RACIAL JUSTICE ESSAY CONTEST
EDUCATE
Scholarship opportunity for 9th-12th grade students in Lee County public high schools.
The Equal Justice Initiative, in partnership with the Lee County Remembrance Project, has organized a Racial Justice Essay Contest with prizes totaling at least $5,000 distributed to the winning participants. For the essay, students are asked to examine the history of a topic of racial injustice and to discuss its legacy today. Examples of topics include the creation of Lee County, racial terror lynchings in Lee County, the desegregation of Lee County City Schools, and more. The deadline for essay submissions is May 1, 2021.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact Sara Demoiny at sbd0026@auburn.edu or Melody Russell at russeml@auburn.edu if you have any questions about the racial justice essay contest. ​Click here to sign up and be receive reminders for upcoming events and essay deadlines.
RESOURCES & SUPPORT

Informational Meetings
Monday, March 8th and Tuesday, March 16th from 5:00-6:00 CST/ 6:00-7:00 EST
Two informational meetings were held to share more about this inaugural racial justice essay contest.
To review or share the slides covered, click here
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RESEARCH WORKSHOP
Digital Resources Virtual Workshop
Sunday, March 28th from 2:00-3:30 CST/ 3:00-4:30 EST
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Learn about the different web resources, available archives, collections and databases to jump start your research for the Racial Justice Essay Contest! The last half hour will be devoted work time to research your interests and get help from both local and state experts.
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Scroll below to watch the recordings of the presentations!
ORAL HISTORY DISCUSSION PANEL
Local Oral History Discussion Panel
Tuesday, April 13th from 5:30-7:00 CST/ 6:30-8:00 EST
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Thank you to Ms. Selena Daniels, Mr. Wilbert Payne, Jr., Ms. Jean Madden and Mr. John Harris for a great virtual discussion reflecting on their lived experiences here in Lee County.
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Our goal is to preserve this history, encourage these conversations, and engage students and community members in a deeper conversation about our shared history and its legacy today.
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ESSAY FEEDBACK
Writing Feedback Session
Monday, April 19th from 4:00-6:00 CST/ 5:00-7:00 EST
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Bring your essay draft with you to the Auburn University Library to receive some feedback and editing support from Miller Writing Center University peer tutors and from Lee County Remembrance Project mentors.
Please let us know if you plan to attend the feedback session here.
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RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Reference Coordinator, Courtney Pinkard​

Learn how to:
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Search the ADAH online catalogs to identify digitized documents, photographs and records for your topic area
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Explore the ADAH Youtube channels to learn more about your research theme and topic
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Links:
Research to Preserve African American Stories and Traditions
Coordinator, Dr. Rob Bubb​

Learn about:
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rPAAST's mission, research and research process
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How to search for digitized newspaper articles on newspapers.com and explore geneology sites like ancestry and family tree
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Links:
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Rosenwald database example
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Newspapers.com (see login information above)