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'Our Drum Is Beating': Meet The Winner Of KERA's Maya Angelou Essay Contest

Kit Lively
/
KERA News
Lauren Moore is entering her sophomore year at Guyer High School in Denton.

Earlier this year, KERA sponsored an essay contest for high school students across North Texas. The assignment: Draw inspiration from a poem by Maya Angelou to talk about race relations in the U.S.

Lauren Moore, 15, took the top prize. The Guyer High School sophomore chose the Maya Angelou poem "Equality" and wrote about her experience as a young black woman.

Listen to an excerpt from her essay. Note: It includes strong language some listeners may find uncomfortable.

Read Lauren’s full essay here.

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.