FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2026

VICTORVILLE, Calif. — This week, the City of Victorville announced that Ashley Barahona, a fifth- grade student at Galileo School of Gifted and Talented Education is the winner of its annual Civil Rights Essay Contest.

Ashley penned her winning essay about activist and civil rights leader, Ella Baker. A portion of her essay is displayed on a bronze plaque in the City’s Civil Rights Memorial and was unveiled on Jan. 19 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Commemorative Peace March Program.

This is the eleventh year the City of Victorville has hosted its Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest to celebrate those who have contributed to advancing the civil rights of all people. Fifth- and sixth-grade students throughout the City of Victorville are invited to compete in the annual contest.

Plaques recognizing civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Asa Philip Randolph, Frederick Douglass, Cesar Chavez, Harriet Tubman, Lucy Burns, Jackie Robinson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Frances EW Harper, Katherine Johnson, and Claudette Colvin are currently displayed at the memorial.

This year’s plaque, honoring Ella Baker, is sponsored by NextEra Energy Resources.

For additional information or to become a sponsor of future Civil Rights Memorial plaques, call (760) 955-3306 or visit VictorvilleCA.gov/civilrightsmemorial.

To read Ashley's winning essay, please click here.