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!
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!