Essay on Civil Rights Earns High Praise in Regional Contest

Gibson Ek senior Havah Alcorn earned second place in all of Western Washington for her essay on the legacy of the historic civil rights U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education.

She read the essay aloud this week to an audience of federal judges and staff at the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle.

“I was excited and nervous to read it in front of the judges, but when I stood up to present, I found that it was satisfying to share it,” says Alcorn, the only ISD student to place in the contest. “I felt confident in what I'd written, and in the way I delivered it. I knew it was well written, persuasive, and meaningful.”

She was inspired to write the essay last year for the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest while taking the design lab "I Know My Rights" led by her Gibson Ek advisor, Colin McCormick. Design labs are six-week mini-courses at Gibson Ek. 

Alcorn says she studied the case, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the history of discrimination in education.

“I came to the conclusion that Brown's legacy lies in ordinary people, parents, students, and teachers who choose to speak up and fight for equity in education and in the wider world,” Alcorn says. “That legacy only dies when we decide that equity isn't worth fighting for.”

McCormick is impressed by Alcorn’s hard work, motivation and engagement. “It’s great to see Havah recognized, and it’s very rewarding for me to help students get to a point where they feel successful and others recognize their hard work.”

Alcorn, who also received $750 as runner up, heard lots of positive feedback after the ceremony from judges and staff.

“One woman told me, ‘It's even better when you read it out loud!’ Overall, it was a great experience.”