Congressman Troy Carter Announces 2022 Essay Contest Competition Winner

NEW ORLEANS, L.A. – Earlier this year, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. launched an essay contest challenging high schoolers to analyze Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream for the nation and to share their own vision for a brighter future in a short essay.

His office received a lot of competitive submissions from student writers, but today, Congressman Carter has announced that the winner of his inaugural Black History Month EssayContest is Sydnee Ragas of New Orleans. A rising junior at Arden Cahill Academy in New Orleans, Ms. Ragas’ essay examined the action steps needed to make a more equitable and just world possible. Her dream, she writes, is a world that “sees equality no longer as a theoretical concept that we argue aimlessly about, or use as a tool of political leverage, but that becomes the way of life for every American.”

“Congratulations to Sydnee Ragas on winning my 2022 EssayContest,” said Congressman Carter. “Her thoughtful argument arguing that we must move past semantics towards action is very powerful, and I agree that we must enable everyone’s dreams so that they have not just the will to achieve it, but also the resources. I’m grateful to each and every essayist who shared their thoughts, hopes, and dreams with my office. With all of these thoughtful young people coming into adulthood, it’s clear that our future is in good hands.”

Sydnee Ragas’ essay will be published in the New Orleans Tribune, highlighted on Congressman Carter’s platforms, and she will be invited to an award ceremony in her honor in Washington, D.C. this summer.

The winning essay by Ms. Ragas is below and on the Congressman’s website. A photo of her is here.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

When we reflect on the words of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech, in which he expressed his goals for the future of America, the question comes up of did we achieve his goals, or do they remain unrealized dreams?

After I get home from school, I always turn on the news. This is not only to unwind after a long day, but also to see what events have occurred while I was away.

While in my own bubble during the day, the atrocities that occur in everyday life are easily forgotten. As I look at our nation and the citizens living in it, I can only think "We have failed you, Dr. King."

Living in this seemingly endless cycle of struggle towards progress, and building upon that of Dr. King's inspirational words, I have been inspired to visualize a dream of my own. Dreams of making sure that a mother can see her son come home, instead of seeing him shot dead on the news. That people will continue to understand and learn from the stain that slavery left on this country, so that we may build a better nation going forward. That my children will understand the struggles that came before them, but not have to suffer under them. A dream that sees equality no longer as a theoretical concept that we argue aimlessly about, or use as a tool of political leverage, but that becomes the way of life for every American.

I wish that, one day, we can reflect upon the vision of Dr. King, and find that his dream is no longer 'a dream,’ but has become our reality. As history has shown, dreams without the means or will to achieve them are seldom realized. While anyone can "dream" for things to happen, few put in the effort needed to actualize them.

Methods such as protests and petitions, while helpful, can only bring one's goal to a certain point. If true change is desired, the roots preventing it must be attacked first. This means breaking down social, economic, and political divisions that have left a rift in our nation. Dr. King spent his lifetime preaching and spreading his message of love, equality, and freedom. To push that agenda forward, it is required that we, as U.S. citizens, must come together and overcome the things that set us apart. There is no "one road" to succeeding in our fight for change, but there are things we can do to get there. We must close the gap that, throughout our entire history, has continuously kept us apart from making meaningful change.

Only by coming together will we be able to truly make a meaningful impact and create a better, more equitable society that even Dr. King would be proud of.

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