Background

WORK  -- Considering Black people’s work through the widest perspectives provides versatile and insightful platforms for examining Black life and culture through time and space.

The notion of work constitutes compensated labor in factories, the military, government agencies, office buildings, public service, and private homes.  It also includes the community building of social justice activists, voluntary workers serving others, and institution building in churches, community groups, and social clubs and organizations.  Understanding Black labor and its impact in all these multivariate settings is integral to understanding Black people, their histories, lives, and cultures.

2025 National Theme -- “African Americans and Labor,” focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of African Americans. Studying African Americans’ labor and labor struggles allows for new interpretations and reinterpretations of African American heritage and its continuing evolution. (ASALH)

Curated and presented by Junctions, the 2025 Lakeshore Mall, “African Americans and Labor – Cornerstones and Pillars” is a visual and oral exhibit, highlighting National, and some of Highlands County’s past and present African American entrepreneurs, labor contributors, and supporters.  Exhibit features include Guest Speakers, Entrepreneur and Labor Photographic Profiles, Literature and Artisan Displays, Oral History Video and more. The exhibit is intentional in encouraging broad reflections on intersections between African American’s work and their workplaces in all their iterations and key moments.

Announcement: The 2025 Black History Month theme is, African Americans and Labor – Cornerstones and Pillars exhibit, in recognition of Black History Month, the African Americans and Labor – Cornerstones and Pillars Exhibit is sponsoring a student essay contest.

The Exhibit is extending an opportunity for students in grades 3-12, who reside in the state of Florida, and are enrolled in either a public, private or home school program, to participate in the 2025 African Americans and Labor Exhibit Observance during the month of February 2025. Students must have the permission of a parent, guardian or teacher 19 years of age or older to enter the contest as they serve as the student’s sponsor. There is no fee to enter.

Essay Background: Historically, various naming conventions are interchangeably used to describe who the United States Government’s Census considers “African American.” Terms such as Negro, Mulato, Black, and Colored are and should be equally weighted in identifying constructs for discussion. Students may wish to include some discussion of the point in their writing. Students should understand that scholarly and for the purpose of this essay, the history of black people in America began with the before the arrival of the first African captives at Jamestown in 1619. Participants are highly encouraged to seek out the perspectives of black entrepreneurs, laborers, professionals, paraprofessionals, tradespersons, etc. throughout their community in conducting research.

Essay Topic (What the student  must  write about):
Discuss the contribution and impact African American Labor has made toward the growth and development of the United States.

Criteria: Each student must submit a Modern Language Association (MLA) formatted essay. Organize and structure the essay well, demonstrating command of grammar, spelling and mechanics. Use a highly engaging and personal style and approach the topic from a unique perspective. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and results in immediate disqualification. Students compete in one of three grouped categories: Grades 3-5; 6-8; and 9-12.

Judging is based on the student’s ability to: 
 

1. Clearly and concisely, demonstrate understanding of the topic. 
    
2. Express creativity and originality of thought pertaining to the topic, and mastery of grammar, spelling and style.

Elementary (grades 3-5) school students must draft essays with a word count of 100 to 250 words; Middle (grades 6-8), a word count of 300 to 550 words; and High (grades 9-12) school students must draft essays with a word count of 600 to 850 words.  Essays shorter or longer than the stated lengths will be disqualified.  Cover page, heading, and works cited are not included in the word count. No imagery is permitted.

Deadline:  All essays must be received by midnight, February 8, 2025. Adult Sponsors must individually submit each student’s essay as an email attachment (one essay attachment per email submission) as some adults may choose to sponsor more than one student. Again, one essay per student, submitted as an email attachment (MS Word or Google Docs. Document) by the adult sponsor, from the adult sponsor’s email to the submission email below.

Once received, each essay will be assigned a unique Identification Number, replacing the student’s name and other personal identification of the sponsor and student before submission to the panel for judging.

Submissions: 
Submit essays to: aahmcelebration@gmail.com. 
Email subject line: “AAHM2025 Essay-Student’s Last Name, First Name.”

Submitted essays are judged by a three-member exhibit volunteer panel.

Each essay must have a cover sheet, which includes the student’s full name, grade level, school (or indicate if home schooled), and adult sponsor’s full name and contact telephone number.

Document Heading (place in the header of the document):

• Student’s Name (First and Last)
• Grade
• Name of Florida School (or state if home schooled, must be in Florida)
• Sponsor’s Name (First, Last)
• Sponsor’s email address and phone number

Submission: 

• Word Processing Software: Microsoft Word or Google Docs (.doc or .docx) only

• Font Type: Times New Roman

• Font Size: 12.

• Spaced (double): 2.0

Document Naming:

Student’s last name, (_), first name, (+), AAHM-2025

An example would be, Duncan_Walls+AAHM-2025

Judging:

Students’ work will be assessed in five performance areas:

1.   Idea - Controlling ideas; supporting ideas; awareness of purpose; sense of completion

2.   Depth of Content – Use of details

3.   Organization – Introduction/body/conclusion; sequence of ideas; grouping of ideas; effective transitions

4.   Style – Sentence variety; topic vocabulary use

5.   Conventions – Sentence formation; subject-verb agreement; standard word forms; punctuation, spelling, and capitalization

Winners and Prizes:

Winners will be notified and announced February 16, 2025, via received sponsor email. Winning essays will be posted at the event webpage (https://www.junctions.us/2025-black-history-month) and available for viewing at the exhibit. Judging decisions are final.

Prize distribution will be in the form of a cashier’s check or money order only.

Three winners will be selected from each Grouped Category:

First Place - $275.00 

Grouped Grades 3–5

Grouped Grades 6–8

Grouped Grades 9–12

Second Place - $175.00 

Grouped Grades 3–5

Grouped Grades 6–8

Grouped Grades 9–12

Third Place - $125.00 

Grouped Grades 3–5

Grouped Grades 6–8

Grouped Grades 9–12

The winner in each first-place grouped category is invited read their essay at the 2025 African American Exhibit on February 21, 2025, Lakeshore Mall, Sebring, Florida. 

Talent/Model/Writing Release: Students and Sponsors who submit an essay to the contest grant Junctions, it affiliates, and partners, including the news media, the right to use their names, photographs, essay, statements, quotes and testimonials for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes without notification or further compensation. This includes, but is not limited to, Junctions’ social media accounts, as well as print or electronic publications. Junctions maintains the right to reproduce, reprint, distribute, perform, display or exhibit the project for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes on its website, at conferences or other venues.

Students and Sponsors agree to be bound by the requirements outlined and the decisions of the judges and event sponsors. False statements or misrepresentations made by the student or sponsoring adult(s) shall constitute a violation of the contest conditions, disqualifying the student and their submission.