message to issues facing the nation in the 21st century. The 2021 oratory contest encouraged students to gather inspiration from King’s “A Time to Break Silence” speech, to identify a social problem, requiring systemic change, while providing a plan to address the issue and improve the lives of others.

In her speech titled “The War Between Political Division and Progress: Which Will Win?”, Shah urged citizens to “champion political unity.”

“Through my experiences as a student and learner, I have recognized every person is shaped by

their own experiences and sensations, living in their own mini-dimension. I like to think that each

person’s perspective is like a lens through which they see the world,” Shah said. “If we look through everyone’s lenses at once, we can start to uncover objective truth and be united in our differences. It is like a 7.6-billion-piece jigsaw puzzle!”

As the winner, Shah was awarded a monetary prize and was able to narrate her speech during a virtual performance held on Jan. 23.

“We applaud Miss Shah for her win in this year’s competition,” said Paulette Patterson Dilworth, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UAB. “Each year, we are impressed and inspired by the talent and profound words of our young people, and we will continue to encourage them to make their voices heard.”

View Ria Shah’s speech here.