Local group holds essay contest

Since its founding during Women’s History Month in March 2024, a group of about a dozen Carlton County women have put together five projects as part of the Carlton County Historical Society’s Local Women’s History Affinity Group. The members aim to enhance understanding of women’s place in local history and celebrate connections between those lives and ours today. The group is looking for more members: they meet the first Wednesday of the month at the NP Junction Bookstore in Carlton. Every meeting starts with a presentation by a citizen historian about their work. Community members are invited to share information and/or suggest local women they would like to see researched.

The group is also holding an essay contest for junior and senior high school students in Carlton County and on the Fond du Lac Reservation, including both public school and home-schooled students. Students are invited to submit essays identifying a woman living today who will influence history in the future, and to make the case about why they selected this woman. The companion essay by Katharine Johnson is a good example.

Find essay guidelines and judging criteria at https://bit.ly/4hE4WXv. Submit essays to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. January 6, 2025. The CCHS Local Women’s History Affinity Group will award $500 and $200 scholarships to the top three essays. Prizewinners will be contacted by March 1.