17 Jan Pittsburg High Hosts Talent Competition Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King
Jenesis Dejesus, clockwise from left, Antwan Saece, Juwel Lawson and Giovanni Martinez placed first through fourth, respectively, at the he Dr. Martin Luther King talent show at Pittsburg High on Jan. 11.
Story and photos by Joe Porrello
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- Jade Lawson, the middle child of three sisters in the contest, recites a spoken word about Dr. Martin Luther King at the Little Theater in Pittsburg.
A talent competition honoring Dr. Martin Luther King took place Jan. 11 at Pittsburg High’s Little Theater. It was open to all students in the Pittsburg Unified School District.
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- Giovanni Martinez set the tone by going on stage first and performing the only song of the night, covering a Jackson 5 track.
Six contestants took the microphone, with five giving spoken-word performances and one singing a song.
Souljahs, a group that joins forces with local schools to educate the community through initiatives like its literacy program, hosted the show.
Performers all related their spoken words to King.
“Dr. King may have helped us gain the lives we live today, but we need to continue to fight to keep it,” said Jenesis Dejesus, who won $350 for first place. “To create a just and equal society that Dr. King dreamed and advocated for, we need to have our own dream.”
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- Erin Lawson, left, is joined on stage by her older sister Juwel, as the two read in unison. At the time of the talent show, Juwel said she was writing a book.
The eldest of three Lawson sisters performing in the competition won third place for her spoken word, earning her $100.
“Why must our brothers and sisters holler to be heard? Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat, George Floyd when he said he could not breathe. Why must we fight so hard — be so strong — to prove ourselves to a country that we built with our own two hands and feet?” said Juwel Lawson in her performance.
Juwel — who is also in the final stages of writing a book — said she wants to participate in more similar events after seeing what it was like.
“I feel amazing…I was kind of nervous, very nervous, but it felt good,” she said.
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- “We live in a society that is no longer free, where women can’t be themselves in the public eye, where men can’t be vulnerable, where religion and your mind cannot be discussed because if you were to do one of those things you would be outcasted in the nation of the free,” said first-place winner Jenesis Dejesus during her performance.
Antwan Saece said he is familiar with comparable competitions through the Pittsburg Prodigies Poetry Club at Pittsburg High but had had a small hiatus from performing before Jan. 11.
“I forgot how thrilling it is just to get up there and speak your mind,” he said.
Saece said he is preparing for the Youth Speaks teen poetry slam Friday in San Francisco.
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- Antwan Saece, who won $250 for second place, said he felt grateful for the opportunity to recite his work.
All participants were awarded at least $75 for performing in Thursday’s event.
“There are no losers,” Souljahs member Clexton Ward said. “This shows them, hey, we’re here, and don’t think you did this for nothing because you’re touching our hearts with what you’re giving us.”
Ward said it was extremely difficult for him and the four other judges to decide on the order of winners because they all put on a great show.
“It was crazy back there… we were all conflicting,” he said.
All of the participants were set to be back at Pittsburg High on Monday for a repeat performance at the 23rd annual MLK Day festivities hosted by Souljahs that began with a rally at City Hall and a march.
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