Congratulations to Mariah Campbell who is recognized  as a 2017 Champion of Courage winner in the Black History Month Essay Competition.  The twenty finalists will share their alute to the "Champions of Courage" with Fox 45.  Each student essayist will be presented with a $100 prize.   Champions of Courage is sponsored by M&T Bank. The "essay" had to be 30 seconds when read aloud for the TV. Here is Mariah's essay.

There are many courageous figures in history that advocated for the beliefs of Martin Luther King, Jr. However, Maya Angelou is the embodiment of King's hope for mankind. With the beauty of mere words, she plants love and empathy into reluctant hearts like seeds. Her voice conveys a power, a need to be heard that enjoins people of all cultures to stop and listen. Through faith, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Maya Angelou embraced the struggle and rose above the hate.