Black Lives Matter Annual Writing Contest

decorative; BLM banner with four people holding it up, 3 differently shaded hands in the background

The annual Black Lives Matter (BLM) writing contest is co-sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication (CEWC) and the Department of African American Studies, in collaboration with the Black Student Union (BSU). The contest aims to spotlight and support the insightful work of our Black students on campus, specific to a new theme each year. View previous winners and their works (when shared) below, as well as this year’s contest information and submission guidelines.

2024 Theme: Black Power Under Unimaginable Circumstances

When you think of Black Power, what comes to mind? What histories unfurl? What personal, lived experiences bubble to the surface of your memories? What kind of radical politics burn brightest in your souls? What critiques insist themselves into view so that you, thinking on it as you do, might improve upon those radical politics?

In this cycle, the winners were:

Sophia Hyun In Lee, “Racism Embedded in American Policing”
- Sophia is a second-year undergraduate student from the San Ramon Bay Area. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and is interested in continuing her research aspirations in the Development of Social Cognition Lab. She is particularly interested in the fields of clinical and developmental psychology and is also hoping to attend graduate school in the future. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, and playing with her dogs.
Erin Panguito, “The Black Panther Party: Legacies of Care”
- Erin Panguito is a rising senior earning a degree in political science. She is currently a Corporate Social Responsibility intern at Proskaer Rose LLP and is interested in pursuing a career in law. She was previously a summer fellow for the National Urban Debate League where she spent her time creating educational resources for low-income, minority students.
Katrina Nguyen, “Life: A Colorful Quilt”

2023 Theme: Black Hair

How do you express yourself through your hair.
Describe your relationship with your hair. How has society impacted this relationship?
How did you see Black hair portrayed in the media growing up & was it enough for you to feel confident about your hair?

In this cycle, the winners were:

Kaylani Renee Riley, “To be Free”
Ta’hlia Davis, “Automated Culture”
Rodney E. Hironymous, “A Potential Oceanic Milieau for Human Experience in Post-Apocalyptic Earth”

In this cycle, the winners were:

Francisca Okeke, “Listen to Me”
Netia Banks-Larry, “A Black Woman Cries When Faced with Her Reflection”
Maven Sinaguinan, “Medical Myopia”

In this cycle, the winners were:

Autumn Martin, “Unjustified”
Chloe Appiah, “Shades of Brown”
Lori A. Sinanian, “This Never-Ending Spiral”

This Year's Contest: Black Power Under Unimaginable Circumstances

When you see the panther, read the slogan, raise the fist: What do you feel? What don’t you feel? What does this phrase mean under today’s circumstances—rampant climate change, continued capitalist conquest, avoidable but deliberately imposed genocides and famines, and preemptively voided political choices (I mean, really, between these two for President)—what can Black Power mean under these circumstances?

We ask because we believe there is, maybe, revolutionary potential lurking in our answers to these questions—that this phrase, has a kind of energy into which we can tap so that we might invigorate and catalyze the kinds of acts, small and grand, individual and collective, that will change the circumstances that frame our asking.

So, please: whether it is in the form of lyrics or poetry, creative nonfiction, short or long fiction, manifesto, essay, or some genre-bending/genre-combining work, please think creatively and/or critically on some pages and submit to this year’s Black Lives Matter Writing Contest.

The Black Power Under Unimaginable Circumstances contest concluded in June 2024. The winners are listed above.