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ACLU of Florida Zelda Glazer Civil Liberties Writing Competition
Overview: The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida proudly announces its third Zelda Glazer Civil Liberties Writing Competition. The competition is open to Miami-Dade Public School high school seniors and is an opportunity to recognize civil liberties scholarship that enhances an understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Essay submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of noted civil libertarians and ACLU leaders in the Greater Miami area.
Deadline for submissions is Thursday, March 25, 2010.
Click here to download the contest overview (Word document)
Click here to download the contest submission form (Word document)
For additional information on this competition, please e-mail zeldaglazer@aclufl.org.
Click here to read the ACLU's news release announcing last year's winners.
2009 WINNERS
Click here to read first-place winner Noel Kassewitz's essay.
Click here to read second-place winner Bernadette Guerra's essay.
Click here to read third-place winner Fabiana Ferrer's essay.
From the 2008 Annual Report:
Zelda Glazer Writing Competition Essays Convey Diverse Issues
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Three Miami-Dade High School seniors were awarded ACLU Writing Competition scholarships this year in the first Zelda Glazer Writing Competition. The competition, open to high school seniors in Miami, is funded by donations in memoriam to Zelda Glazer, a long-time ACLU supporter.
The winners were announced at the annual Greater Miami Chapter Law Day event. Kimberly Carpel, Gensy Yero, and Amanda Labora - all Miami-Dade Public School high school seniors - were joined by their teachers and instructional supervisors.
First place winner, Kimberly Carpel, a student in Debra Miller's class at Design and Architecture High School (DASH), submitted an essay depicting her early life in Haiti and the political violence and repression she witnessed as child. The essay conveyed her adjustment as an immigrant student and her growing appreciation for the rights protected by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. She was awarded $1,500 to pursue her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida.
Second place winner, Gensy Yero, a student in Jo Ann Jones' class at Miami Central Senior High School won for her well-reasoned essay describing the repressed society in George Orwell's "1984" in light of the post-9/11 USA PATRIOT ACT. She was awarded $1,000 to pursue higher education.
Third place winner, Amanda Labora, a student in Karen Sutton's class at MAST Academy, offered a very well-written essay sharing her experience as a student newspaper opinion columnist when she stood up for the rights of student journalists. She will use her $500 award to pursue her education at Brown University.
The writing competition is an opportunity to recognize civil liberties scholarship that enhances an understanding of the principles of the U.S. Constitution. Seventy-six submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of noted civil libertarians, recognized educators, constitutional attorneys and ACLU members and leaders in the Greater Miami area. They chose the winning essays based on the student's passion, content, writing proficiency, originality, focus and organization.
Established in 2007, the Zelda Glazer Scholarship Fund honors the memory and lifelong work of an amazing woman who for more than 40 years worked as a beloved Miami-Dade County Public School Language Arts teacher and administrator. Glazer was a dedicated advocate for civil liberties in our schools and community, and she worked hard to uphold our constitutional rights, especially for students in the areas of speech and journalism. This writing competition is close to the hearts of ACLU members across Miami-Dade County and Florida, and to the students and teachers of Miami-Dade County Public Schools who were touched by Glazer.
