“LETTERS TO…” COLLECTIVE
“Letters To…” Contest Overview
Empowering youth to champion racial equality by amplifying their stories.
Letters allow students to put their thoughts and feelings into words that might typically be tough to express. With the “Letters To…” writing contest, students nationwide wrote letters to themselves, family, teachers, mentors, peers, bullies, future children, etc., on the subject of race, ethnicity, and identity. They also shared words of gratitude, hope, and their personal journey and learnings. The essay contest drew over 900 amazing student submissions with the top 10 essays awarded a cash prize.
Additionally, select student entries will be included as part of the live and virtual “Letters To…” art exhibit. The “Letters To…” Exhibition is made possible with the help of sponsors and partners, who believe in empowering youth advocacy for racial equity and supporting these student voices.
For the best viewing experience, please use full screen.
“Letters To…” Exhibition
Select letters will be featured in the "Letters To..." art exhibition that will be located at the Billie Jean King Main Library in Long Beach, CA from June 9th through August 31st.
Additionally, we will be showing these submissions on our virtual exhibition which you will be able to view right here starting in the month of June.
We are extremely excited and proud to showcase your letters during the in-person and virtual exhibitions!
Exhibition Launch Party
We will be hosting a live event to kickoff the exhibition. Along with community leaders and guests, we welcome your families and the community to attend. At the event, you will have the opportunity to read many of the letters, hear winning authors read their stories, enjoy food and more!
Date: Thursday, June 9th, 2022
Time: 6PM
Location: Billie Jean King Main Library
200 W Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
Please RSVP by June 2nd, 2022
Winners Announcement
We want to thank all of our participants in the "Letters To..." essay contest. Your letters bring heartbreak, empathy, inspiration, and most of all hope for the future. We look forward to you continuing to Make Noise Today and every day!
Congratulations to the winning student submissions!
Platinum Pen Award Winner ($5000)
Aida Y. G.
Gold Pen Award Winners ($1000 each)
Scarlett C. and Kenna P.
Silver Pen Award Winners ($500 each)
Amerie G., Natasha Q. and Arabella V.
Honorable Mention Awards ($375 each)
Arshia A., My H., Xin L. and Sage S.
The following submissions will also be featured in the live and virtual “Letters To…” exhibitions:
Runners Up:
Judith B., Erin B., Saumya B., Jane H., Brandon V-C., Emma M., Coco Z., Gabriel D., Viviana A., Arielle D., Jay’me B., Janeeta S.
Additional Essays which will be included in the Exhibitions:
Mia Z., Chloe HdM., Safiyah S-D., Hector M.R., Kai-enne S., Tamanna H., Jakhai W., Skye R., Mariya G., Jessica L., Anna Ph., Myrtistine S., Mackenzie B., Emma Bo., Ashlyn B., Amelia N.P., Alisa F., Emma Be., Giovanna P., Sean M., Julianna M., Sophia Q., Margaret W., Regina P., Lulu T.L., Devlyn W., Nina R., Angela C., Olivia K., Andrea P., Camila A., Rishi P., Millie L., Mimi V., Samaree P., Brenda M., Kyla H., Destiny L., Melanie G.C., Ciera F., Daniela M.
Featured Artists:
Aida G., Arabella V., Arianna H., Ashley L., Breeana T., Carisma W., Daniela M.B., Donnavin J., Emma B., Isha M., Kyla H., Laurence L-F., Linda G.C., Michael K.C. Millie L., Rachel W., Sage S.
AAPI Month
As part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we have selected a few quotes from the essays to uplift Asia voices in a social media and outdoor advertising campaign.
Thank You to Our Judging Panel
We wanted to highlight the invaluable efforts of the Make Noise Today team who sorted through all 900+ essays, and our judging panel who took the time to read the 200 finalists and score according to the rubric.
History Educator, Geffen Academy at UCLA.
Morell Jones is a history educator at the Geffen Academy at UCLA. He is an alumnus of UCLA, where he received an undergraduate degree in history and received his master’s in education from Cal State San Marcos. Morell has served as an educator in the Greater Los Angeles area for over 20 years and has taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. Most recently, Morell stepped out of the classroom to become a student support/intervention specialist. The Geffen Academy is a university-affiliated, tuition-based school with a public mission to support and improve secondary education. The Academy is uniquely positioned between public and private school traditions, with the freedom to develop a fully research-based curriculum aimed at participating in the national conversation about modern education.
Writer, New York
Ian was born in Mexico City to a Chinese mother and a Mexican father before immigrating to Dallas, Texas. His words have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, VICE News and others. He is currently a lifestyle writer at Mic. Ian graduated from New York University and is currently pursuing a non-fiction MFA at Columbia. Ian’s writing covers everything that has to do with the lives and wellbeing of queer people and people of color, across themes of identity, mental health, representation, and community.
Poet Laureate, Editor of The Harvard Crimson
Beginning at a young age, Eleanor's efforts to harness the intersection of writing and activism have been repeatedly recognized by local, national, and international entities. As a National Young Arts Winner in Writing (Spoken Word) and the 2019 Oakland Youth Vice Poet Laureate, Eleanor has performed her spoken word at events around the country, from the YWCA Inspire Awards to the United Nations 75th Anniversary Commemoration. In 2020, she used her platform to lead in-class workshops on creative expression as a counter to forces of colonization, which culminated in the publication of a student poetry anthology. Most recently, she published a long-form op-ed on Harvard's role in U.S. colonialism in the Philippines which topped the most-read list and was shared hundreds of times online. She is currently a sophomore at Harvard College, where she is an editor and executive on the Editorial Board of The Harvard Crimson undergraduate newspaper and a policy director at the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative.
Thank You to Our Exhibition Sponsors & Partners
88 Rising
Memorial Care
ODK Media
Willow TV
Major League Cricket
City National Bank
Datawrkz
Asian Journal
Monica Sadhu & Family
Diversify Our Narrative
Teach For America
Act To Change
Youth Against Hate
626 Speak Out
Make Us Visible NJ
APIA Education Equity
Little Saigon TV
Raintree Partners