RISE St. James Louisiana Presents - Black History Month Essay Contest 2025

Categories:

Category 1 (4th–6th Grade): Family Tree – Tracing Your Ancestors (500-word essay)

"How deep do your roots run? Choose one ancestor (grandparent or farther back) and write about how their life is inspirational today. Be sure also to include how you found the information about them: sources can include oral history (family stories, asking a relative for information about the ancestor), ancestry websites (family trees online), and family documents (Bibles, written stories, old newspaper clippings, scrapbooks)."

Category 2 (7th–9th Grade): From Plantations to Petrochemicals (600-word essay)

"How did the River Parishes transition from a plantation economy to a petrochemical economy? Make a connection between the era of plantations and today’s economy. Students can choose to write about a specific plantation that they may have a family connection to, or they can choose a parish, town, or neighborhood to write about."

Category 3 (10th–12th Grade): From Plantations to Petrochemicals (700-word essay)

"How did the River Parishes transition from a plantation economy to a petrochemical economy? Make a connection between the era of plantations and today’s economy. Students can choose to write about a specific plantation that they may have a family connection to, or they can choose a parish, town, or neighborhood to write about."

Prizes for Each Category:

• 1st Place: $300

• 2nd Place: $200

• 3rd Place: $100

Submission Details:

Please include your name, phone number, grade, and school when submitting. Essays may be submitted via email to info@risestjames.org or mailed to: P.O. Box 27, Vacherie, LA 70090

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: Friday, February 7, 2025

• Winner Announcement: Friday, February 14, 2025

• Awards Ceremony: Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM Location: Rosie’s Catering, 10141 Frontage St., St. James, LA 70086

Eligibility:

This contest is open to all students residing within the Louisiana River Parishes, the region between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.