Shira Baumann, a seventh-grader at Blendon Middle School, has been selected as the winner of the seventh-grade essay competition in the 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Art, Essay & Multimedia contest hosted by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
As part of the contest, students in grades 6-12 were asked to write an essay or create art about how they have responded to a challenge or setback. Baumann wrote about her experiences on Blendon’s football team and how she worked on being the best team player in response to those who questioned why she joined the sport.
“I realized that not only does multi gender teams create unity, but it also creates a greater strength when you work as one toward a common goal,” she wrote in her essay.
Baumann connected how she took action “to make people see who you are and what you can do” with how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s actions helped define him.
“It's that first move that catches people’s attention,” she wrote. “Whether it's marching through the streets of Washington, waving a flag for all to see, or being a girl who plays football, it is your actions that force people to remember who you are.”
Baumann, who hopes to become a writer, said she was surprised to learn that won the seventh-grade essay competition.
“It means to me a lot,” she said. “It’s getting me closer to the goals that I have in my life and the goals that I want to do for the world.”
Baumann will record her winning entry in a video which the Ohio Civil Rights Commission will showcase at its Feb. 25 commission meeting.