Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, INC.
Xi Tau lambda chapter

The 2024 Black History Month Essay Contest is sponsored by the Sankofa Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Xi Tau Lambda Chapter. The contest was created to provide Dallas Metroplex high school students an opportunity to earn scholarships by spreading awareness of prominent African American leaders and trailblazers making an impact in the world.

Eligibility
Eligible participants are current 9th grade male high school Dallas Metroplex students. First and second place winners will be selected by a panel of judges and will receive a monetary prize that can be used for educational purposes. Prizes will be provided in the form of a check made payable directly to the student (or parent/legal guardian).

Essays must be typed, 500-750 words in length (approximately 2 to 2 ½ pages). Only one essay submission per contestant.

Submissions should also include the essay submission form included on the last page of this document. Submissions must be the contestant’s original work; essays developed using ChatGPT or other language models will not be considered.

Essays will be judged upon 1) adherence to the topic, 2) essay organization, 3) voice (clarity of author’s purpose), 4) word choice, 5) sentence structure, grammar, mechanics & spelling.

Essay Details
Students will write and submit an original essay based on the theme:

Black History is American History: Preserving Black history in an age of misinformation and policy attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Students are asked to consider recent issues facing the black community and share what they believe has been done to address the issue(s) and/or what still needs to be done to address the issue(s).

The topic of the essay submission should place more focus on contemporary issues impacting the African American community (within the last decade).

Essay submissions should include pertinent facts about the leader and explain how the individual helped promote equality for African Americans today.

Prizes
First Place Prize: $500
Second Place Prize: $250

The deadline to submit essays is now extended to 11:59 PM (CST) on February 23, 2024. Late submissions will not be considered. 

Winners will be notified via email by March 1, 2024.

For questions, please contact BlackHistoryEssay06@gmail.com

For more information about the Sankofa Foundation or Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., please visit: DFWSankofa.org or NorthDallasAlphas.org

Disclaimer: By participating in the Black History Month Essay Contest, I hereby irrevocably grant to the Sankofa Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Xi Tau Lambda Chapter perpetually, exclusively, and for use throughout the world, any and all rights to use and incorporate, in whole or in part, my submission, my name, and my likeness, for reproduction in any and all media for purposes of advertising, trade, display, exhibition, editorial use, or other use as determined by the Sankofa Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Xi Tau Lambda Chapter in its sole discretion.