This year the United States will celebrate the second anniversary of Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in the United States and commemorating Black American freedom. In recognition of this federal holiday, the NAACP - Little Rock Branch will sponsor a "Freedom in America” competition Friday, June 9, in the fellowship hall of historic Bethel AME Church, 815 W 16th Street, Little Rock, at 6:00 pm.

Organized and promoted by the Branch's Juneteenth Committee, this three-part presentation will feature an oratorical competition for high school students, a poetry competition for middle school students, and a poster competition for elementary school students of African descent. Each presentation will be inspired by the event's theme, and reflected through each contestant's personal understanding of what freedom means to them as citizens of the United States of America.

The high school oratorical contest will challenge the prepared and extemporaneous speaking abilities of each participant, while the middle school poetry competition and elementary school poster competition will reveal the creative written and visual talents of each grade level, respectively., These contests will demonstrate what our youth understand about our nation's history, its current impact on the Black community, and their rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities as citizens.

$1,000 in cash will be awarded to oratorical winners. Trophies and medals will be presented to poetry and poster competition winners. To register as a contestant, Click the image above or contact the committee chairperson, Marie Hollowell at military@lrnaacp.org