Allen not only credits his Jamaican parents and grandparents for his awareness of black history, but also positive black icons. - CONTRIBUTED
HADEN XAVIER Allen, a 16-year-old Jamaican-born student residing in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is one of 10 finalists chosen from more than 2,000 contestants to win the 2006 NBC4/WRC-TV 4 Black History Month Essay Contest.
"Although I have confidence in my writing ability, I knew there were many applicants and I didn't expect to win," Allen said. "I enjoy reading and learning about black history and when I saw the contest announcement I jumped at the chance to enter the competition."
For the third year in a row, NBC4/WRC TV has celebrated diversity by holding a Black History Month Essay Contest for high school students. Students are asked to write and submit an essay on the topic. 'Why is Black History Month important?' Contest entries must be original (written by the student), typed or printed legibly, and must be no more than 1,000 words in length. Contestants must be enrolled in high school and must be at least 13 years old.
INSPIRED BY GREAT LEADERS
In his essay, Allen not only credits his Jamaican parents and grandparents for his awareness of black history, but also attributes his knowledge to icons such as Bob Marley, Colin Powell, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, among others, for inspiring him to become a "political and social leader of this great country".
Allen will be awarded a college scholarship and read his essay at a special ceremony today at the NBC4/WRC-TV studios in Washington, D.C.
He is a college-bound junior (11th grader) at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is on the honour roll in the Montgomery County Public Schools System.
