A.M.E. Today sets First Annual Founder's Day Essay Contest

By John Fisher
A.M.E. Today Publisher

This year we are going to debut something new here at A.M.E. Today.

In honor of the upcoming birthday of our Founder, Richard Allen, and in keeping with the approach of Black History month, which is the official birthday of A.M.E. Today (we were born in 1995 so we will be six this year), A.M.E. Today will hold its first annual Richard Allen Online Essay contest. 

The contest is open to all youth, up to and including the   age of 18. Since A.M.E. Today is an Online Ministry, all submissions must be made by email. Please mail the entries to essaycontest@ame-today.com 

The subject for this year’s essay is "The Importance of
Richard Allen in 2001."  What makes this great man, who was born a slave on February 14, 1760, an important  figure  in 2001,  241 years later. 

The entries should be one to two word processor pages long. Please include with your essay, your name, your age, and your mailing (snail mail) and e-mail addresses, and the name of your home church. If possible, please include a picture of yourself so it can be displayed with your essay. 

The addresses and full names will not be displayed online for security reasons. All entries must be received by Feb. 14, the anniversary of Richard Allen’s birth. 

The judging of the contest will be done by the A.M.E. Today community as a whole. 

The entries, as noted above, will be placed on the 
A.M.E. Today web site for all to read. You then will be allowed to vote, also online, for the one you believe to be the best entry. You only will have one vote for this contest. 

The voting will close at midnight, February 28 and the essay receiving the most votes will be this year’s contest winner. The winning author, will receive a $50 United States Savings Bond. 

If you have budding young authors in your house, in your church, in your neighborhood, tell them to boot up the computers, but instead of launching games, turn on their Word and write a word about "The Importance of Richard Allen in 2001"

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The Richard Allen Online Essay contest I hope will be the first of many activities sponsored by A.M.E. Today to encourage the youth of the church to grow with new
technology. 

There is no reason for the youth of the A.M.E. Church to be caught in a great technology divide. Not if we encourage them to use what they are learning in school, in the wider application of life. 

This contest is asking them to exercise their school-taught technology skills with their church-taught history. To bring technology out of the classroom and back into the church. Please, if not in this endeavor in any way you see possible, encourage our youth not to let technology pass them by. Push them to use what
they are learning in school for their advancement tomorrow and show them it can be coupled to church
tradition.