Black Autistic Excellence: Winning PVAMU’s 10th Annual Essay and Oratory Contest

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 3, 2024) - Prairie View A&M University first-year student Bertrice Askew's winning essay on the American pianist and composer Thomas Wiggins, a blind musical prodigy born into slavery, struck a chord, perhaps because it was as vulnerable as courageous.

The personal essay, inspired by her own experience as a Black woman with autism, took first place in the University's 10th Annual Essay and Oratory Contest, themed "African Americans and the Arts: Bearing Sorrow, Finding Joy."

Over six pages, Askew delved into "Black autistic excellence," highlighting her own struggles and triumphs alongside the life and death of "Blind Tom" Wiggins.

"I knew that in order for me to genuinely connect with the theme of this contest, I'd have to write about someone that I saw some of myself in," said the 19-year-old majoring in business marketing in an email about her win. "I decided to address Wiggins' story while intertwining his experience with personal anecdotes of mine."

Askew is not blind nor a musician, but she has "always been different," operating "on a strict schedule," eating food "a certain way," or having "several hyper fixations" like hating the feeling of wet hair on her fingertips or preferring sweatpants to jeans because the feeling after wearing them for too long is "sickening."

Yet, it wasn't until she was 17 that she received her diagnosis "neatly tucked in a manila folder."

Askew wrote in her essay: "I grew to love who I am and what shapes me. I grew to appreciate my diagnosis even if I received it later than I should have. I was diagnosed with autism and anxiety at 17, and unlike the night I read that packet of mine, where I bawled my eyes out in shame, I now cry tears of joy because so many people don't have that luxury."

So many Black children don't have that luxury of being diagnosed - like Wiggins, who "died undiagnosed and labeled as a 'talented fool.'"

For Askew, this is only the beginning. "By succeeding and being open about my diagnosis at the same time, I strive to show others that people on the autism spectrum are capable of achieving great things."

[Link]

Four other orators gave their speeches during the annual showcase, and the judges deliberated for about 30 minutes on their selection, accrediting the high quality of work from all.

The top three winners of the contest received cash prizes:

• Bertrice Askew (freshman, marketing) - first place with a prize of $3,000
• Mariah Williams (sophomore, computer science) - second place with a prize of $2,500
• Christen Montgomery (senior, teacher education) - third place with a prize of $2,000

The honorable mentions - Allonah Ashworth, sophomore majoring in psychology, and Craig Rothschild, senior majoring in mechanical engineering - also received $1,000 cash prizes each.

After the showcase, Williams shared about how the contest challenged and changed her. "The journey of staying up late nights to perfect my essay, practicing and rearranging my essay into a speech hours before the showcase, and standing before the judges saying my speech showed me that I was more capable than what I had limited myself to," she said. "Before this contest, I hated public speaking; however, re-watching my speech and letting everything sink in afterward made me realize that my voice is important and worthy of being heard."

The oratory competition was a journey of self-discovery for Williams: "The joy of being a top winner in this contest was more than just the scholarship to me; it was a symbol of proof I needed for myself to know I could do anything I put my mind, heart, and soul to."

PVAMU's Essay and Oratory Contest began in 2014 with funds provided by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Today, the event, supported jointly by the Office of the President and of the Provost, continues to make a positive impact on students who participate, as well as on those who receive the messages conveyed by the words in the essays and speeches.

[Link]

Askew concludes her essay with a message of hope: "At Prairie View A&M University, I see it. I see the passion and the culture - the blood of our ancestors running through our veins and the courage that it takes to excel. People like Thomas Wiggins provide us with hope. Hope that despite being covered with the shadows of sorrow, we may find joy and prevail. He serves as a tribute to all autistic African Americans, whether we are diagnosed or not, that we may celebrate our excellence and our ability to achieve the impossible."

View PVAMU's 10th Annual Essay and Oratory Contest at this link.

By Christine Won

-PVAMU-

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.