February 27th, 2026
The Center for Poverty and Inequality Research is pleased to announce the results of its 2026 Black History Month Essay Contest.
The competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at UC Davis.
Entrants were asked to submit essays in response to the following question: ‘How Can We Reduce Racial and Economic Inequality in California?’
The winner is Julia Barzizza, a graduate student in the School of Education. Congratulations, Julia!
Julia’s winning essay was published as a guest commentary at CalMatters on February 27th, 2026. Read it here.
The contest was judged by CPIR directors in collaboration with members of the center’s communications committee and senior writer.
We received many excellent essays, all offering interesting and insightful perspectives on this topic.
First prize was $500, plus the opportunity to work with CPIR Senior Writer Ben Hinshaw to prepare the essay for potential placement as an op-ed.
Julia Barzizza
Read Julia’s winning essay at CalMatters here:
California’s high schools should be teaching ethnic studies courses but aren’t
Nicholas Osoro-Yoder
Hussain Chharawalla
Lea Williams
Thank you to all the UC Davis students who entered, and to Denise Amos, deputy commentary editor at CalMatters, for her support.
