Pulaski Street School and the East End Voter Coalition celebrated Juneteenth Friday with a presentation of the winning essays in the annual Juneteenth essay contest.
Fifth graders are invited to write an essay in the form of a first-person diary entry from the perspective of a young slave who heard the words of Major General Gordon Granger, who on June 19, 1865, read the proclamation informing the state of Texas that slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation — nearly two and a half years after it was issued.
“I want to congratulate every one of you who submitted an essay for this contest,” East End Voter Coalition Co-chair Robert Brown said. “And, I don’t think you realize how difficult it is for the judges to pick three out of all of these wonderful, wonderful essays. I wish everybody could get a prize, because you’ve really done an excellent job.”
About 200 fifth-graders submitted essays in the contest this year, school officials said. About 80 students gathered in the cafeteria to hear this year’s winners — Fabian Vazquez-Basurto, McKayla Bozza-Carroll and Nolan Bruen — read their essays aloud.
All the essays follow slaves on that day and touch upon the separation of their families because of slavery.
“I want to thank the teachers and everybody who helped with this essay escapade,” Brown said. “But most of all, I want to thank you kids. You are excellent writers. And I really want to try to get you to keep writing. Don’t stop writing. Always write, write, write.”
“And I think a lot of them really have an aptitude for expressing themselves, because what I get out of some of these essays is the fact that you understand, and you get it, and it resonates in some of the things that you write,” Brown said.
The winners all received a certificate and $50 gift card for winning. Students enjoyed ice pops after the ceremony concluded.
Read the full essays from the students below. 2022_0619-Juneteenth-essay-Garroll
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