Local Law Firm Creates Scholarship for Writers of Color

This year, the personal injury attorneys at the NW Injury Law Center have created the Mitchell S. Jackson Scholarship for Writers of Color.

Mitchell S. Jackson is a Portland native who received his M.A. in writing from Portland State University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New York University. His recently published novel, The Residue Years, has won international acclaim and was awarded a 2016 Whiting Award. The novel also won the Earnest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and was a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the PEN Hemingway Award for first fiction, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for best fiction by a writer of African descent.

Aside from his writing, Mr. Jackson is a well-regarded speaker and has been invited to speak, read, or lecture at places including the TED conference, Yale University, Brown University, Columbia University, Middlebury College, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Miami Book Fair, and the Sydney Writer’s Festival. He also currently serves on the faculty of New York University and Columbia University.

In his early years, scholarships were essential to putting him on the path he’s on today. When he was at Jefferson High School, he won a $1000 scholarship from the Rotary Club and years later won the Underrepresented Minority Achievement Scholarship when transferring to Portland State University. Over the course of his career, he has also been the recipient of Fellowships from TED, The Lannan Foundation, The Center for Fiction, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.

In an effort to encourage others, like Mr. Jackson, to follow their passion for writing, the NW Injury Law Center has created a scholarship in his name. The $1,500 Scholarship will support an incoming college freshman student of color who wishes to pursue a degree in writing.

To apply, applicants are asked to submit their necessary contact information and respond to the prompt below:

Essay Question: In his essay “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What is” author James Baldwin argues language “is the most vivid and crucial key to identity.” Write a 2-3 page essay answering the following question: How has language helped to shape your identity?

The scholarship is for the Fall semester or quarter of 2016 and the deadline for application is September 1, 2016. Only emailed applications will be considered and all submissions will be reviewed and chosen by Mitchell Jackson himself. The winner will be announced and paid by the start of the school year.

To be eligible, an applicant must be an incoming freshman of color who is pursuing a degree in writing, journalism, or a related field, be a U.S. citizen, and submit a 2-3 page essay on the prompt above. Please visit the scholarship webpage above to find more details and the contact email for submissions.