The 2013-2014 RTIEL Essay Contest topic related to the Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Scholars discussed the relevance of Sections 4 and 5 of the Act during the Civil Rights era, the arguments for and against repealing Section 4 of the Act, and expressed their opinion regarding the Supreme Court’s decision.
Related to the essay contest topic, the Scholars were honored to meet, talk with, and have their pictures taken with the legal team of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who argued the case at the Supreme Court!
RTIEL Scholars with NAACP Legal Defense Fund legal team after a Panel Discussion
At the Freedom Flame Awards Banquet, the Scholars were honored to see various dignitaries win Freedom Flame Awards and to meet Reverend Jesse Jackson, Pastor Frederick Haynes, Mrs. Faya Rose Toure, and Reverend Doctor William Barber!
The Scholars enjoyed their time visiting various museums and historic sites in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. And on Sunday, the Scholars were honored to be marching with tens of thousands of other individuals commemorating Bloody Sunday!
Dawn and Harshini at the Alabama State Capitol!