Fourth Annual Sadie T.M. Alexander Social Justice Essay Contest Winners
- Mar 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 4, 2023
(Pictured above: Jah'sir Santigao, 2nd place winner of our fourth annual Sadie T.M. Alexander Social Justice Essay Contest).
Congratulations to our winners of the fourth annual Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Social Justice Essay Contest. These inspiring young scholars earned certificate and a $100/$75Visa Gift Card. We are thrilled to have high school students at Camden Prep High School in Camden, New Jersey participate in an initiative that promotes literacy and encourages them to think about their own definitions of activism, justice, equity, and fairness. We asked applicants grades 9 through 11 at Camden Prep to answer the following essay question: Sadie T.M. Alexander committed her professional career to the causes of civil and human rights.Today, many people, including high school students are actively involved in promoting and supporting a variety of causes that affect people worldwide. Is there a cause you actively support? Write an essay convincing readers to support that cause. The views expressed in these essays are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc.
First Place
Dimitris Torres
10th Grade
Excerpt from essay:
Policing in America started with slave patrol. To prevent slaves from running away,
patrol officers often used excessive force. In 1868, the 14th amendment of the U.S Constitution
was ratified and granted equal protections to African Americans however, it still didn’t prevent
police brutality. Since the end of the civil war, vigilante groups like the police have been
terrorizing and killing black people in America because of their skin color. Police violence in
cases like George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, and Tyree Nicholas where there was a loss of life, is
too often a result of bias, miseducation, and overall hate towards people of African descent.
Jah'sir Santiago
9th Grade
Excerpt from essay:
“ Social Justice.” The Utopian fiction from the Leninist idea of equality. It tells that since you get
more, it must remain gotten out from you to make those who take less, so that you are both the
same. So there is more in common with this petty thief, who steals the case at gun end in order to
equalize both of the property. Though this never appears to refer to the higher ups, who usually
appear to be exempt from social justice policies. This is a very interesting concept because it’s
not just about the rich, it’s about normal citizens as well. The “Equal Pay Act” was intended to
provide equal pay for men and women alike. I would support this cause the most because it’s
been going on since long before most of us were before.
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