The Council for Social Justice NJ Announces Black History Month Essay Contest 2023 Winners
The contest challenged high school students to reflect on diversity and racial injustice.
(Somerset, NJ, 2/28/2023) – The New Jersey chapter of ICNA Council for Social Justice, (ICNA CSJ NJ) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 statewide Black History Month Essay Contest.
High school students were asked to write 600 words or less on the following topics:
1. Combating racial injustice in the age of social media
2. What does Islam teach us about racial discrimination?
3. The impact of racism on the well-being of a community
4. Combating racial injustice in the schools
5. Combating racism while maintaining diverse cultural identities
After careful review of all submitted essays, our panel of judges announced the following winners:
Category: 11th & 12th Grades
1st prize: Imaad Siddiqui of Princeton, NJ
Topic: Combating racial injustice in the age of social media
Title: The Intention of Innovation: How Social Media Intersects with Racial Justice
2nd prize: Alisha Noor Chaudhry of Princeton, NJ
Topic: What does Islam teach us about racial discrimination?
Title: Unbiased Brotherhood: The Islamic Approach to Racial Discrimination
3rd prize: Muhammad Siddiqui of Piscataway, NJ
Topic: Combating racial injustice in the age of social media
Title: SOCIAL MEDIA: A World On Fire
Category: 9th & 10th Grades
1st prize: Ziyad Nagarwala of Princeton Junction, NJ
Topic: Combating racial injustice in the age of social media
Title: Digital Racism
2nd prize: Marib Saeed of Jersey City, NJ
Topic: Combating racial injustice in the schools
Title: Seeds of Change
3rd prize: Raaida Naser of Somerset, NJ
Topic: The impact of racism on the well-being of a community
Title: Why Our Communities Will Never Be Equal
Black History Month Contest 2022
- Grades 9 & 10: The Power of Diversity in the Community
- Grades 11 & 12: Racial Injustice and the Responsibility of Youth
After careful review of all submitted essays, our panel of judges announced the following winners:
- Grades 11 & 12
- 1st prize: Racial Injustice and the Responsibility of Youth by Salma Abdallah of East Orange, NJ
- 2nd prize: What Should I Do? by Rahma Rizly of Piscataway, NJ
- 3rd prize: Our Responsibility on Racism by Afnan Abbassi of Washington Township, NJ
- Grades 9 & 10
- 1st prize: Discrimination within Diversity: Anti-Blackness in the Muslim Community by Shaimaa Al-Zaman of Princeton Junction, NJ
- 2nd prize: Being the Same is Mediocre by Noor Alawi of Wayne, NJ
- 3rd prize: The Competence of Present Diversity by Rayhana Choudhury of Fair Lawn, NJ
First prize winners in both age groups will receive a new tablet. Second and third prize winners will receive $200 and $100 gift cards respectively.