Made possible through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and in-kind support of Paramount Pictures, the Selma Speech & Essay Contest was launched by the National Liberty Museum in December 2014 to engage US high school students in thinking, writing and speaking about relevant, current issues of individual freedom and self-determination. As 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Selma march and signing into law of the Voting Rights Act, the Contest empowered students who saw the film SELMA to speak up about their Constitutional rights, the preciousness of our freedoms and how contributing to our democracy is the responsibility of all US Citizens.
The Contest generated nearly 800 entries, concluded with a grand ceremony at the Museum, and ended in an unprecedented tie.
Print, broadcast, online and social media outlets across the US and beyond covered this program extensively, giving those who participated the attention and recognition they so truly deserved.
We are pleased to share our SELMA Clip Book with you, which covers the contest from start to finish and provides highlights of the outstanding media coverage it received.
We hope you enjoy the book and that you visit the National Liberty Museum soon, where an exhibit featuring videos of the 12 finalists is on display in our Live Like a Hero Gallery