Saving Our Stories

SAVING OUR STORIES AWARDS
FOR THE HISTORY FAIR

PARTICIPATE IN THE STATE HISTORY FAIR
Prepare a paper on your family history, the history of another family or culture, or of the Brown v. Board of Education Court decision.

FAMILY AND MULTICULTURAL HISTORY

FAMILY HISTORY
Learn more about your family stories and the history that brought you to the present place and time. The paper should be based on an oral history interview with an older member of your family and documented by secondary sources.

MULTICULTURAL HISTORY
Learn more about other cultures and the commonalities in your histories. The paper should be based on an oral history interview with an elder of another culture. Interviews with veterans and elders in nursing homes are encouraged.

ELIGIBLE: Middle school and high school students

AWARDS: A $100 award will be given to a middle school student and a high school student in each category.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING ESSAYS

  • Include the continent of your interviewee's origin, the migration to America and to Illinois, the challenges they faced and how they met them, and the traditions that have been passed down to your generation.
  • Not mandatory, but desired--an additional piece on your experience interviewing older people including the challenges in communicating and examples of what helped you to understand each other (250 words or less).

REMEMBERING BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education was one step in a difficult journey toward equality in the nation's schools. The decision retains an important place in United States history and a turning point for education. Legally, it is significant for its reversal of the 5-year-old 'separate but equal' doctrine. Symbolically, it gave hope and inspiration to those involved in the struggle for racial equality in the United States.

May 2004 marks the fifty-year anniversary of the famous Supreme Court decision. Join a statewide discussion of this decision by conducting an oral history interview, writing about it, and entering in the State History Fair.

GUIDELINES

  • The paper should describe the Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education and include background information and at least one interview of someone who remembers the decision. Why was this an important decision? How did it change schools? How did it change your life?
  • The paper should not exceed 1500 words (middle school) or 2000 words (high school).
  • The paper must be submitted through the regional history fairs of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency or the city fairs of the Chicago Metro History Education Center fairs and follow their rules.
ELIGIBLE: Middle school and high school students

AWARDS: A $100 award for middle school and high school

AWARDS PRESENTED: During the State History Expo--on May 6, 2004 in Springfield--by Senate President Emil Jones, Jr.

SPONSORED BY THE SAVING OUR STORIES COALITION:
American Family History Institute, Chicago Historical Society, Chicago Metro History Education Center, Illinois State Historical Library, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois State Historical Society, Illinois State Archives, Illinois Press Association, Illinois Association of School Boards, Intergenerational Initiative: SIU Carbondale, Illinois Coalition for Community Service, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Humanities Council, Illinois State Library, Secretary of State's Office, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Education Association, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois PTA, North Central College, AARP, Illinois Department on Aging, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency 217-782-2981
Chicago Metro History Education Center 312-255-3661
or try the Saving Our Stories website at Southern Illinois University Carbondale


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