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Jada Young, an alumnus of Rufus King High School who is double majoring in political science and economics (on the pre- law track) at UW-Madison, has won the 12th annual Freedom Scholarship Essay Contest, Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs announced today.
Selected from entries sent to the Alderwoman’s office, Ms. Young’s essay on freedom best captured the essence of the popular scholarship contest, Alderwoman Coggs said.
“The struggle for freedom, equality and justice has been brought to the fore by the Black Lives Matter protests and a wider reckoning with inequality, injustice and systemic racism, made ever clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Alderwoman Coggs said. “Ms. Young eloquently wrote about that reckoning and what it means to her, and for me that struck a powerful chord.”
Ms. Young, who has become an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement and plans to one day use her law degree to further civil and human rights causes, in her essay, wrote: “By better investing in our urban, inner city schools, we can uplift our black communities and work towards diminishing racial disparities in the justice and education systems. Without investing in these issues, we are not ensuring the liberties and rights of all Americans.”
Ms. Young, a former member of the City of Milwaukee Youth Council (1st District) who served on the ACLU Student Alliance, won the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Spoken Word Contest for the high school division, was a three-time All-City Conference Champion for MPS girls’ tennis, and a two-time state qualifier for the Wisconsin State Music Association Solo & Ensemble Festival.
For the winning entry Ms. Young receives a $500 scholarship award.
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