The Africana Center on Wednesday announced the winners of its first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Reflections Contest in an event leading up to Monday's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
Junior Allister Chang won first prize and sophomores Gabrielle Raymond and Groom Dinkneh came in second and third, respectively.
"I feel super honored," Chang said. "I really wish I could be at Tufts to attend the event."
Chang, who is currently studying abroad, received $250 for first place. Raymond and Dinkneh also received monetary prizes for their entries, according to Director of the Africana Center Katrina Moore.
Chang, who has the opportunity to read his winning essay aloud at Monday's celebration, said he will either send in a video or have someone else read it in his place.
Contestants were asked to reflect on the King quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" and describe how this relates to contemporary post-racial discourse.
"We wanted to focus on something that would address the post-racial discourse discussion today, based on the climate of the country right now and the type of conversations that are happening," Moore said.
The Africana Center and the Office of Equal Opportunity co-sponsored the contest. Organizers hope that the contest will become an annual event.
