INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis home-schooled senior won this weekend's American Legion's national oratorical contest and the event's top prize: a $25,000 scholarship.
Haley Bock's entry was entitled "The Black Hole of American Democracy: American Territories are Where Voting Rights Vanish."
Her oration began by discussing Luis Segovia, a U.S. citizen who lived in Guam and who served military tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Luis Segovia was willing to give his life for his country,” Bock said. “He protected Iraqi citizens’ right to vote. But back home in America, Luis, along with four million residents of the American territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, were denied their right to vote.”
“They’re calling out, but they’ve yet to be heard,” she concluded. “So, who will give them their voice? When will we all speak out, rise together, and grant those the rights they too have fought for and deserve?”
The American Legion started the event to encourage improved communications skills in youth and study of the U.S. Constitution. Participants have won scholarships valued at more than $3 million since the inception of the event.
Bock was sponsored by American Legion Post 3, Indianapolis.
