Press Release for Esther Productions, Inc Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Esther Productions Inc

202-829-0591-- estherproductionsinc@gmail.com

ESTHER PRODUCTIONS INC. ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ITS THIRD ANNUAL DISCOVERING ME…WITHOUT YOU ESSAY CONTEST

Flyer created and designed by Ms. Afrika Abney

Services provided by Ms. Abney

Maya Santhanam, Anais Joubert, Amari Norris were selected by a distinguished panel of judges as First Place, Second Place and Third Place winners respectively of Esther Productions Inc’s essay writing contest for 2021. Two other young ladies Diya Jha and Briayawna Mitchell-Thomas were chosen as Honorable Mentions. They received cash awards totaling $1800.00 They were selected from a group of more than two-dozen teen girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Those who did not receive cash prizes were given $25 gift cards. Esther Productions Inc. and members of the community congratulated all the young ladies during an exciting program on Dec. 11 at which Yasmine Arrington, founder and director of ScholarChips, was the keynote speaker and Addison Switzer and Ana Acevedo were served as hosts.

Discovering Me…Without You was launched in 2019 by the Fatherless Daughter Empowerment Project, a division of Esther Productions Inc. The essay contest is designed to educate the public about the importance of fathers in the lives and development of girls and women. Nationally, more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without their fathers. In the Washington Metropolitan region at least 60 percent of homes are single parent households, many of them headed by women. The contest is intended to provide a platform for some of those children, particularly fatherless girls.

Each contestant also is given the opportunity in the essay submission to share the story about father absence and to demonstrate her resilience in the face of that trauma and its challenges. Most important, the teen girls are asked to reveal their story of self-discovery: how she has come to know her worth and value; how she has come to recognize her imperfections but also her strengths; and how she believes she can succeed in the world despite the challenge of fatherlessness.

The entries were judged by a team of successful professional leaders including Ana Acevedo, chairperson of Esther Productions Inc.; Patricia Bitondo, Woman’s National Democratic Club; Alycea Gayle, high school student, Ana R. Harvey, a former senior executive in President Barack Obama’s administration; Alicia Henry, Shelly Livingston, Jerry L. Malmo, Winfield Swanson; Woman’s National Democratic Club; and Addison Switzer, CEO of BuckWild Media.

Winning essays will be features on estherproductionsinc.com during the months of January and February. A book of essays by 2020 and 2021 winners will be released in April 2022.

Esther Productions, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based national nonprofit organization. Founded in 2004, it is dedicated to inspiring and empowering girls and women. It is supported through generous contributions from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Emmanuel Bailey, Pepco, an Exelon Corporation, Fort Myer Construction Corporation Charitable Foundation, David Jannarone, Brett Greene, American Management Corporation, Neil Albert, Joshua Lopez, Rosalind Blunt, Donna Sanders, and Esther’s Friends. Special Thanks: Afrika Abney, Arts and Marketing Consultant.

Djimo Kouyate

Commissioned Photography for Baba Djimo Kouyate Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 1997, Washington, DC Photograph by Ms. Afrika Abney "Djimo Kouyaté (August 16, 1946 - August 1, 2004). Djimo Kouyate was from the Malinké tribe, a sub-group of the Mandingo people. Born in Tambacounda, Senegal, he was from a distinguished family of griots who trace their ancestry back to the thirteenth century. A master kora player and a fine singer and dancer, Djimo also played a variety of other instruments including balafon (wooden xylophone), drums, and other string instruments. He worked with the Senegalese National Ballet as a singer and dancer since 1960, and was a founding member of the National Instrumental Ensemble of Senegal."

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