Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Shelby native and senior communication major Ray Butler (center) won the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest at Mississippi State University on Feb. 16. Sponsored by the African American Studies program and MSU Speech and Debate Council, the contest featured original speeches on King’s life and legacy.

Finalists in the competition include Jasmine Bracey (far left), a freshman criminology major from Hazlehurst, and Brooke Jones (far right), a senior psychology major from Florence. Kierra Thompson (second from right), a senior political science major from Sulligent, Alabama, took home third place. Erin Snelling (second from left), a freshman criminology major from Little Rock, Arkansas, won second place in the competition.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.