The Student News Source of Sparkman High School
Student+wins+contest+with+speech

Student wins contest with speech

“The skin I am in does not define what’s within.”
Sophomore Jessica Turnage recently defined herself without being judged by her skin color after winning the chapter contest Jan. 31 at the Jack and Jill Greater Huntsville Chapter in the  Ann Owen Gordon Oratorical Contest. The competition consisted of writing a speech, where she focused on the color of someone’s skin not defining them.

“[Winning] has shown me that if I put my mind to write something, it can be good and inspiring to other people,” Turnage said. “It has to be something that people get touched by, that people will understand.”

All competitors were African American so Turnage focused on the importance of life and not a complexion. She is proud of her speech as well as her award, but still hopes her meaning is heard by others.

“Our skin does not define who we are and we are more than that. It shouldn’t define anybody, not just african americans, but caucasians and asians too,” Turnage said.

Turnage is currently in creative writing and posts her writing on Wattpad — a website for writers to post in a blog form. Next year, she is planning to join journalism in the hopes of improving her writing skills so she can achieve her goal.

“What I really want to do is be an author when I grow up and publish [my works] in a book,” Turnage said.

Turnage will compete at the regional contest in Jackson, Mississippi, April 16. If she wins the regional contest she will compete at nationals. For now, Turnage hopes to touch the hearts and lives of those around her with her writing.

“I want people to know that when you’re writing something you want to make it personal, but not too personal, personal enough that it touches people,” Turnage said.

Her speech:

Pullquote Photo

The skin I am in does not define what’s within “They will be not judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said that about his children but he also meant in a general sense about all the people in the world. My skin color does not define me, my character does. Character traits are what we look in for in good person like trustworthy, honest, and loyal. And those are just some out of many characteristics you look for in a good person. People to this day, still do not get that, your character is what matters not your skin color. You skin color isn’t a factor on who you are, it’s just part of who you are physically like hair or teeth. You skin is part of you, you skin doesn’t define you. How I know that people still don’t get this because of the phrase “You act Black” you shouldn’t be defined by a stereotype, you are who you are. Imagine you are sitting with your friend, having a great laugh with each other and one of them tells you “Wow you really don’t act the way you look” and you give them a confused look and you ask them “What do you mean?” And they tell you “I mean you don’t like act your skin color” how would you feel? How would you feel that if someone told you didn’t act your skin color? Well I felt offended even if it was a considered a compliment . Because my skin doesn’t define who I am, I define who I am. Not my skin. My skin has no part on who I am as a person as far as character. Another thing is the fact that we have the BlackLivesMatter movement shows you that people out there still judge us about our skin but not about our character. For I being a African American teenage girl, I am not as targeted as my baby brother. I am afraid if in the future, if society stays the same and my brother who is 13 years old, quiet, witty, calm, and respectful toward authority goes out and dresses a certain way like wearing a hoodie regardless of the time of day would he come back the next day? I shouldn’t be scared of that and that is the problem. My brother’s skin color should not define who he is. People are saying just because that black person committed this certain crime, that mean all the black people are going to follow after their footsteps. Indicating that all black people are the same. It’s like saying all woman are the same. All men are the same. All Asian people are the same. All Caucasian people are the same. All Latino people are the same. Only women should be in the kitchen. Only men should hold jobs. Only Asian people are smart. Only Caucasian people shoot up schools. Only Latino people build houses. Only black people commit crimes. And we all know that is not true. It was because of the content of that person’s character, not by the color of their skin. I agree with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. My skin doesn’t define me. And it shouldn’t define anyone else either.

— Jessica Turnage

 

The Crimson Crier • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in