Discovering Me..Without You Essay Contest
From September - October 2019, Ms. Afrika Abney disseminated numerous flyers that announced the contest at a wide variety of venues in Washington, DC in person and it was hosted by Esther Productions, Inc.
Some of them include All Souls Unitarian Church, Shaw Library, Lee's Flower Shop, Emery Recreation Center, Potter's House, Columbia Heights Center, Chevy Chase Community Center, Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, Fort Stevens Senior Center, Shepherd Library, Petworth Library, Mt. Pleasant Library, LAMB PCS on Aspen, LAMB PCS on Military Road, Brightwood Education Campus, Center City PCS -- Brightwood Campus, So Your Moms, Ackerman Cleaners, and other venues located in Washington, D.C..
In 2019, Ms. Afrika Abney disseminated many flyers in person that announced the 1st Annual Discovering Me..Without You Essay Contest hosted by Esther Productions, Inc.
In 2019, Ms. Afrika Abney provided services for the Annual Essay Contest hosted by Esther Productions, Inc.
Discovering Me...Without You: An Annual Personal Essay Contest hosted by Esther Productions, Inc is for teen girls 14-17 who live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Region. It is designed to aid in the healing of fatherless girls by using the personal essay to help them discover their personal strengths and resilience. Cash prizes are presented to the winners and the writings of all finalists are published in a chapbook that is released in the spring of each year.
SOMETIMES PERSONAL OR FAMILY CHALLENGES CAN GIVE US STRENGTH
If you live in the Washington Metropolitan Region, are a teen girl between the ages of 14 and 17 and are growing up without your father in your home, tell us how you have faced the challenge of father absence to achieve self-actualization and self-empowerment. Enter Esther Productions Inc.’s
DISCOVERING ME…WITHOUT YOU Annual Personal Essay Contest
For more information: www.estherproductionsinc.com/contest or estherproductionsinc@gmail.com
Esther Productions, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based national nonprofit organization. Founded in 2004, it is dedicated to inspiring and empowering girls and women. It is supported through generous contributions from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Emmanuel Bailey, Veterans Services Corp, Pepco, an Exelon Corporation, Fort Myer Construction Corporation Charitable Foundation and Esther’s Friends.
Discovering Me…Without You Essay Contest was launched in 2019 by the Fatherless Daughter Empowerment Project, a division of Esther Productions Inc. The essay contest is designed to educate the public about the importance of fathers in the lives and development of girls and women. Nationally, more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without their fathers. In the Washington Metropolitan region at least 60 percent of homes are single parent households, many of them headed by women. The contest is intended to provide a platform for some of those children, particularly fatherless girls.
Most importantly, the teen girls are asked to reveal that story of self-discovery: how she has come to know her worth and value; how she has come to recognize her imperfections but also her strengths; and how she believes she can succeed in the world despite the challenge of fatherlessness.
DISCOVERING ME...
WINNERS
2019
1st Place: Miajah Spriggs
2nd Place: Au'jinae Roberts-Fountain
3rd Place: Selah White-Smith
Honorable Mentions: Kayla Cabeza-Reyes, E'riel Davis, Empress Swift
2020
1st Place: Cara Hadden
2ndPlace: Marley McDonald
3rd Place: Amillyah Barnes-Wimberly
Honorable Mentions: Gabriel McCrea, Ayisha Ferguson, Armani Bailey.
2021
1st Place Maya Samthanam
2nd Place Anais Joubert
3rd Place Amari Norris
Honorable Mentions: Diya Jha and Briayawna Mitchell-Thomas
2022
Tier 1
1st Place: Raea Jordan
2nd Place: Dominique Barksdale
Honorable Mention: Simaya Hammond
Tier 2
1st Place: Raine Badua
2nd Place: Rahel Tseganeh