This annual contest comes from a 1951 Langston Hughes poem:What Happens to a Dream Deferred?. Just as the poem helped propel the civil rights movement in the U.S., today it can inspire your dream deferred for the Middle East. The contest has two parts: one for Middle Eastern youth and one for American youth. Please answer one of the questions below - but first make sure to read the rules & guidelines. Winning essays - selected by a panel of celebrity judges - receive $10,000 in prizes.
If you live in the Middle East...
Your Story: How does civil rights abuse in your local community impact you? Share a defining moment where you experienced civil rights restrictions (censorship, discrimination, etc.). How did this incident change you? Will your children's generation still face such repression?
Freedom: Given the historic changes in the Mideast over the past three years, do you feel more or less free? Reflect on changes in the region and in your local community. Explain, with examples, whether you enjoy greater rights today than a year ago. Do you expect to be more free a year from now?
In the Streets: If you participated in grassroots protests against repression, why did you join and what did you learn? Describe in vivid detail what you experienced, as well as how your life - and your attitude on individual rights - has changed. What challenges remain now?
Advocacy: How can individual rights be secured in the Mideast's new reality? Dictators may have fallen, yet individual rights remain fragile. What can you do to protect the rights of vulnerable members in your local community (women, minorities, etc.). Propose a concrete action plan.
Dream: What is your "dream deferred": a vision of your society with civil rights for all? Share your dream of a civil rights movement in your community. If you like, write a mock newspaper article from the future reporting on the effort.
Constitution: Several countries in the Mideast are in the process of trying to write a new constitution. Add your input by drafting a "Bill of Rights" designed to protect the basic civil rights of all citizens (generally or for a specific country). In addition to sharing your proposal, explain the values that motivated your constitutional text.
Viral Video: You have been given $1,000 to make a short video (1-4 mins) about individual rights in your society. Share the script, which can expose repression, showcase a campaign or dream of a better future. Bonus: Make the film and provide a YouTube link.
If you live in United States...
Perspective: How have the past three years changed your view of individual rights in the Mideast? As long-ignored civil rights challenges and new debates emerged, what did you learn? Consider how your own identity (background, experiences, etc.) has impacted your reaction.
Profile a Mideast Civil Rights Reformer: What about their work inspires you? Explain the challenge to individual rights this reformer addresses and the nonviolent approach used to advance change. Suggest ways that you as an individual in America can help support their work
Profile an American Assisting Mideast Reform: How is this person leveraging their freedom to assist on the grassroots level in the Middle East? Explain how their assistance fills a need, and describe the tools (e.g. technology) used to make an impact. Explore ways you can assist.
Campus: What can you do in your community or campus to support Mideast civil rights efforts? Propose a campaign that mobilizes public pressure to support an effort to help advance individual rights in the region. Describe the campaign's demand and plan for enlisting support.
Dream: What is your "dream deferred" - a vision of Americans helping to protect individual rights in the Mideast? Imagine a successful campaign. If you like, write a mock article from the future reporting on your dream.
Solidarity: Some young Iranians organize a grassroots protest against laws that force all Iranian women to cover their hair in public. Inspired by Rosa Parks, the protestors take a simple yet provocative nonviolent action: They walk down the street uncovered. A brutal crackdown ensues. What do you do?