Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) and Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), U.S.-based advocacy organizations committed to human rights and multi-religious pluralism in the United States, India, and beyond, collaborated in a Civil Rights Art and Essay Contest for South Asian youth, grades 6 - 12, to connect their identities with the historical and contemporary movements for civil and human rights.

The purpose of the contest was to promote dialogue within the South Asian-American community about how much we have benefited from the civil rights and voting rights struggles of the 60’s, and about how we can contribute meaningfully to the ongoing quest for social justice in America and elsewhere. 

The students were evaluated on three criteria: Did the student answer the prompt? Was the work well-executed? Did the student connect to the issue personally? Was their heart in the work?

The Awards, Runners Up and Honorable mentions in each of our three categories — High School essays, Middle School essays and Art submissions — were announced by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

Special Guests in Award Ceremony

Special guests in the Award Ceremony, who shared remarks and took questions from students, were (seen above L-R): Historian and Biographer, and HFHR Advisory Board Member, not to mention grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Prof Rajmohan Gandhi; Executive Director of NAACP-Alabama, Terra Foster; and professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the UN-affiliated University for Peace, Dr. Mary E. King.

The whole Award Ceremony can be viewed here.

Students Who Participated

The contest was announced in January, and almost 100 middle and high school students registered throughout February, which was Black History Month. The last date for submission of artwork and essays was February 28th, and here is the incredible geographical spread of the 42 students who submitted entries:

California, USA = 11; New York, USA = 4; Virginia, USA = 2; Illinois, USA = 3; Georgia, USA = 2; Washington, USA = 2; New Hampshire, USA = 1; New Jersey, USA = 1; Texas, USA = 4; Arizona, USA = 1; North Carolina, USA  = 2; Michigan, USA = 1; Massachusetts, USA = 6; Jharkhand, India = 1; Lahore, Pakistan = 1

These were the accomplished jurors in our Essay and Art Contest, who gave their time and expertise, and love in the judging process. The judges were given the entries without names or identifiers of the students.

ESSAY CONTEST JUDGES:

Tarunjit Butalia, Research Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, OH
Linda Hess, Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University (retired), CA
Balmurli Natrajan, Professor, Department of Community & Social Justice, William Patterson University, NJ
Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion, Saint Olaf College, MN
Samina Salim, Associate Professor Pharmacology, University of Houston and IAMC volunteer, TX
Sarah Sayeed, Chair & Executive Director, New York City Civic Engagement Commission
Roja Singh, Visiting Asst Professor, St. John Fisher College and Dalit Solidarity Forum, NY
Simran Jeet Singh, Writer, Teacher, Author, Visiting Professor of religion at Union Theological Seminary, NY
Masuda Sultan, Afghan American entrepreneur and international human rights advocate, NY
Tazmin H. Uddin, Youth Program Director, Turning Point for Women and Families, NY

ART CONTEST JUDGES:

Salma Arastu, a Bay Area artist whose work aims for a universal and interfaith experience of peace and well-being, largely inspired by Islamic calligraphy and art, CA
Arathi Menon, Assistant Professor of Art History, Hamilton College (Academic work on Kerala sacred architecture), NY
Yousuf Saeed, Yousuf Saeed is an independent filmmaker, researcher and designer based in India.
Siddhartha V. Shah, Director of Education and Civic Engagement, Curator of South Asian Art, Peabody Essex Museum, MA
Thukral and Tagra, Delhi-based artists whose work regularly deals with social issues in India.

DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS:

Anand Prakash, Suba Rangaswami, Ismael Mohammed, Abdul Quadir

Annual Event!

IAMC and HfHR stated in the Award Ceremony that we would like to make this an annual event! We thank all the special guests, jurors, volunteers and most importantly, the students who put their hearts into their submissions. The youth are not only our future, they are our PRESENT!