“Have you ever been faced with any form of discrimination because of the color of your skin?” 

That was the opening sentence of Shediah Taylor’s essay submission for the Tolton Ambassadors-Chicago 2025 Venerable Augustus Tolton Writing Contest. Taylor, a seventh grader at St. John de la Salle Catholic Academy, won second place for the contest’s essay division.

Melanie Renear, Taylor’s mother, said it “felt wonderful” when she found out her daughter was a contest winner.

“It’s good that children learn about the history of all the people who were here before them and what they had to go through. It's always good to know your history,” Renear said.

Taylor was among the 65 fifth- to eighth-grade students throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago who participated in the essay and poetry contest, which concluded on April 21. The seven student winners received cash prizes: $150 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place and $50 for 3rd place. They were also invited to an awards luncheon on May 3, 2025, to celebrate with their families.

“It was the highest number of submissions we’ve seen. We had the largest participation from schools who've never heard of us before,” said Tolton Ambassadors-Chicago President Angela Hicks, who served on the judging panel with three Ambassadors.

The Chicago Ambassadors have sponsored the contest annually for about seven years, said Hicks. The Black Catholic Initiative within the Archdiocese of Chicago started and held the essay contest before the Ambassadors inherited it.

In previous years, the contest solely accepted essay submissions. This year, however, poetry was added as an option, which may have also contributed to the increase, noted Hicks.

She highlighted that the quality and ingenuity of the contest writings were remarkable.

“It was apparent that the students understood what they were writing about. They didn't just look up Fr. Tolton’s virtues, they were able to personalize them,” Hicks said.

Fr. Augustus Tolton is the first Black American priest in the United States. He was born into slavery in Missouri, and his family later moved to Illinois, where he lived out his priestly vocation. Despite the racial and societal hurdles Tolton endured, he led with faith and unwavering trust in God. Now, he is in the process of becoming a saint.

For the writing contest, students focused on at least two of Tolton’s abundant virtues — courage, inclusiveness, forgiveness, perseverance, gratitude, faithfulness, diligence and resilience — and explored how his life remains relevant today.

Taylor said that reflecting on her relationship with God helped her write her essay, which focused on Tolton’s steadfast faith and tenacity.

“I wonder what motivates people to push through, even when the obstacles seem insurmountable. Now, I realize it’s the faith they put in God,” she wrote.

Taylor, coincidentally, is a published author who released her first book, “Call of the Nature's Dearest Heart,” in June 2024.

“The book is about getting closer to God,” she said.

The fiction book features a girl who moves away from home and has to discern her path, battling confusion and uncertainty, which mirror some of Tolton’s lived experiences.

Within the contest’s poetry division, Christian Barrera, a graduating eighth grader at St. John Vianney Catholic School, received second place for his poem that follows and honors Tolton’s life. The contest was his first time writing poetry. An excerpt from Barrera’s piece reads: 

“To serve as a priest, he followed God’s voice.

But barriers loomed, opened no American door,

So to Rome he journeyed, to study and soar.”

“I didn't think I would win, I was really surprised,” said Barrera. “I thought there were so many other good writers, but I'm really grateful.”

He said researching and learning about Tolton, a name he had never heard before, was inspiring.

“It made me think about God. Like Jesus, Tolton pursued the faith and trusted in God,” Barrera said.

Hicks said the hope and purpose of the annual contest remain the same — that students have a greater and deeper knowledge about Tolton’s life.

“I'd like them to become so familiar with the story of Fr. Tolton that they're able to tell it and use it to impact the lives of others,” she said.

STUDENT WINNERS: POETRY AND ESSAY CATEGORIES

Poetry

1st Place

Jordan Amman West-Williams - Our Lady of Africa

2nd Place

Christian Barrera – St. John Vianney

3rd Place

Shaniyah MacLin - St. Ethelreda

Essay

1st Place

Daniella Adu – St. Mary of the Angels

2nd Place

Shediah Taylor - St. John de LaSalle

3rd Place

Zoe Brooks – St. Ailbe

Kataleia Carrasco – St. John Vianney

To learn more about the Venerable Augustus Tolton Writing Contest, contact toltonambassador.chicago@gmail.com.