50th Anniversary of the Theodore Gibson Oratorical Finals
Feb 26, 2026
From: 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
A milestone competition honors student voices and a legacy of civic engagement.
The 50th Anniversary of the Theodore Gibson Oratorical Finals takes place Thursday, February 26 at Miami Dade College’s North Campus Lehman Theater. Presented as part of the College’s Black History Month programming marking 100 years of the national observance, the event serves as the culmination of the 2026 Theodore Gibson Oratorical Project.
This Miami-Dade County Public Schools K–12 poetry and prose competition brings together student finalists representing their schools through recitations centered on human rights, history and culture. The finals spotlight the power of spoken word as a tool for reflection, scholarship and civic expression.
The program also commemorates the 50th iteration of the competition, honoring the legacy of Father Theodore Gibson and recognizing the project’s founder, Mrs. Nancy Dawkins, along with generations of Oratorical alumni who have carried the tradition forward.