ESSAY CONTEST DETAILS
ESSAY CONTEST DETAILS
Embedded Files
Eligibility: All 9th - 12th grade students attending public high schools in Whitfield County, GA and Dalton City Schools in Georgia.
Goal: Engage with EJI's ongoing conversation about our nation's history and legacy of racial injustice by researching and writing an 800–1000 word essay. Essays should be in your own words and your unique voice.
Background: A false narrative of Black inferiority and white supremacy was developed to justify mass enslavement in the United States. Although the United States abolished slavery, the narrative of racial difference endures. EJI believes that true freedom in America begins with better understanding our history.
Prompt: Analyze a topic related to racial injustice in America, and at least one historical event that shows this topic in action. How does this history help to explain a present-day injustice? How can this history be overcome in order to change current realities and address the challenges our nation currently faces?
Submission Due Date: Please note that as of December 8, 2023, the deadline has been EXTENDED to December 15, 2023.
Process & Guidelines for Writing your Essay
Process & Guidelines for Writing your Essay
1. Research and select your topic
1. Research and select your topic
Throughout the history of the United States, racial injustice has significantly impacted the lives of Black people and people of color. Each of the topics below are examples of how the legacies of past racial injustice continue to create challenges for Black people and people of color.
Click on any of the issues below that seem interesting to you.
💡Tip: Keep track of the sources you use so you can list them in your list of sources
Once you explore a few topics, choose one topic for your essay, do further research, and move on to the next step.
📝Note: You can also choose a racial justice topic that is not listed above as long as you clearly define it in your essay.
2. Research & Select historical event(s):
2. Research & Select historical event(s):
The topics above have impacted the lives of Black people and people of color through specific historical events. A historical event is a specific moment or experience that occurred in the past and happened in a particular place. Some of these events, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott from December 5, 1955 until December 21, 1956, are well known. Others are less known but are no less consequential for those involved. We encourage you to seek out and choose a historical event that is new to you.
In order to find historical events related to your chosen topic, try the following research strategies:
Explore one of the LOCAL HISTORICAL EVENTS listed in the next section
Review EJI's History of Racial Injustice Calendar and Timeline (use the search bar in the upper right to search for keywords related to your topic, or browse through the entries)
Browse the eji.org website, particularly our videos and reports
Use another other source from a teacher, family member, or library
💡Tip: When searching the EJI Calendar, try using various search terms to identify events of interest for your essay. For example, if you are exploring "environmental injustice and racism," consider searching for "environmental racism," "disaster relief," and "pollution" to find events of interest.
LOCAL HISTORICAL EVENTS
LOCAL HISTORICAL EVENTS
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia: The Indian Removal Act. The Cherokee legislature passed an act freeing enslaved people in 1863. What were the local effects of Cherokee slave ownership on their Black descendants.
The effects of the Confederate withdrawal in 1864 in Dalton. On August 15, 1864, the 14th United States Colored Troops, mostly former slaves, fought off a Confederate cavalry attack near Dalton. Later, the 44th U.S. Colored troop's Union Commander surrendered. In the temporary re-capture of Dalton by the Confederate Army in 1864, what was the role of black union army troops. The troops believed they deserved equal treatment.
Segregation in Whitfield-Dalton County.
History of Whitfield-Dalton Public Schools and establishment of segregated education.
Segregation in local cotton mills and mill villages.
Civil Rights and Racial Segregation in Pro Sports. Harry “Suitcase” Simpson, was a local Big Black League ballplayer in the 1950s who played in Major League Baseball.
The Ku Klux Klan in Dalton. Night Riding” and Ku Klux Klan activity in Dalton and vicinity during and after reconstruction, also history of the “modern” KKK of the 1920s and later.
Dalton’s railroad history. Dalton and Whitfield was a pivotal location for the railroad. What impact did the railroad have on either the following topics:, any history or other evidence of impact of
Great Migration of the Post WWI era in Dalton and Whitfield.
Black and white rail employment in Dalton and Whitfield
The Great Locomotive Chase.
3. Connect the past to a present-day injustice
3. Connect the past to a present-day injustice
Your essay should analyze your topic by connecting a historic event to a present-day injustice.
EXAMPLE:
Topic: Voter Suppression
Historical Event: 1866 massacre in New Orleans during the Louisiana state constitutional convention
Present-Day Injustice: Changes that were made to the Voting Rights Act in 2013
4. Suggest a way forward: How can this history be overcome?
4. Suggest a way forward: How can this history be overcome?
Offer your insight into how this history can be overcome in order to change current realities. There are many possible approaches, including but not limited to: institutional, educational, interpersonal, and/or changes in power dynamics. We invite you to consider as many approaches as you would like.
💡Tip: For this part of your essay, it can be helpful to imagine the world as you believe it should be and then work backwards to decide what changes are required to bring that world into existence.
5. Write your essay
5. Write your essay
Tips for Students
Before you begin writing, check out our "Tips for Students" page, which features resources on the following:
Qualities of a winning essay
Student essay services
How to organize your thoughts using an outline
How to revise your essay
Optional Material
In addition to the core prompt, we also invite you to include any of the following optional items in your essay:
Personal reflections and stories that support your overall conclusions
Exploring your topic by reflecting on artistic expressions (a song, poem, painting, etc.) to emphasize a certain concept within your essay
Analysis about the influence of media (newspapers, speeches, modern news sources, etc.) and its role in promoting racial injustice or advancing positive change related to racial justice
Sources
As you research, make sure to keep track of any sources you use to research and write your essay. For online sources, include the name of the online article or website and the complete link (e.g. include "https://eji.org/reports/lynching-in-america/", not only "https://eji.org"). There is no specific required format beyond including complete links.
🚨Plagiarism: Entries that are not the original work of the student will be rendered ineligible. You may get help with your research and feedback from friends, family, or teachers, but you must use your own words and properly cite any information that comes from a source.
6. SUBMIT your final essay
6. SUBMIT your final essay
Your final essay should be submitted as a PDF or Word Document using this entry form:
All participants will be emailed a decision notification update after the essay review process is complete.
If you have difficulty completing the online entry form, please email Sumita Rajpurohit (srajpurohit@eji.org) or Jennifer Harris (jharris@eji.org) or reach out by phone at 334-269-1803.
📝Note: All essays are expected to be the student's own work, and students must include a list of their sources when submitting. The use of A.I. tools in researching or writing the essays is not permitted. Any essay containing plagiarized content will not be eligible to place as a winner or honorable mention.
Students are welcome and encouraged to get help in planning, researching, writing, editing, and formatting their essay from teachers, coalition members, family, or other appropriate sources.
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