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Pope John XXIII School added a new feature to its observance of Black History Month. Teacher Meaghan Heaton created a contest open to all middle school students (6th, 7th, and 8th grades), which is optional. She writes that she saw the contest as a way to further the school’s “ongoing effort toward racial equity and as a response to students’ clear desire for expression of their Black identity and/or their increased understanding of this identity within their community, especially in the midst of our national reckoning.”
She prompted students to write about local people (including themselves) whom they consider inspiring. Happy to be together after the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, faculty, staff, and parents joined in as judges, “We miss each other a lot,” Ms. Heaton says.
She does not underestimate the students who responded to the challenge. “These kids took big risks putting themselves out there for the whole community without being required to do so. I didn’t get a lot of work, but what I got gave me chills.”
The first installment of these awards featured the first-place winners. Here are the runners-up.
Bookends and Beginnings, Booked, Field Notes, and Pope John’s Parent Association donated prizes to the winners.
Some entries are followed by a comment by the writer in response to a question from Ms. Heaton at the awards ceremony on April 9.
Lorraine Morton
By Grace Hansen
Award: Most Effective Figurative Language
When she spoke, people listened
As she talked, her words flew through people’s souls
For they knew who she was
And what she had done to improve Evanston
‘Cause when she spoke, people listened.
She didn’t care what other people thought of her
Putting her down with their hateful ways
She knew what was right
But she also knew that she couldn’t do it alone
She once said,
“All the wonderful things that happen in Evanston happen by vote.
We did it, not I did it”
But she helped guide us through
She was a boss
She was a queen
She was a machine, her engine being her mind
She wasn’t perfect, but no one is
Each and every day of her life
She strived to be her best self
To climb every mountain
To not give up because something is too difficult
To not take risky short cuts but rather
To go the long way to help other people
For she is
Lorraine Hairston Morton
First African-American Mayor
of Evanston
Grace Hansen: Responding to this question, “What did you learn that most surprised you as you wrote?”
“What most surprised me about myself was that I’m actually pretty good at writing poetry. At first I had no idea where to start, but then at like 10:00, the poem started coming to me, so I quickly wrote it down.”
(Untitled)
By Dami Balogun
Award: Best Celebration of Identity
I am Black
I live in a place called The United States of America
My parents came here from Nigeria
A lot of people have come here
Black, Brown, and White
So many different countries
We’re all so different
I am happy for my culture
And where I come from
All the different traditions from so many different places around the world
So many different personalities
Many times I feel
Do I really belong?
Sometimes I ask myself
Would I want to change the color of my skin?
But as I have gotten older
I have learned about many different cultures
I have learned French, Latin, and Spanish
So many different languages
With different ways of doing things
I have learned so much
I have also come to love where I come from
It may be different from where I have grown up
And it may be better or worse
But I love it anyway
I think everyone should love their culture, all the way
I may feel different from other people I have seen
from all the places I have been
I didn’t like how I felt like I didn’t belong
Like at the Wilmette Public beach where, it looked, I was the only black person there
I am pretty sure there were other black people but I just didn’t see
Still I felt alone, isolated, solitary
I try not to make it a big deal
But before I was ashamed of what I was.
I didn’t like hair extensions or the braided hair, I didn’t want traditional dresses, I never wanted cultural food, or anything to do with it
I wanted to be normal as hard as I could
Little did I know there really wasn’t any normal there
That everyone is different and that there really is no normal
No culture that is seen as normal
I didn’t know that then
But my mom taught me how not to be ashamed
That everyone is different and that is all okay
I have learned from history that people have been treated differently for the color of their skin
But what could they do?
It was the way they had always been
Everyone should be treated equal
American, African, Australian, Indian, Russian, Chinese, Filipino, Polish, Swedish, Peruvian, and so many more
There are so many different countries that people are from
I know there have been differences before
But God created us equal
So quit all your fighting so we can all live in peace
So with all these cultures that I know
I can’t forget my own
I don’t need to feel ashamed of who I am
Because God loves me the way I am
So without worry or self-doubt
I can shout
I AM BLACK!!!!
Dami Balogun: “I feel that writing in this contest helps my voice be heard about racial injustice and that I get a chance to help society by writing, which I already enjoy doing.”
Sojourner Tanner
Award: Most Effective Imagery
By Eve Coates
Your heart matches mine
Your mind goes to kindness and spirit and so does mine
Your persistence matches mine
Your skin color doesn’t match mine
Your hair color doesn’t match mine
Your voice doesn’t match mine
Your speed doesn’t match mine
But why does that matter because we are both side characters in each other’s worlds
Just tiny dots on this planet
Just miniscule specks in this universe
Wishing for equality
Wishing for Spirit
In this polluted
Sad
Depressing
Amazing
Beautiful
World
We are both wishing that even though we look different
Act and sound different
We will be treated the same
You always found joy in the little things in life
Like the time we went camping and we all had to sleep together in one tent
We laughed above the stars
Your joy made me want to burst with happiness
You made that happen
You don’t match me
But on the inside
You do
Eve Coates: Responding to the question, “What did you learn that most surprised you as you wrote about your subject or yourself?”
“I think that I really find my voice when I write. I’m a shy kid, but when I’m with my friends and when I write, I’m loud! This is especially true when I write about things I stand for like BLM, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights. I was surprised by myself when I wrote about Sojourner Tanner. I had so much to say about this girl that I’ve known since I was seven. We clicked when we met.”
The Price of My Skin
By Jada McCannon
Award: Most Passionate
The price you have to pay for love, for hope, for Happiness is no amount compared to the price I,
We, they have to pay for acceptance. For equality ‘Black’ isn’t just a word
It’s a family; a family that may have different Stories but the same, one goal. To not be stared at When we walk down the street
To not be followed when we go into a store
To not be wrongly accused and put in jail
To not be told to go back to where we came from When we were brought here against our will
To be able to just live our lives how we wish to
To be able to be ourselves, whoever that may be
Though the road may be rough ahead, we can do it, together
Separation does nothing for us, or for the world
Jada McCannon: Responding to the queston “How did it feel to write about a topic that is particularly poignant in light of the racial justice protests last summer and the ongoing Derek Chauvin trial concerning the killing of George Floyd?
“It is difficult to write about a topic that is so serious and popular, but I am happy I’m doing it. It really gives me a chance to express my feelings about something so important to me.”
