Congratulations to 2015 Scholarship Recipients Sajo Jefferson and Katelyn Parzych!
Please join us in congratulating the two worthy recipients of the 2015 Sojourner Truth Scholarship for Social Justice, Sajo Jefferson, of Amherst Regional High School, and Katelyn Parzych, of Easthampton High School.
Sajo is a committed anti-racism activist who has organized many anti-racism events in her local community, including a walk-out at Amherst Regional High School; is editing and publishing a student newsletter about issues of injustice; and is involved in a group called Freedom Readers, which reads and discusses works about injustice. In her application essay, she affirmed her dedication to fighting injustice:
Sojourner Truth is important to me and the work that I want to do because of her relentlessness. She never gave up or gave in. She trusted her intuition while remaining critical of herself and those around her whether she was in Northampton with fellow abolitionists or the White House with Abraham Lincoln. I am inspired by Sojourner Truth to stand for all of what I believe in and all of who I am and hold myself accountable for doing so. She taught me that anyone has the capacity to stand for justice and truth if they are constantly working hard for it. So, that is exactly what I plan to do.
Katelyn has dedicated herself to helping others, through rallying her community to send holiday greetings to hospitalized veterans, fundraising for Students Against Destructive Decisions, and volunteering for Special Olympics. In her application essay, she wrote about her commitment to equality:
Sojourner Truth believed strongly in equality. She stood tall against injustice and spent all of her time fighting for the rights of everyone, no matter what the cause. I have worked to emulate her ideas by making sure to treat everyone with the utmost respect and help those in need. ... From the moment the athletes [at the Special Olympics] started bowling and I saw the light in their eyes, all I wanted was to help them have all of the opportunities that they desired, and even those they never thought possible.
Both young women are exemplary examples of the next generation of social justice activists following in Sojourner Truth's footsteps.
Sajo and Katelyn will receive their awards and address the community at the 13th Annual Sojourner Truth Memorial Celebration on Sunday, May 24, at 2:00 p.m. at the Sojourner Truth statue, at the corner of Park and Pine Streets in Florence.
Each year the Sojourner Truth Committee awards up to two $1000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors from local high schools. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate in an essay their experience and commitment to social justice and equality.
