A. Novice Impromptu Event Prompts
Round 1: 9:00am
Speaker 1
Reminder: please paste the topics for only one competitor at a time. Paste the topics for the first competitor; listen to the first competitor's speech; then paste the topics for the second competitor; etc.
Speaker 1
- “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death. We got to fight the powers that be.” (Public Enemy - Fight The Power)
- “How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see.” (Bob Dylan - Blowin’ In The Wind)
- “Hell of a long way from equal is how they treat us. Body of a builder with the mind of a fetus.” (Logic - Everybody)
Speaker 2
Speaker 2
- “I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other.” (Tupac Shakur - Changes).
- “If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.” (Judy Kuhn in Pocahontas - Colors of the Wind).
- “I have always been amazed, wherever I do roam… There’s always so much that’s new to me and so much that makes me feel at home.” (Two Of A Kind - All Over This World).
Speaker 3
Speaker 3
- “All we want to do is break the chains of pain. All we want to do is be free” (J. Cole - Be Free)
- “I can't find no reconciliation with your past when there was nothing equal for my people in your math” (Lupe Fiasco - Strange Fruition).
- “Even when the condition is critical, when the livin is miserable your position is pivotal” (Talib Kweli - Just To Get By).
Speaker 4
Speaker 4
- “I don’t involve with those who make noise or indulge in hate” (Wale - Freedom of Speech)
- “I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth. Not the liest truth. But the highest truth” (Nas - Sly Fox).
- “No more tears do we cry… We have finally dried our eyes and we're movin' on up.” (The Impressions - We’re A Winner).
Speaker 5
Speaker 5
- “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.” (Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror).
- “Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name. You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.” (Aaron Tippin - You’ve Got To Stand For Somethin’).
- “To discriminate only generates hate and when you hate then you're bound to get irate. Madness is what you demonstrate” (Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love?)
Speaker 6
Speaker 6
- “People stressing, protesting, unity is a blessing. So it's time we come together, use our voice as a weapon” (Game - Don’t Shoot)
- “We are the daughters of the silent generations. You sent our hearts to die alone in foreign nations” (The Highwomen - Highwomen).
- “We've been sweating while you slept so calm in the safety of your home. We've been pulling out the nails that hold up everything you've known. (Rise Against - Prayer of the Refugee).
Round 2: 12:00pm
Speaker 1
Reminder: please paste the topics for only one competitor at a time. Paste the topics for the first competitor; listen to the first competitor's speech; then paste the topics for the second competitor; etc.
Speaker 1
“You are a victim of the rules you live by.” (Jenny Holzer- artist, thinker)
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” (Nikola Tesla- inventor, physicist)
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” (Kurt Cobain- American singer-songwriter)Speaker 2
Speaker 2
“If we really love ourselves, everything in our life works.” (Louise Hay- author, publisher)
“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb. I also know I’m not blonde.” (Dolly Parton- singer, songwriter)
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” (Joseph Campbell- American mythologist)Speaker 3
Speaker 3
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” (Andre Gide- French author, Nobel Prize winner)
“You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too.” (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti- Indian philosopher)
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” (Shunryu Suzuki- Japanese Zen monk, author)Speaker 4
Speaker 4
“It is one of the beautiful compensations in this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson- American poet, essayist)
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” (Anthony Robbins- author, speaker)
“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.” (Lily Tomlin- actress, writer)Speaker 5
Speaker 5
“You don’t paddle against the current, you paddle with it. And if you get good at it, you throw away the oars.” (Kris Kristofferson- singer, songwriter)
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” (Albert Einstein- scientist)
“In order to kick ass you must first lift up your foot.” (Jen Sincero- author, coach)Speaker 6
Speaker 6
“It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.” (Keith Richards- Rock musician)
“God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson- writer, poet)
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. The moment one definitely commits one-self, then providence moves too.” (W.H. Murray- explorer, mountain climber)
Finals: 3:15pm
Speaker 1
Reminder: please paste the topics for only one competitor at a time. Paste the topics for the first competitor; listen to the first competitor's speech; then paste the topics for the second competitor; etc.
Speaker 1
“The biggest challenge we face is shifting human consciousness, not saving the planet. The planet doesn’t need saving. We do.” (Xiuhtezcatl Martinez- climate activist)
“We can’t save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people, especially those most often unheard.” (Leah the Activist- We Belong Together activist)
“People want to engage within the election and then pretend that’s it and there’s not that much else to do. The work is continuous.” (Winter BreeAnne- National Student Leader for WMYE)Speaker 2
Speaker 2
“Understanding LGBTQ justice and intersetional issues will create a more equal future for everyone.” (Lindsay Amer- queer activist)
“People are more than just what happened to them. It’s what you do about it.” (Amanda Nyguyen- CEO and founder of Rise)
“Screaming at the top of your lungs at your cell door or out the window, it gets tiring.” (Ismael Nazario- Peabody Award for community activism recipient)Speaker 3
Speaker 3
“I think Disability Pride is pretty cool. We can do stuff that people don’t even think of.” (Lydia X.Z. Brown- disability justice advocate)
“There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it- if only we’re brave enough to be it.” (Amanda Gorman- author, poet)
“Transness is the greatest gift from the universe.” (Rommy Torrico-queer, trans, undocumented artivist)Speaker 4
Speaker 4
“This is not about being ‘woke’ this is about waking up and refusing to go back to sleep.” (Isra Chaker- social justice activist)
“Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re fighting for your life and for your community the ‘wrong way’-- especially if the ‘right’ way isn’t working.” (Paul S. John- social justice advocate)
“No voice is too soft when that voice speaks for others.” (Janna Cachola- New Zealand actress, singer)Speaker 5
Speaker 5
“All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” (Samantha Power- United States Ambassador to the United Nations)
“There is always a storm. There is always rain. Some experience it. Some live through it. And others are made from it.” (Shannon L. Alder- activist, inspirational author)
“In the long term, female education may be the best way to advance the status of women.” (Isobel Coleman- Director of the Council’s Civil Society)Speaker 6
Speaker 6
“I maintain that nothing useful and lasting can emerge from violence.” (Dr. Shirin Ebadi- Iran’s leading lawyer and human rights activist)
“Worrying about a problem is not a strategy for change.” (Jody Williams- American political activist)
“Their presence alone will not lead to improvement.” (Sharon Hom- Executive Director of Human Rights in China)Speaker 7
Speaker 7
“Everything that rises must converge.” (Flannery O’Connor- American novelist, story writer)
“Women can build stability. We can make peace.” (Dr. Hawa Abdi- Somali obstetrician, gynecologist)
“We do it because we’re committed, because we’re believers.” (Christiane Amanpour- British-Iranian journalist and TV host)