“My speech wrote itself,” said Bethany Chupp, winner of the C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). The winning speech, titled “Standing At the Door,” came so easily because of some long-term deep thinking about two different experiences: traveling through the Middle East during her cross-cultural last year and to Kansas City for the Mennonite Church USA convention this summer.
“My speech suggests a way to live into the tension of conflict within the Mennonite Church, working with the Hebrew word ‘qavah,’ which translates into an active way of waiting and being together,” said Chupp, a psychology major from Canby, Oregon. “I am appreciative of the way the contest required me to create concrete statements out of the many things I’ve been thinking.”
Chupp earned a $250 cash prize and the opportunity to represent EMU among other winning student orators from Mennonite and Brethren in Christ colleges and universities across Canada and the U.S. The top three orators in the binational competition receive cash prizes and scholarships toward peace-related conferences.
The annual contest, established in 1974 by the directors of the C. Henry Smith Trust, offers students an opportunity to discuss the application of the Christian peace position to contemporary concerns in an 8-10-minute speech.
Second place was awarded to Elisabeth Wilder, a junior social work major from Hesston, Kansas, for “Make Change, Not Hashtags.” Katrina Poplett, junior peace and development major from Plymouth, Minnesota, was awarded third place for “To Be At War With Yourself.” Seven students participated. A podcast is available.
Hesston shooting compels native to address gun violence
Like Chupp, both Wilder and Poplett had thought deeply and developed strong convictions about their topics.
Wilder intended to write about a different topic, but the shooting at Excel Industries in her hometown of Hesston compelled her to address “the reality of a fatal gun culture in the United States,” she said. “My speech was about the apathy surrounding gun violence and mass shootings, as well as ways to address it and prevent further tragedies… I was, and still am, frustrated by how adamantly my town refused to talk about gun control following the shooting at Excel Industries.”
When she finished writing, she had one goal: “Let the word become flesh,” and let her listeners be inspired to “do more than talk about the problem but would attempt to address it through action.”
Poplett’s inspiration was her own struggle with “how to think and address skin color.” She says she is frustrated with the current political climate, the lack of empathy, understanding and acceptance.
“Particularly within the field of peacebuilding, I think sometimes it is easy to say, ‘Oh, I’m aware of my skin color and my privilege,’ and then to move on and continue living into a system that is systematically racist. My speech addressed my journey and how I have tried to unpack what it means to be white in the world, but also within the smaller peacebuilding world.”
Inspired deliveries
Each winner had a different inspiration for their delivery. Chupp had competed in the National Forensics League in high school and said she recalls seeing “many incredible speeches written by young people, which “goes to show that young people have a lot of things to say, and need more opportunities to share their thoughts.”
Poplett named Obama as one of her favorite speakers.
Wilder was inspired by Malala Yousafzai, the girl who was shot by the Taliban for her advocacy. “She taught me how ignorance is so often what keeps us in the darkness of violence and that education is fundamental to everything that we do,” Wilder said. “More than that, though, her story is a reminder that we must speak up for peace and justice at every opportunity.”
The intercollegiate competition is administered by the Peace and Justice Ministries of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Henry Smith was an American Mennonite historian and professor at Mennonite colleges and the University of Chicago. He taught history for nearly 50 years at the collegiate level, and was well-known for his numerous books on Mennonite history and his particular attention to the peace commitments of the Mennonite tradition.
EMU has participated in the event since 2003, with the exception of last year. EMU students have won the grand prize at the bi-national level in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. The contest is sponsored by EMU Bible & Religion, Language & Literature, and Peacebuilding & Development programs.