BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Half a century after many attorneys joined the fight for civil rights in Alabama, Birmingham high school students wrote essays to address changes that are needed still.
An essay competition, open to all high school seniors in the Birmingham City school system, was organized by the Birmingham Bar Association’s community education committee. Students wrote responses to the phrase: “Fight for your right to ________.”
The winner and two runners-up received scholarships sponsored by local law firms and were honored Wednesday at a Law Day luncheon.
The committee received essays on various topics, including equal education, segregation that remains in schools, human trafficking, gay marriage and bullying, said committee member Conrad Anderson.
Cinnamon Callins, a senior at Carver High School, won first place and a $ 1,500 scholarship with her essay on fighting for “the right to be who you are.”
“Regardless of weight, sexual orientation, or social classes, everyone has the right to not be harassed,” she wrote. “Fight for your right to not be bullied.”
Callins will attend Berea College in Kentucky, where she plans to study engineering to further her goal of becoming a patent attorney.
“I would love to be a lawyer,” she said. “Since I was 10 years old, I’ve always loved to debate.”
The runners-up, Aysatis Harris and Jhana Plump, are seniors at Ramsay High School. Both will receive $ 750 college scholarships.
Harris, who wrote about bullying, plans to study finance at Tuskegee University and then attend law school.
“This scholarship kind of sparked the interest (in law),” he said. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people in law who I can look up to.”
Plump wrote an essay about promoting peace among her peers and combating gang violence.
“The essay contest was a good way for me to get my point across,” she said. “I asked God to put the power in the pen, and I guess it worked.”
Plump plans to study chemistry and math at Tennessee State University and ultimately become a pharmacist.
The 15 attorneys on the committee promote public education about the legal system through schools and community organizations, including organizing annual Law Day events, according to the bar association’s website.
Law Day has been celebrated since 1958, when then-President Dwight Eisenhower established May 1 as the day to mark the nation’s commitment to the rule of law, according to the American Bar Association.