RICHMOND, Va. — Several Richmond students won big Friday in the Oliver Hill Day Student Media Competition.
Twelve students submitted spoken word, songs or even TikTok videos on this year's theme: Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility and Collaboration.
The event honors the legacy of Oliver Hill Sr., a civil rights attorney who fought segregation and dedicated his life to fighting injustice.
Organizers and city leaders said the event teaches students about how far the city has come and highlights the people who paved away.
"I think it's very very important we remember our heroes, we remember our sheroes,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said. “The best way to do that is to make sure our young kids know about them. You have to do that through our education system."
Paris Veillard, the chairperson of the Oliver Hill Day Planning Committee, said the yearly event is an important reminder of Hill’s legacy.
"We need Richmond to remember how far we've come and to have a focus on where we're going in the future,” Veillard said. “The only way we do that is by talking about the members of our community who have paved the way for all of us."
The first-place winners scored a $100 gift card.
High School Winners:
- 1st Place Rafeuddin Qasimi, John Marshall High School
- 2nd Place Davida Carry!, John Marshall High School
- 3rd Place Makayla Riley, Thomas Jefferson High School
- Honorable Mention Jeremiah Trent, John Marshall Maj. Reives' 3rd Block, Franklin Military Academy
Middle School Winners:
- 1st Place Kensington Wiggins, Albert Hill Middle School
- 2nd Place Kadence Coleman, Albert Hill Middle School
- 3rd Place Isabel Lopez Guerra, Holden Basnett, and Bri Sanders, Albert Hill Middle School
- Honorable Mention Ava Crow, Albert Hill Middle School
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