Civil Rights Memorial
The City of Victorville Civil Rights Memorial honors individuals who have advanced civil rights for all. Located at City Hall, 14343 Civic Drive, it recognizes leaders who made lasting impacts. Martin Luther King Jr. was the first honored with a bronze plaque, followed by the creation of the Civil Rights Essay Contest.
Annual Essay Contest
Each year, the City of Victorville invites local 5th grade students to submit essays about American civil rights leaders and why they should be honored with a bronze plaque in the Civil Rights Memorial. The winning essay determines the honoree, and an excerpt is featured on a plaque at the memorial.
Plaques recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Asa Philip Randolph, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Lucy Burns, and Jackie Robinson are currently displayed at the memorial based on winning essays from previous years.
Judging Criteria
Judging Criteria
Community Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) representatives will evaluate essays based on:
- Understanding of the topic
- Originality of ideas
- Clarity of personal viewpoint
- Writing quality (style, grammar, spelling)
Additional Rules
- Judged on content, research, expression, and originality
- Must be original and unpublished
- One entry per student
- Judges’ decisions are final
- Entries become property of the City of Victorville, which may publish them
- Submit using the official form provided by the teacher
Meet the 2025 Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest Winner
Ashley Barahona, a fifth-grade student at Galileo School of the Gifted and Talented Education, is the winner of our 2025 Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest. The subject of Ashley's winning essay is Ella Baker, a trailblazing civil rights pioneer.
A portion of Ashley's winning essay will be displayed on a bronze plaque honoring Ella Baker in the City of Victorville’s Civil Rights Memorial.
NextEra Energy Resources, generously sponsored the bronze plaque honoring Ella Baker.