The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is pleased to announce a scholarship contest open to
Etowah County high school students in grades 9-12 where prizes totaling $5000 will be
awarded to winning participants.
The scholarship contest coincides with EJI’s forthcoming dedication of a marker in Gadsden,
Alabama. The marker will memorialize the brutal lynching of Mr. Bunk Richardson on
February 11, 1906. Scholarship winners will be announced and recognized at an event
unveiling the historical marker on December 13, 2016 in Gadsden.
Eligibility
The 2016 Racial Justice Essay Contest is open to all students in grades 9-12 living in or
attending school in Etowah County, Alabama.
Guidelines for Entries
The history of racial inequality and economic injustice in America has created continuing
challenges for all Americans. The lives of African Americans have been profoundly impacted
by the era of slavery, the era of racial terror that continued from the end of Reconstruction
until World War II, the era of Jim Crow and racial apartheid that produced the civil rights
movement, and the present-day era of mass incarceration. EJI believes that a deeper
understanding about our nation’s history of racial injustice is important to addressing
contemporary questions of social justice and equality.
Students should review EJI’s 2016 A History of Racial Injustice calendar months of
November and December and select one of the historical entries as a topic to write an essay
of 750 words or less. Entries can focus on any event referenced in the calendar. The full-wall
calendar includes hundreds of historical entries and twelve short essays highlighting
historical events and issues in our nation’s racial history.
The 2016 A History of Racial Justice calendar months of November and December are
provided at the end of this announcement.
