McClellan Announces Winners of Inaugural Black History Month Essay Contest
Richmond, VA – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) announced the winners of her inaugural Black History Month Essay Contest: Frances Widmer, a student at Albert H. Hill Middle School, and Zahara Flowers, a student at Petersburg High School.
The competition aims to increase education and awareness of prominent figures in Black history. Middle school students explored the importance of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s trailblazing career as the first Black woman to ever serve in Congress. High school students analyzed the significance of President Barack Obama as the first Black president and his quote, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
“My Black History Month Essay Contest was a wonderful opportunity to see the wisdom of students in Virginia’s Fourth,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Thank you to the 46 middle and high school students across our district who participated in the competition. The essays were exemplary representations of the passion and persistence that the younger generation embodies. I was thoroughly impressed by the insightful perspectives of all the submissions, and I’m thrilled to congratulate Frances and Zahara on their winning essays.”
McClellan also named the following winners:
- Second Place: Houston Barnes from Albert H. Hill Middle School | Chris Qian from Maggie Walker High School
- Third Place: London Dabney from Vernon Johns Middle School | Christopher Grady from Maggie Walker High School
McClellan hosted a reception for the students and presented awards and certificates of participation to attendees. The winning essays were entered into the Congressional Record and presented to Frances and Zahara.
Read the winning submissions here. View photos from the reception here.