HAPPY WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH and welcome to our March 2023 edition of our online newsletter (LAP) The Learning Academy Post

Happy Women's History Month 2023! We are grateful to stand on the shoulders of giants 365 days a year. 

Three Local Activists Serve as Judges for DonCARES' Annual Social Justice Essay Contest

(Left to Right: Drew U, Andrew A, and Ambika S)

From February 7th to the 24th, DonCARES hosted its Fourth Annual Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Social Justice Essay Contest at Camden Prep High School in Camden, New Jersey. Sadie T.M. Alexander was the first black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the first black economist in the United States.

The objective of this contest was for high school students at Camden Prep High School to think critically about the challenges that exist for black people in America. Participants will also use Alexander's narrative as a starting point in thinking about issues that affect black people in the United States.

Among the essay contest judges was recent Temple University graduate Andrew A. Jr. Andrew has earned his degree in political science with a minor in Africology & African American studies. Drew U is enrolled at Temple and is earning his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and his M.S. in Construction Engineering. Ambika S is an MPA Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.

2023 makes the fourth year DonCARES is hosting the contest at high schools in the greater Philadelphia area. The competition was at high schools in North Philadelphia in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This year it is held at the new high school in Camden, New Jersey, where DonCARES Founder Donovan Forrest teaches U.S. History.

Fourth Annual Sadie T.M. Alexander Social Justice Essay Contest Winners Announced

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.

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.

Second Place- 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"