The State Bar of Texas announced the winners of the annual Law Day editorial, photography, and poster contests this month.

Law Day is celebrated annually across the country on May 1 to honor the rule of law and underscore how the legal process contributes to the freedoms that all Americans share. The State Bar Texas and the Texas Young Lawyers Association celebrate the importance of law and its impact on our nation and local communities by hosting the K-12th grade statewide editorial, photo, and poster contests based on the American Bar Association Law Day yearly theme. Local bars and young lawyer affiliates are encouraged to hold local contests and submit their winners in each category to the State Bar for the statewide contest.

This year’s theme, “Advancing the Rule of Law Now,” encouraged students to reflect on our society’s legal system, and what steps, if any, need to be taken to improve upon the rule of law to make it more fair and just for all. The State Bar contest winners who creatively interpreted the national theme, will all be recognized at texasbar.com/lawday and in the June issue of the Texas Bar Journal.

Below is an excerpt from the editorial of first-place winner Angelica Sharma, of Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, representing the Katy Bar Association:

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

By Angelica Sharma

“…one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. As the pledge

comes to an end, I lower my hand to my sides and take my seat. The American flag, which was gracefully draped across my classroom’s wall, gleamed with pride. For the past twelve years, I realized, I have recited these same words verbatim. Every morning, I acknowledge that the

United States of America guarantees liberty and justice for all.

But is this true? I pondered this question over the years as I involved myself more with the world around me and realized that our society was shamefully plagued with injustice and inequality. For instance, although African Americans were granted their full freedoms as individual citizens in 1863, they are still discriminated against today. Indeed, African Americans have the highest incarceration rates, struggle to find homes and jobs, and face violence, as seen by Mr. Floyd’s recent death. I also learned about the passing of the Civil Rights Act 57 years ago and how it intended to end discrimination in employment. Nevertheless, women today are generally paid lower wages than men and are largely underrepresented in the engineering and mathematics sector of our economy. As a woman myself entering the field of computer science, I can attest to this inequality.

To view the complete list of winning entries, photographs, and posters, go to texasbar.com/lawday.