OUSD Celebrates 2022 Winners of the Dr. Maya Angelou Essay Writing Contest
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: John Sasaki
Communications Director
510-214-2080
john.sasaki@ousd.org
Oakland - It’s a contest that students are eager to take part in, and which brings out the best in their writing. But the Dr. Maya Angelou Essay Writing Contest is also one that came with a significant loss, as the driving force behind it passed away in the spring. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson was a big supporter of Oakland schools, and in the early stages of the 2022 contest, Johnson transitioned. Despite the loss, the contest continued, and over the summer, the organizers announced the winners who walked away with significant scholarship money.
The Dr. Maya Angelou Essay Writing Committee said it “is honored to announce and celebrate the writing of our 2022 winners. Each of our young scholars wrote with courage, fortitude, and humility. They are thoughtful, hardworking, courteous and truly resilient young people. As in the past, this year's recipients received substantial awards as well as an invitation to be published in an upcoming anthology. All of our award winners are currently in college and we are proud of the fact that, like Dr. Maya Angelou, each of them has determined, ‘you must not be defeated’ by life circumstances or tragedy.”
The winners are here with excerpts from the top three essays below:
First Place - Chloe Armstead, Oakland Technical High School, $5,000 scholarship
Second Place - Shirley Le, Oakland High School, $3000 scholarship
Third Place - Jermaine Miller, Ralph Bunche Academy, $1800 scholarship
Honorable Mention - Jasper Davi, Metwest High School, $500 scholarship
Honorable Mention - Fatima Ramirez, Oakland High School, $500 scholarship
Chloe Armstead, Oakland Technical High School
Chloe wrote an essay called, "We Must Not Be Defeated."
"In May of 2020 my father was shot and killed by his neighbor in front of his home in East Oakland. It started in November of 2019; our neighbor began obsessively knocking on our door at 1:30 a.m., trying to open our bedroom windows from the outside to come in and attack my father."
Still grieving, Chloe ultimately volunteers at two organizations in Oakland.
"The organizations worked with at least twenty students from Oakland Unified School District who shared their personal stories about injustice, gun violence, and racism in our community. The voices of all these young people coming together with a shared message was so powerful. We need more activists to speak up for the wrong in Oakland and to turn it around. I am convinced that there isn’t anything adults can do that young people can’t do by working together."
In the conclusion of her essay, Chloe realizes the power of her own voice and that of other young people.
"One of the many things my father taught me was “so much good can come from bad.” It took the most devastating experience of my life for me to find and use my voice to help my loved ones and my community. And I won’t stop using it. Although nothing will alter the fact that one more Black man added to the homicide list in Oakland in May of 2020 was my father, neither will anything alter my determination to use my voice to give value to his life and my community."
Shirley Le, Oakland High School
Shirley’s essay was called, "Strong Girls Cry."
"In the Spring of 2021, I found my mother barely conscious on the concrete sidewalk. She recounted that as she walked towards our home from her car, a man violently pushed her from behind, slamming her onto the ground. Unlike our past experiences with violence, she had not been robbed. Her money, her phone, and all of her personal belongings were left on the sidewalk. She had been pushed by someone for the sole purpose of hurting another human being."
Shirley concluded her essay with a challenge to young people.
"We will shape ourselves as the generation where change has begun, not finished. We will begin to create a healthy future where anyone, regardless of their identity, can live, work, and play equitably as we foster new, young generations who, too, will have the courage to speak up."
Jermaine Miller, Ralph Bunche Academy
Jermaine’s essay was called, "A Boy Facing Adversity."
“When we are young, I believe we are not aware of the world around us and are blind to how people may view us. Eventually, at some time we become more aware, and that is when it hits us; in a world where all humans are deemed equal, we understand we are not equal at all.”
"My dream now is to start a successful business and to build generational wealth for my children and grandchildren. No one should have to suffer or experience the things I experienced growing up. My message to anyone struggling with depression or going through discrimination of any type, and especially for young people of color who have come to understand the inequity that exists in our communities: you will overcome it. Just keep striving and keep growing. We see people in our community become successful all the time because they refuse to be defeated by adversity. We must become the role models we so desperately need. We are not meant to be “nothing.” We are built for success."
The Honorable Mention winners were:
Jasper Davi from Metwest High School, who wrote to teachers and other students about understanding people with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). And Fatima Ramirez from Oakland High School, who wrote a touching tribute to her Uncle.
The Dr. Maya Angelou Essay Writing Committee said “We are very grateful to our community partners and to Stephanie Johnson who is determined to continue her husband's vision. We thank OUSD, the Maya Angelou Foundation, Marcus Foster Education Institute and the generous volunteers who helped support the contest. They served as committee members, judges, and supported the student editing process. To all of the teachers and educators who encouraged our Oakland children to write their stories, Guy Johnson would have been touched and encouraged. The essays of our young authors will be published in an anthology. Those of us who worked closely with Mr. Johnson can almost hear his voice, emphatically saying, ‘Bravo!’ to the children.”
“We are excited for the students who won these scholarships after sharing such difficult topics in their essays, and we know they are representing themselves well in college,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. Sondra Aguilera. “Being honest and vulnerable in writing is not easy, and these students showed courage and creativity in their essays. I congratulate them and all the amazing writers who entered this competition. I also want to thank Guy Johnson, the creator of the Dr. Maya Angelou Essay Writing Contest in honor of his mother. We are saddened that he wasn’t able to see the fruits of our students’ labor, but we thank the committee for celebrating our students in Mr. Johnson’s honor.”
###