African American Voting History Is Subject Of Cherry Hill Contest

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The Cherry Hill African American Civic Association (CHAACA) is sponsoring an essay/poster/video contest open to all Cherry Hill public school students in Grades K-12 in honor of Black History Month.

The subject of the contest is, “The History of Voting for African Americans in America.” They may depict individuals, periods of history, landmark court cases, or personal accounts of family members who experienced difficulties voting.

Money amounts for prizes have yet to be determined. From the CHAACA’s flyer describing the contest:

“African Americans have been present in the United States for more than four hundred years. Since the inception of this democracy, African American men have been attempting to be a part of the democratic process by voting. These efforts were met with acceptance, rejection, disenfranchisement and violence. African American women participated, although not wholeheartedly accepted, in the Women’s Suffrage Movement that ended with the enactment of the 19th Amendment. Even today, the minority vote and the African American vote, specifically, has been subjected to voter suppression throughout the United States.”

All entries must be submitted virtually by Feb. 1. Pictures of posters and essay document must be emailed to chaacaprograms506@gmail.com. Videos must be uploaded to YouTube and the link submitted to chaacaprograms506@gmail.com. Permission must be granted to open all attachments.

The CHAACA will select a panel of judges to determine winners in six categories. Specifics about the contest can be found here.