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May 27, 2021
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, 05/27/2021 – Take the Mic, a community-based contest, invited Michiganders to create and submit positive messages about everyday people who are protecting themselves and others from COVID-19. Winners were named in two categories, written word and other media. Prizes in each category ranged from $100 for third prize to $500 for first prize.
Savana Brewer, Director of Community Planning and Organizing at the Eastside Community Network in Detroit and Michigan CEAL Steering Committee member, who helped select the Take the Mic finalists says, "Feeling the passion within the community's creativity left me inspired and electrified!"
The winners of the Take the Mic are:
Written Category
First place: “Wear a Mask”- Elizabeth R.
Second place: “A Part of Me Died Yesterday”- Julie P.
Third place: “Be your Brother’s Keeper”- SJ W.
Other Media Category
First place: “Over and Over”- Jeff K.
Second place: “Help Michigan Out, Wear a Mask”- Natsume O.
Third place: “Spread Hope, Not COVID”- Heather W.
View the winning entries at www.takethemic.org, and share them with your community to help spread positive messages about protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.
Larry An, MD, Director of the Center for Health Communications Research at the University of Michigan and the lead researcher for Take the Mic says, “It’s important for the community voice about COVID-19 safety to be heard. Our goal of Take the Mic was to amplify the creative energy of the community in the fight against COVID-19.”
The Take the Mic Contest was conducted by Michigan CEAL (MI CEAL), a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded initiative Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. MI CEAL is a community-based participatory research partnership lead by co-PIs Erica E Marsh MD, MSCI, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, University of Michigan, and Barbara Israel, Professor, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan. The study is guided by a 16-member Steering Committee composed of leaders from community-based organizations, health and human service agencies, and academia. Project efforts are focused on alleviating COVID-19 health disparities among some of Michigan’s most disproportionately affected communities – African-American/Black and Latinx communities in Genesee, Kent, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties.
“The MI CEAL Steering Committee partners were actively involved in all aspects of developing and implementing Take the Mic. It is an excellent example of how engaging local communities results in powerful and meaningful messages that will go a long way in encouraging others to protect themselves from COVID-19”, says Israel.
For more information on Take the Mic and to view the winning entries, please visit www.takethemic.org. For more on Michigan CEAL please visit www.michiganceal.org.
OTA: 1 OT2 HL 156812
