It’s time to nominate your favorite Seattle based anti-racist student activist for the Black Education Matters Student Activist Award (BEMSAA).
Seattle Public School students (or advocates on their behalf) can apply for the Award by filling out this application. Applications for the 2019 award are due by May 10th and award winners will be announced around the end of the month.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Black Education Matters Student Activist Award fund offers a $1000 package to a deserving Seattle public school student who demonstrates exceptional leadership in struggles for social justice, and against institutional or structural racism. Student can nominate themselves, or can be nominated by a friend, teacher, coach, counselor, parent or others.
Criteria for selecting the awardee:
• Any student who has been enrolled for a semester or more in a Seattle public school.
• A student who has shown social justice leadership in struggles against racism—especially with an understanding of the intersections with sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamaphobia, class exploitation and other forms of oppression—within their school or community.
Application instructions: Nominees must submit required material by May 10, 2019, to be considered for the award.
• Applicant or nominee name and other requested information, see below.
• Clippings or links to evidence or stories about the student’s work, if available.
• In addition to the information in the form, send 2 letters of recommendation, each not less than 300 or more than 700 words each, describing the nominee’s work and why it is deserving of recognition and how the student’s leadership qualities may further social justice work in the future.
• Note there are no restrictions for how the Nominee uses the funds obtained through this award.
The application for the award is available here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JIqRZxNDUdYtGEsgJLP4ArM0VMaTMbPjfWEh-Bok3zU/edit?ts=58616bba
Application support materials should be sent to StudentActivistAward@gmail.com using the message line, Black Education Matters Award
The History:
In January of 2015, Jesse Hagopian gave the final speech at Seattle’s Martin Luther King Day rally. Not long after, he was pepper-sprayed without provocation by an officer of the Seattle Police Department. The incident was captured on video by an onlooker. Jesse reached a settlement over the incident with the City of Seattle and used the proceeds to start the “Black Education Matters Student Activist Award.”
Seattle Public School students (or advocates on their behalf) can apply for the Black Education Matters Student Activist Award by filling out this application.
Past Award Winners
The winners of the Black Education Matters Student Activist Award are some of the most dynamic leaders in the struggle for racial justice in Seattle area. Learn more about these young powerful changemakers below.
Click on the link to learn about all the amazing youth award winners.
I AM AN EDUCATOR 