The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is announcing the first annual Stand Against Racism Essay Contest for middle and high school students.
— an announcement from the YWCA of Darien/Norwalk
The YWCA will name be awarding four prizes, one each from both Darien and Norwalk at both the middle and high school levels. The High school level winners will each receive a $250 prize and the middle school winners will each receive a prize of $100.
Stand Against Racism is a signature campaign of YWCA USA and is designed to raise awareness about the negative impact of racism in our communities. This campaign is one part of the YWCA’s larger national strategy to fulfill our mission of eliminating racism.
“For several years the YWCA Darien/Norwalk has asked the community to join us in signing a pledge against racism. While this raises awareness it doesn’t require people to stop and reflect about what racism looks like in our community,” said Judy Phillips, executive director of the YWCA. “The essay contest is an opportunity for our students, the future leaders and change agents of our community, to have a voice and share their perspective about racism.”
This year, students are being asked to identify their blind spot regarding racism. The prompt for the essay is: In American culture we say that someone has a blind spot about something, meaning they are unable to understand it or see how important it is.
When it comes to racism in our everyday lives people often have a blind spot regarding their own biases. What would you define as your (or our communities) blind spot and how can it be removed?
The deadline for students to submit essays is Monday, April 22. Winners will be chosen by a panel of local leaders and announced the week of April 29. The rules and requirements for the essay contest can be found at YWCAdn.org/SARessay2019.
About the YWCA Darien/Norwalk
The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving women the support and tools they need to transform their lives, be confident in their choices and raise healthy families.
Its national mission, eliminating racism and empowering women, translates locally into a vision to create opportunities for growth, leadership and empowerment for all women and families.
The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is located at 49 Old King’s Hwy. North in Darien. For more information, please visit the organization’s website or call 203-655-2535.