Local 8th graders invited to participate in essay contest

The King County Civil Rights Commission is inviting all 8th grade students in the county to participate in the Commission’s 16th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Writing Contest. Participants are encouraged to present their ideas on Dr. King’s legacy of peace and justice.

The contest is open to all 8th grade students in King County and three essays will receive prizes. Students who place first, second, and third will win trophies and a commemorative Dr. King pin.

Interested students must submit an essay that focuses on the theme (written below) of the County’s 28th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, set for January 2015:

“So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind — it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact — I can only submit to the edict of others.”

Check out the rules of the contest below:

• The essay must be between 750 and 1,000 words and must be typed and doubled spaced on white 8.5″ by 11″ paper.
• Contestants must submit one typed original essay and one copy of the essay, by mail.
• The name, address, home phone number, email address, school, grade, and age of student author must be submitted on a cover page accompanying the essay. Please do not place your name on any other page.
• All essays must be in English and include a bibliography, utilizing at minimum one book source, but no more than one website source­.

Essays must be postmarked by Friday, November 7 and mailed to the address below:

King County Civil Rights Commission
401 5th Ave, Suite 135
Seattle, WA, 98104

To find out more about the competition contact Paula Harris-White, Department of Executive Services Equity and Social Justice Manager, at (206) 263-2444. Winners will be notified by mail.