The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project is pleased to announce a Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts Contest open to Prince George’s County students in grades 9-12. Scholarships totaling $5,000 or more will be awarded to winning participants.
Submissions will be received by February 28, 2026. Entries must be original creative works that shed light on an historical or present-day racial injustice.
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project is pleased to share and congratulate the winners of our 2025 Student Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts Contest. We invited all Prince George’s County high school public, private, or homeschooled students to submit an essay, creative writing, or visual artwork that addressed an historical or current racial justice issue to an online portal. A panel of expert judges selected 10 winners from over 50 submissions representing 12 high schools across the county.
The students were celebrated at an awards program held at the Greenbelt Community Center on May 3, 2025. Students presented their inspirational and moving essays, creative writing, and artwork to an enthusiastic audience of families, friends, teachers, and community members. Winners received certificates and scholarships ranging from $1000 for first place to $200 for third place. In addition, local elected officials including State Senator Alonzo T. Washington, State Delegate Ashanti F. Martinez, and Prince George’s County Council Member At-Large Jolene Ivey attended and presented citations of recognition to each student.
We thank the Greenbelt Black History & Culture Committee, Greenbelt Recreation Department, and the City of Greenbelt for continuing to co-sponsor our awards ceremony and the Greenbelt Access Television team for recording the ceremony.
We are especially grateful for the donations from community individuals and organizations that make the scholarships possible. We applaud every student who entered their justice reflections in our contest.
We look forward to the 2026 contest and welcome anyone who would like to join us in this work.
The 2025 contest winners are:
Name
Award
Title
School
Essay
Ginelys Tavarez Ramirez
1st Place
“From Chains to Denial: The Hidden Cost of Colonialism in the Dominican Republic”
Chesapeake Math and IT Academy North High School
Zyon Lawson
2nd Place
“The Unfinished Fight Against Lynching”
Oxon Hill High School
Caroline Gyan
3rd Place
“Veil of Injustice: The Erasure”
Frederick Douglass High School
Devin Bond
3rd Place
“The Struggle to Desegregate Prince George’s County Public Schools: A Legacy of Resistance and Resilience”
Frederick Douglass High School
Creative Writing
Cheyenne M. Godfrey
1st Place
“Fields of Greed”
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Kaliyah Fletcher
2nd Place
“The Strength in Our Stride”
Frederick Douglass High School
Ava Raines
3rd Place
“Parties Unknown”
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Visual Arts
Angel Adesoji
1st Place
“The Intercepting Fingers”
Chesapeake Math and IT Academy North High School
Angelina Akumkperik
2nd Place
“Latasha Harlins”
Charles Herbert Flowers High School
Riley-Alicia Burton
3rd Place
“Never Forgotten”
Charles Herbert Flowers High School
Special thanks to the PGC LMP Education Committee members: Crystal Carpenter and Pat Neal Co-Chairs, Lula Beatty, Mark Collins, Mary Craft, Mark Docken, Terry Hamlin, Neil Hartigan, Pat McCartney, Sherri Mehta.
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project is honored and excited to congratulate the ten winners of our 2024 Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts contest. Prince George’s County high school public, private, or homeschooled students were invited to submit an essay, creative writing, or visual artwork that addressed an historical or current racial justice issue. Over 80 entries were received from seven high schools across the county.
Jaelynn Walker smiles with her artwork and award.
Janelle Bassole challenges the audience with her essay.
Emmanuella Umoh’s impassioned presentation.
The students were celebrated at an awards program attended by their families, friends, teachers, and community members held at the Greenbelt Community Center on June 15, 2024. Students presented their inspiring essays, creative writing, and artwork to audience applause. Winners received certificates, commendations from local elected officials, and scholarships ranging from $1000 for first place to $100 for honorable mention.
Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan welcoming the audience
We thank the Greenbelt Black History & Culture Committee, Greenbelt Recreation Department, and the City of Greenbelt for sponsoring our awards ceremony and Greenbelt Access Television for recording the ceremony.
We are especially grateful for the donations from community individuals and organizations that made the scholarships possible. We commend every student who entered their justice reflections in our contest.
We share the full list of 2024 contest winners here:
Creative Writing
Name
Award
Title
School
Shana McFadden
1st Place
“Oh Innocent Emmett”
Suitland High School
Marli Jones
2nd Place
“The Pipeline”
Frederick Douglass High School
Mikayla Hollis
3rd Place
“The School to Prison Pipeline”
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Essay
Name
Award
Title
School
Janelle Bassole
1st Place
“A Practice Built Off the Back of Suffering”
Laurel High School
Emmanuella Umoh
2nd Place
“The Power of Representation: Illuminating Paths to Racial Justice Through Media”
The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s public hearing for Prince George’s County will be held in partnership with the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project on Saturday, January 25th from 10am to 2pm at Bowie State University, and virtually. The stories of the four Black men who were victims of documented racial terror lynchings in PGC will be told, descendant testimonies will be heard, and expert witnesses on the impacts and will speak. An opportunity for Public Comment will be provided. Pre-registration is encouraged: Link to RSVP
The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2019 by House Bill 307 and amended by House Bill 297 in 2021 and Senate Bill 478 in 2023. The MLTRC is authorized to research cases of racially motivated lynchings and hold public meetings and regional hearings where a lynching of an African American by a white mob has been documented. Home – Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project is honored and excited to congratulate the winners of our 2023 Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts contest. Each of our nine award winners is a Prince George’s County high school public, private, or homeschooled student.
Winners Jessica Kennerly, A’nya Vest, Ismael Mercado Cruz, Tami Ademumo, Amber Ware, Dorothy Quanteh, Bria Pruden and Carissa Nwabueze pose with Greenbelt Mayor Emmet Jordan at the awards ceremony.
The students were celebrated at an awards program attended by their families, friends, teachers, and community members held at the Greenbelt Community Center on June 17, 2023. Students presented their essays, creative writing, and artwork to audience applause. We thank the Greenbelt Black History & Culture Committee, Greenbelt Recreation Department, and the City of Greenbelt for sponsoring our awards ceremony and Greenbelt Access Television for recording the ceremony.
Student winners received certificates and scholarship money for their future educational pursuits. In addition, winners were invited to attend the Hurston/Wright Foundation Summer Writer’s Workshop at Howard University. We are grateful for the donations from community individuals and organizations that made the scholarships possible. We commend all students who entered their justice reflections in our contest.
PGCLMP Co-Secretary Lula Beatty calls the names of the four documented lynching victims.Bria Pruden, a student from Suitland High School, and the 3rd place visual arts contest entry.First place essay contest winner Tami Ademumo of Frederick Douglass High SchoolAudience members listen to Sherri Arnold
A full list of this year’s winners can be found below.
Did you miss our community remembrance ceremony for Thomas Juricks? Did you attend and want to relive the reverent, special time? Are you looking to see how a similar event for your own community might be structured?
We thank our partners at the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project (and its founder and director Will Schwartz) for capturing the ceremony in full. Watch below.
On March 11, 2023, members of the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project, the Chapel Hill Citizen Association, and youth volunteers and their mentors from Union Bethel Church gathered at the lot adjoining Grace United Methodist Church in Fort Washington to collect soil in remembrance of the life and tragic death of Thomas Juricks, at the approximate site of his death. On October 12, 1869, Juricks became the victim of a racial terror lynching in Piscataway; he is the earliest known victim in Prince George’s County.
On April 15, 2023, over 200 county residents, PGCLMP volunteers, political leaders, and others gathered at Harmony Hall Regional Center to tell the truth of this historic tragedy, memorialize Mr. Juricks and give him the home-going he has always deserved, and dream together of how we can advance toward a future where the lingering affects of racial terror lynchings give way to true progress and equality for all.
Please enjoy this video compilation of some images from this meaningful event, created by PGCLMP member and co-secretary Katie Pugliese.
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project’sfirst Community Remembrance event which will honor Mr. Thomas Juricks, the first known victim of a racial terror lynching in Prince George’s County. We hope to see you there! The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged but not required: https://bit.ly/TJuricks2023.
The event will be held on Saturday, April 15th, 2023 at the Harmony Hall Arts Center in Fort Washington.
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Local History Remembered:
Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project (PGC LMP)
to Honor County’s Earliest Known Lynching Victim
Event: Community Remembrance for Mr. Thomas Juricks
Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Location: Harmony Hall Arts Center in the Harmony Hall Regional Center, 10701 Livingston Road, Fort Washington, MD
This moving program will tell the story of Mr. Thomas Juricks, a Black laborer and farmhand who lived with his family in the Piscataway area near Fort Washington and was extrajudicially murdered by a masked mob of White men on October 12, 1869. The historical aspects of his life and tragic lynching will be paired with a long overdue send-off for Mr. Juricks that will acknowledge and honor him through a libation ceremony, soil collection, music, poetry and dance. Students of several local schools will be performing. Opportunities will be provided to the entire community to reflect and acknowledge that his life mattered and understand how this violent history reverberates into present-day issues such as white supremacy, mass incarceration and educational disparities between races.
“It has been our honor to collaborate with the Chapel Hill community of Fort Washington in researching the history of the lynching that took place there and in presenting what we hope will meaningfully honor the life taken and commit us all to the cause of racial justice in Prince George’s County,” stated the PGC LMP Co-Chairs Crystal Carpenter, Rev. Diane Teichert, and Krystina Tucker.
PGC LMP is a registered non-profit, all-volunteer organization affiliated with Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project (MDLMP). Its mission is to educate the public on the truths of our nation’s continuing legacy of the institution of slavery and its impact on enslaved persons and their descendants, memorialize victims of racial terror lynchings in our county, and advance the cause of racial justice and reconciliation through mutual support and collaboration.
Were you aware that a Black man was lynched in Piscataway in 1869? Likely not, as with other racial terror lynchings, these incidents were not shared historically. This presentation tells Mr. Juricks’ tragic story, one of four documented racial terror lynchings that occurred in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It also explains the necessity to tell this buried story from our past while learning about the PGCLMP and how you can get involved in their work around truth, reconciliation, and healing.
Please be advised that the status, location, or format of this event may change based on COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Please visit this page prior to traveling to the branch/venue for the program.
Face masks and physical distancing are required for all participants over the age of 2.
Please register via the link on this page or by calling (240) 455-5451 to show interest and to receive event updates.
Registration does not guarantee admission.
Participation is permitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Capacity limits may apply.
Tenga en cuenta que el estado, ubicación, o formato de este evento puede cambiar dependiendo de las condiciones de la pandemia COVID-19. Por favor, visite esta página antes de ir a la sucursal/lugar para el programa.
Máscaras y distancia social se requieren para todos los participantes mayores de dos años.
Por favor regístrese por medio del enlace en esta página o llame al (240) 455-5451 para demostrar su interés y recibir las últimas noticias.
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project invites you to hear the truth of our history in a special event on November 13, 2021 at the Accokeek Branch Library in Accokeek, MD as we share the untold story of the lynching of Thomas Juricks in Piscataway in 1869.
This event is free and open to the public and begins at 3 PM on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
During this pandemic, safety and health protocols are in effect. Please wear a mask.
