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RACIAL JUSTICE ESSAY CONTEST

EDUCATE

Meaningful scholarship opportunity for 9th-12th grade students in Auburn, Opelika, and Lee County public high schools. 

Lee County Remembrance Project (LCRP), in partnership with Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), invites all 9th-12th grade public school students in Lee County, AL, to participate in 2024’s Racial Justice Essay Contest. This includes students attending all public high schools in the Auburn City, Opelika City, and Lee County School Districts. Students are asked to write an 800 - 1,000-word essay about racial injustice in the past and its impact today. The contest will begin on Tuesday, September 3rd. All essay submissions are due by Monday, October 21, 2024, at 11:59pm central time. Prizes totaling up to $5,000 will be awarded to winning participants!

 

Winners will be announced at the Day of Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday Nov. 17th 2024.

GET STARTED

Please click the 2024 Student Interest Form button below to connect with us! We will keep you updated on all essay contest events, announcements, and resources.  

Please click the 2024 Essay Checklist button below to see a one page guide with all the important links, contest dates, and steps to submit your essay.

OFFICIAL CONTEST WEBSITE

Click below to access the official essay contest website created by Equal Justice Initiative where you can find:

  • ​All the details on this year's essay prompt

  • A step-by-step guide for choosing your racial injustice essay topic, selecting a historical event representing that topic, connecting the history to present-day injustice, and suggesting a way forward

  • Lots of EJI research sources and links to explore

  • A link to submit your essay online directly to EJI

WATCH THE KICK-OFF SESSION

REQUEST EDITING FEEDBACK

Students are encouraged to submit their essay drafts for review and feedback by a Lee County Remembrance Project volunteer! Students can send their essay draft to Sara Demoiny (sarademoiny@gmail.com) by October 9th to receive editing feedback prior to contest submission.

ESSAY RESEARCH RESOURCES

Local History Panel Discussion

Ms. Selena Daniels, Mr. Wilbert Payne, Jr., Ms. Jean Madden and Mr. John Harris

To assist students research and understanding of local Lee County (and American) history, four Lee County residents shared their stories and experiences while growing up during integration in Lee County and advice they have for students today.

 

Click here to view highlights from this video.

Alabama Department of Archives and History

Reference Coordinator, Courtney Pinkard

Learn how to: 

  • Search the ADAH online catalogs to identify digitized documents, photographs and records for your topic area

  • Explore the ADAH Youtube channels to learn more about your research theme and topic

Links:

Research to Preserve African American Stories and Traditions 

Coordinator, Dr. Rob Bubb

Learn about: 

  • rPAAST's mission, research and research process 

  • How to search for digitized newspaper articles on newspapers.com and explore geneology sites like ancestry and family tree

Links:

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