MAY 2025 | 51 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 1. Allisa Dumas First Place 11th Grade Art Edmond 2. Brookelynn Weaver First Place 11th Grade Writing Pawnee 3. Ledesli Armendariz First Place 10th Grade Writing Pauls Valley AMENDMENT 14 I wasn’t looking for my life-changing revelation at 17, and I definitely didn’t want one either. Ignorance is bliss – or at least, that’s what I thought ... before. It was typical to let history remain safely confined to textbooks and overplayed History Channel documentaries. Sure, I’d cry during lessons on Women’s Suffrage or the Civil Rights Movement, but the tears dried as soon as the bell rang, and the stories of struggle stayed behind in the classroom, neatly filed away while I moved on with my life. I would acknowledge a few threads of the hurt-stained quilt of America, then leave the past behind where I thought it belonged as if it never belonged to me. Before. That’s how it always was – before today. Today, I saw something I’ll never forget. Read the full essay at www.okbar.org/lawday. 2 1 3 MOSAIC OF VOICES Bipartisanship is the way we the People of the United States of America will succeed in unification. Politicians must uphold their duties as being the voice for citizens by cooperating with opposing parties and agendas to ensure democracy is sustained in the Constitution because only then is civic participation impactful. Without bipartisanship, those who engage in politics and use their First Amendment right to voice their opinion may feel unheard and alienated. Although the rise of polarization is increasing every day, there is still hope for change in our government and we must uphold our constitutional promise: liberty, justice, equality, democracy, and security. It is essential that we engage and become the source of change that our country needs to see in order to thrive; we are the source of power. Read the full essay at www.okbar.org/lawday.
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