EJI Essay Contest Scholarship Awards
EJI organized and judged a Racial Justice Essay Contest that ACRP and Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) launched this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students in grades 9-12 were eligible to enter by researching a racial justice topic and submitting an essay between 800 and 1,000 words by March 17, 2023. ACRP partnered with Alexandria City High School (ACHS), the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities, and the Alexandria Library to offer writing and editing support to students wishing to enter the contest. Ten ACHS students submitted final essays and EJI selected the three scholarship winners.
At the May 20, 2023 event at City Hall, EJI Rep. Deksyos Damtew presented a total of $5,000 in scholarships to three students for essays exploring racial disparities in health care, modern-day lynchings, and an inaccurate historical portrayal that makes it a crime to be Black.
EJI sponsors the Racial Justice Essay Contests for public school students to advance the efforts of local Remembrance Projects. The contests are designed to invite community members to learn and engage in conversations about the history of racial injustice.
Contest Winners
Essay Contest Winners
- First Place, London Jones
- Second Place, Rena Cooper.
- Third Place,Photo credit, Jeff Hancock Photography Ayesha Anwar
Photo credit, Jeff Hancock Photography
EJI Scholarship Contest Awards Ceremony
See the program and photos of the May 20, 2023 event at City Hall.
Photo credit, Jeff Hancock Photography except as noted.
Proclamation for ACHS Remembrance Students
At the same event, Mayor Justin Wilson, members of City Council, and ACPS School Board Members celebrated the 40 Alexandria City High School students who have worked with ACRP to acknowledge and remember Alexandria lynching victims Joseph McCoy (April 23, 1897) and Benjamin Thomas (August 8, 1899) with a citywide proclamation.
