The Lafayette Community Remembrance Project is pleased to announce an upcoming scholarship contest open to 9th – 12th grade students attending Oxford and Lafayette High Schools where prizes totaling at least $1,750 will be awarded to winning participants. This scholarship contest is part of the community remembrance work of the Lafayette Community Remembrance Project. This year the coalition recognizes and honors Harris Tunstal, who was lynched on June 12, 1885, William McGregory, who was lynched November 13, 1890, Unnamed, September 2, 1891, William Steen, who was lynched July 30, 1893, William Chandler, who was lynched June 19, 1895, Lawson Patton, who was lynched September 8, 1908, and Elwood Higginbottom, who was lynched on September 17, 1935. The Equal Justice Initiative has documented at least 581 racial terror lynchings of African Americans in the State of Mississippi between 1882 and 1968, which is the highest in the United States. The United States has 4,743 all together during that period of time.
Details about student awards will be shared to all participating students after the close of the contest.
Eligibility: The 2025 Racial Justice Essay Contest is open to all students grades 9-12.
Deadline for submission: August 15, 2025 11:59 PM ET
Guidelines to students
How to Prepare a Complete Submission for the Contest
Students are asked to write an essay using all of the "Essay Preparation Instructions" below. Essays must include all of the required information based on the instructions to be considered complete. Students must also submit their completed entry form to have a complete submission. Submissions that do not follow these steps will be considered incomplete.
Essay Preparation Instructions:
STEP 1:
Carefully review the information on the "Choosing an Essay Topic" page on identifying an essay topic. After choosing a topic, select a historical event using EJI’s History of Racial Injustice Calendar and Timeline, local history of the LOU community, or another source to discuss in your essay.
STEP 2:
Use the theme and topic definition and source recommendation information as a research starting point (see the "Choosing an Essay Topic" page). Do additional research to learn more about the theme and topic and historical event you have selected to write about in your essay.
STEP 3:
Once you have done your research, write an essay between 800 and 1000 words that responds to the following prompt: A myth of Black inferiority and white supremacy was developed to justify slavery in the United States. Even though we ended chattel slavery, we did not end the myth of racial difference. EJI believes we need a new era of truth and justice that starts with confronting our history of racial injustice. Based on the theme and topic and historical event you selected, how does the history of racial justice help to explain present-day injustice in our society? How can this history be overcome in order to address the challenges our nation is facing today?
STEP 4:
When writing your essay and responding to the prompt, be sure to:
▪ Use a specific historical event (see STEP 1) to make connections between the past and present. Discuss how the history of racial and economic injustice and/or narratives of racial difference continue to impact our society today. How do they play out in your life? What are those impacts? What myths do you see shaping the way people are treated?
▪ 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, changes in power dynamics. We invite you to consider as many approaches as you would like.
*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.
OPTIONAL: Your essay can include personal reflections and stories in addition to your historical research to support your overall conclusions. While you are not required to, you are free to include reflections about artistic expressions (a song, poem, physical art, etc.) to explain or emphasize an idea or concept that is related to your topic and/or your analysis. You can also include analysis of 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.
STEP 5:
Include a list of all sources used. If including a website source, include the name of the online article or website and the complete link
Essay Submission Instructions
To submit your essay, simply email it to alonzohilliard.ah@gmail.com or gailstratton956@gmail.com. Essays can be submitted as a PDF or Word Document, or reach out by phone at 662-380-0180.
PLEASE NOTE: Entries that are not the original work of the student will be rendered ineligible. You are asked to adhered to the "Essay Preparation Instructions," including the word requirements (800-1000 words) and source information. Essays received that do not meet these requirements will be considered incomplete submissions.
Qualities of a Winning Essay
Winning essays usually have the following features:
• A compelling, creative introduction
• Supportive paragraphs that answer the prompt, using clear examples and various sources
• Personal reflections that relate to the topics being described, or additional reflection material, such as reflections on artistic expressions, such as songs, poetry, or movies that connect to the topics being explored. Strong essays have been able to explain what the additional reflection material reveals about our past and our current-day issues related to racial injustice in America.
• A strong conclusion that ties together the main ideas of the essay and introduces a meaningful idea or call to action
• Properly gives credit to source materials to avoid plagiarism.
• Has been carefully edited for spelling and grammar edits multiple times.
Note: While AI can be a useful tool to organize thoughts, please do not rely on AI to write your entire essay. It is important that the essay contains your original thoughts and insights.