July 23, 2009
Civil Liberties: The fundamental freedoms upon which our country is based; freedom of speech and religion, the right to privacy, equality, justice and ... even the right to go to school. What civil liberties issues affect you? Why are they important? What can we do to protect them?
Winners, announced below, will receive cash prizes up to $1,000!
Winners Essay/Short Story:
  • 1st Place ($550): Amina Bibi, In Our Time 12th Grade, Long Island City High School, Queens NY
  • 2nd Place ($200): Susan Martinez, The Fairy Tale 10th Grade, Bronx NY, Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
  • Honorable Mention ($50): Leawanda Herbert, Parenting by Choice, Not Chance 9th Grade, Brooklyn NY, Clara Barton High School
Poetry:
  • 1st Place – Tie ($375 each): – George Rosa, Broken Equipment 10th Grade, Long Island City, NY, Academy of American Studies – Jaritza Geigel, The Finale 12th Grade, Brooklyn NY, The Bushwick School for Social Justice
  • Honorable Mention ($50): Jodylisse Rivera, A-M-E-R-I-C-A 9th Grade, Brooklyn NY, High School of Fashion Industries
Visual Arts:
  • 1st Place ($550): Columba Marin, We The Immigrants 12th Grade, Brooklyn NY, International High school
  • 2nd Place ($200): Joshua LaBoy, Racial Injustice
  • Honorable Mention ($50): Ayinde Pannell-Saint Surin, Inclusion 12th Grade, Brooklyn NY, Brooklyn College Academy High School
Multimedia:
  • 1st Place ($550): Jodie-Ann Geddes, I am a Black Woman 11th Grade, Brooklyn NY, Project Reach Youth, Inc.
  • 2nd Place ($200): Jessica Quizhpe, An Opportunity Can Make a Difference 12th Grade, Robert F. Wagner Secondary School for Arts and Technology, Queens NY
  • Honorable Mention: Self Advocates of the YAI National Institute for People with Disabilities, In My Shoes New York City, NY
Click here to see last year's winners. The contest is made possible by a grant from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation. Current and former NYCLU/ACLU staff and board members, and their relatives, are not eligible. Youth must be 21 and younger and live in New York City.

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