“Fair Housing: Unity in the Community” is the theme of this year’s annual Fair Housing Month poster, poem, essay and audio-visual contest. The contest is sponsored by the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity in collaboration with the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.
Students are urged to create a poster, poem, essay or video that conveys the message that it is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing because of race, color, religion, familial status, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status and gender identity or expression. Students may submit only one entry for each category no later than 5 p.m. on March 13.
Third, fourth and fifth-grade students may submit a poster and/or poem; sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students may submit a poster, poem and/or essay; and ninth through 12th-grade students may submit an essay, poem and/or video. All participants will receive five community service hours for each entry submitted.
First-place winners in elementary and middle school will be awarded $100 cash. High school first-place winners will be awarded a tablet computer. Second-place winners receive at least $50 at each level, and third-place winners will be awarded at least $25 at each level. Winners will be announced on April 3, and prizes will be awarded on April 15 at a reception in West Palm Beach.
For contest rules and more information, visit www.pbcgov.com/equalopportunity or contact Pamela Guerrier at (561) 355-4884 or pguerrie@pbcgov.org.
