The Reverend Ivan George Essay Video Poster Contest

The Cherry Hill African American Civic Association began our Essay-Poster-Video Contest for Black History Month in 2015. The contest is open to all kindergarten through 12 grade Cherry Hill Public School students and aims to educate them about the contribution of African Americans to American history. CHAACA partners with the Cherry Hill Public Library to provide publicity and research help for the contest.

Reverend Ivan George, a long-time member of CHAACA, proposed an essay contest more than twenty years ago. In 2018, CHAACA honored him for his vision at the Cherry Hill Public Library by renaming the contest, The Reverend Ivan George Essay-Poster-Video Contest. Sadly, Reverend George passed in 2020. 

Each year we have had over 100 entries across all grade levels and has awarded more than $12,000 in prize money. Our students have researched the following topics:

• African American Inventors
• African American in Sports: Athletes, Coaches or Sports Management
• African American in the Arts born before 1960: Performing Arts, Media Arts and Visual Arts
• African Americans in S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
• Famous Local African Americans (Born in or From New Jersey or Philadelphia)
• African American in the Armed Forces and NASA
• The Impact of the Healthcare System on African Americans and Famous African Americans in Healthcare
• Their Stories Matter: African Americans in Our Schools and Community
• 2024 – African American Olympians and Paralympians