Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Announces

2012 Winners of Student Stowe Prize

 

Hartford – The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center has selected Tess Domb Sadof of Amherst Regional High School (Amherst, MA) and Hannah C. Morgan of the University of Maryland (Washington D.C.) as the 2012 recipients of the inaugural Student Stowe Prize.

The Student Stowe Prize recognizes outstanding writing by United States high school and college students that motivates action for positive social change. The award follows last year’s Stowe Prize, presented to Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn for their work Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a ground-breaking epic in the tradition of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The two student winners will be honored at the Stowe Center’s Big Tent Celebration on June 5, 2012.  Annette Gordon-Reed, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in History for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, will present the award, which includes a $2,500 cash prize to Hannah Morgan, the college winner.  Former Connecticut State Senator Biagio “Billy” Ciotto will present the award and the $1,000 cash prize to Tess Domb Sadoff, the high school winner.  The cash awards are funded by the Stowe Center.

The Big Tent Celebration will be held on the grounds of the Stowe Center and is a fundraiser supporting the Center’s education programs promoting civic engagement.  The Hartford Financial Services Group is the Presenting Sponsor of the Big Tent. U.S. Congressman John B. Larson is the Honorary Chair.

Tickets to the Big Tent Celebration may be obtained by contacting swolcheski@stowecenter.org or calling 860-522-9258, ext. 305.  The $100 ticket includes cocktails, picnic supper and awards presentation.  The $150 ticket also includes a cocktail reception with Guest of Honor Annette Gordon-Reed.   A free public program, Inspiration to Action: Real Stories of Social Change, precedes the event from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. at Immanuel Congregational Church across the street from the Stowe Center.

Ms. Sadof’s winning entry took on the subject of bullying.  Her editorial, “Young Witnesses to Bullying Must Be Part of Solution,” appeared in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  Ms. Sadof argues that bullying is not just between bully and victim, and that those who witness bullying make a choice to ignore it or intervene.  “I am committed to using dialogue to build a community where individuals take responsibility to acknowledge, address and respond to injustice,” says Sadof.  In addition to her writing, Ms. Sadof formed the first-ever School Climate Group at her high school to fight bullying and create a safe environment for all.

Ms. Morgan, a budding journalist, submitted her entry from Street Sense, a newspaper sold by homeless individuals in Washington D.C., shining a light on the harrowing life stories of those living on the edge of society.  Whereas many avoid making eye contact with people living on the street, Ms. Morgan wandered the city talking to homeless people and learning their stories.  She gave voice to their struggles through a series of articles which were also published by the Huffington Post and DC Impact.  “I heard harrowing tales of survival through hypothermia season, hurricanes, drug abuse and family tragedies,” says Morgan.  “And through all of this, I solidified my commitment to journalism.”

The winning entries were chosen from submissions from high school and college students throughout the country.  The panel of judges included Dr. Eugene Leach, Trinity College; Renwick Griswold, University of Hartford; Elizabeth Devine, Hall High School, West Hartford, CT; and Dr. William Silva, Lewis S. Mills School, Burlington, CT.

Harriet Beecher Stowe recognized the injustice of slavery and was compelled to take pen to paper and write Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  The Student Stowe Prize winners carry on Stowe’s work by fighting for social justice in our time.  The prize will be awarded every other year, alternating with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Prize for Writing for Social Justice.  Both prizes are integral to the Stowe Center’s mission to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, a museum, program center and research library, is located at 77 Forest Street in Hartford, CT.  The Stowe Center is open year round for tours and programs. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center preserves and interprets Stowe’s Hartford home and the Center’s historic collections, promotes vibrant discussion of her life and work, and inspires commitment to social justice and positive change. 

Visit the website: http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/worxcms_published/programs.items_page208.shtml