Hemet nonprofit sponsors essay contest for Black History Month
By Submitted -February 12, 2021062
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HEMET – The Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Regions announced their 17th annual Black History Month Essay Contest is accepting entries from middle school, high school and college students in Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee. The deadline for submission is Monday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m.
“I’m so excited as your president to let you know that, even though we’re not meeting in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we figured out a way to have our 17th annual Black History Month Essay Contest,” Mary Morse, president of Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Regions, said.
Celebrating Black history in the United States began in 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard Ph.D., initiated “Negro History Week.” Woodson, a historian, chose the second week in February because it included the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976 for the bicentennial of the U.S., the weeklong observance was extended to the entire month to have enough time for celebrations and activities.
Contest participants should write about a person of color who illustrates the triumph of the human spirit over circumstances and prejudice to build a life of accomplishment and are encouraged to think outside the box. Write the essay as an historical fiction; imagine living at the time of the chosen person and being acquainted with them as their child, parent, friend, boss or adversary and write about the person from this unique point of view.
Make sure to include the answers to the following questions: Who is the person about who you want to write? When did they live? And what did your person do to triumph over circumstances and prejudice to build a life of accomplishment?
The length of the essay depends on grade level of the entrant: middle school students in grades 6-8 should write 300 to 500 words; high school students in grades 9-12 should write 500 to 1,000 words and college students, undergraduates only, should write 1,000 to 2,000 words.
Home-school and charter school students are welcome to enter; call 951-634-4048 for entry details.
Email attached submissions to marymorse@humanrelationscouncil.com or call Mary Morse at 951-634-4048 for alternate submission methods.
Essays should include the student’s name, home telephone number, their school, student phone number and email address, school teacher or counselor and their contact information. All entries will become the property of the Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Region. Sending an entry grants permission for the Council to release any essay to the press or publish it on social media for publication.
Students will be judged on their ability to address the topic, to demonstrate original, creative thinking or to express their ideas in a clear articulate manner. The judges panel will be comprised of Human Relations Council members and other community members who are experts in Black history, longtime participants in the Civil Rights movement, sociologists and or educators.
Students whose essays are chosen will be asked to present their essays virtually and will be notified by phone or email if they need to record their presentation.
Awards will be given for each level: middle school, high school and college. The prize for Best Essay is $100. The runner-up essay will receive $50. Three honorable mentions will be given $25 each. The Best Presentation will win $50.
Awards will be announced Friday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. on Zoom. The essay contest is cosponsored by the MSJC Diversity Committee.
For more information on the contest rules, find “Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Regions” on Facebook or at http://humanrelationscouncil.com.
Submitted by Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Regions.
SAN JACINTO: Human-relations group organizes Sikh vigil
By GAIL WESSON | gwesson@scng.com | The Press-EnterpriseAugust 9, 2012 at 8:57 p.m.
There will be a candlelight vigil in solidarity with the Sikh community at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, at Hofmann Park in San Jacinto.
The gathering is being organized by the Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto & Menifee Regions, according to a statement from Mary Morse, the group’s president. Hofmann Park is across San Jacinto Avenue from City Hall, just north of Seventh Street. The Sikh community will provide the candles and American flags.
Six members of a Wisconsin Sikh congregation were killed when Wade Michael Page, a man with ties to racist groups, opened fire on them Sunday in an attack that wounded three other people. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
A similar vigil was held in downtown Redlands on Tuesday.
San Jacinto vigil to mark worldwide tragedies, from shootings to hurricanes
By CRAIG SHULTZ | cshultz@scng.com | The Press-EnterprisePUBLISHED: November 7, 2017 at 10:56 a.m. | UPDATED: November 7, 2017 at 10:59 a.m.
In the wake of issues around the globe, the Human Relations Council of the Greater Hemet, San Jacinto and Menifee Region will host a candlelight vigil Thursday, Nov. 9, in San Jacinto.
The event, called “A Community Vigil of Solace: An Experience of Healing from the World’s Tragedy and Trauma,” is set for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 650 San Jacinto St.
“Our world has been rocked recently by historic hurricanes, mass shootings, destructive earthquakes, hateful terrorism, raging wildfires, violent sexual assaults, cultural and racial prejudices and more,” organizers wrote in a news release. “We can be hardened by the traumas and we can be embittered by the tragedies. Or we can gather together in love and support, and stand in peaceful solidarity.”
Information: 951-634-4048 or marymorse@humanrelationscouncil.com