Kansas City High School Students Take Top Prizes

CHICAGO, April 22, 2004 – Several students from Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan., won honors in the eighth annual “Images of Freedom” student photography competition sponsored by the American Bar Association.

As part of Law Day, which is observed on May 1, student competitors send in their original photographs depicting the Law Day theme. This year’s theme, “To Win Equality by Law: Brown v. Board at 50,” focuses on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the legacy of the Brown decision in American law and society.

Jennifer Mills, a Piper High School junior, who received an honorable mention in the competition last year, won first place with “Living the Dream,” a skillful photograph superimposing over an image of the U.S. Supreme Court an image of two children of different races playing together. After 50 years, Mills feels it is evident “that students of different races appreciate the opportunity of attending school together and do not let skin color come between friendship, especially on the playground!”

Mills will be awarded a special plaque and an expense-paid trip for her and a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., to receive her first place $1,000 prize. Her photo, along with other winning entries, will be displayed in public libraries and museums nationwide and on the ABA Division for Public Education’s Web site, located at http://www.abanet.org/publiced/imagescontest.

Second-place winner Matt Kelling, a sophomore at Piper High School, thinks his photo, “Through One’s Hands,” which depicts a black hand and a white hand holding up a stack of textbooks, “shows the effect of Brown v. Board of Education because it demonstrates the equal opportunity that you have in school no matter what your skin color is.”

Renee Johnson, a 16-year old from Hidden Valley High School in Grants Pass, Ore., took third place with “Passport to Equality.” Johnson’s black and white photo features an African-American judge sitting on the steps of a school handing a book to a young African-American girl. When asked about her subjects, Johnson replied, “An African-American judge, having traveled a road made available by the spirit of equality through law, is able to give the same opportunity for liberty, justice and education to the generations that follow.”

Receiving honorable mention are 16-year-olds Spenser Hinkle and Hilary Yost from Piper High School, and 18-year-old James F. Bates from Colville High School in Colville, Wash.

The Images of Freedom competition gives students the opportunity to create powerful images that express how they view freedom and the laws that protect them and their communities every day.

Established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, Law Day celebrates the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law. It provides an opportunity to help students and the public understand how the law protects their freedoms. More than just a day to reflect on this nation’s legal heritage, Law Day is a call to action that often encompasses weeks of programs and activities conducted by schools, bar associations, courts, and civic groups. For more information on Law Day programs and activities for 2004, contact the ABA Division for Public Education at 312/988-5735 or visit the Law Day web site at http://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawday.

The mission of the ABA Division for Public Education is to promote public understanding of law and its role in society. The division conducts conferences and seminars; publishes periodicals, books, and other resources; sponsors awards programs; serves as a national information clearinghouse; and provides technical assistance to educators, lawyers, and others.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.