Young voices reflect on civil rights through art, writing

Itisha Budamagunta is just 10 years old, but she already understands something about racism that many adults have yet to grasp.

“Racism is a grown-up disease, and it is time we stop using kids to spread it,” Budamagunta said, quoting Ruby Bridges, the civil rights icon who, at just 6 years old, became the first Black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South.

A fifth grader at Eagle Ridge Academy, Budamagunta turned that message into a striking visual art piece, earning recognition as one of the winners of the 2025 Words in Action Contest, an annual competition honoring Black History Month.

Now in its fifth year, the contest invites Eden Prairie youth to select and reflect on quotes from Black American civil rights leaders through art, writing, or digital media. Participants are also encouraged to explore how they can carry these legacies forward in their community.

The four winners were honored at the Feb. 18 Eden Prairie City Council meeting, where their entries were displayed. Each student read their written reflections and shared what they had learned. Youth 18 and younger who live in or attend school in Eden Prairie are eligible to enter.

Envisions unity through action

Standing before the council, Budamagunta explained how Bridges’ words shaped her entry.

“When I read this quote, I could imagine why Ruby Bridges might have said these words,” she told the council. “When kids were being segregated at school, it was a decision made by adults, which affected children. It made children look at the differences in other children rather than the common things.

“It doesn’t matter to kids what their friends look like. Kids want to be with other kids who like the same things as them. Nothing else is important.”

To foster that connection, Budamagunta proposed an after-school club called Children United, where kids could share stories, find common interests, and celebrate the differences that make life vibrant.

Mayor Ron Case, a former longtime Eden Prairie Schools teacher, praised her remarks.

“Itisha, that was amazing, incredibly wise, and really insightful for someone your age,” Case said.

‘I want people to see me for who I am’

Joining Budamagunta as contest winners were Amaya Demery of Cedar Ridge Elementary and Leisha Mekala and Sonakshi Dwivedi, both students at Central Middle School.

Demery, a third grader, found inspiration in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I like this quote because he doesn’t want people to be judged by their skin color but by their characteristics,” she told the council. “This is important to me because I want people to see me for who I am, not because of how I look.”

As part of her entry, Demery created a dance performance, which was shown to the council during the presentation.

‘The time is always right to do what is right’

For Dwivedi, a seventh grader, poetry was a way to turn lessons from the civil rights movement into a call for action.

“The inspiration for my poem is how, during the civil rights movement, African Americans faced injustice for centuries,” she told the council. “I wanted to take what I learned in school—how they decided to stand up for what was right—and express it through poetry.”

Her poem, “The Time for What Is Right,” is based on Dr. King’s words from a 1968 speech:

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

In one excerpt, Dwivedi urged others to take action:

“Let this quote be your guide

To join the fight

To stand for those in the present

So that here, there, everywhere in sight

Justice will be brought into light.”

Her words resonated with Case, who called her poem “timely, timely, timely for what’s going on in our nation today.”

‘Never lose infinite hope’

Mekala, an eighth grader, reflected on another Dr. King quote:

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

“I really like this quote because it made me realize that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you look like,” Mekala told the council. “There’s one important thing we should all remember: to have hope.

“Because in our lifetime, we’re going to face a lot of criticism. And whether it’s now or in the near future, it’s something really important to remember.”

Contest participation increases

This year’s contest drew 43 submissions, a number that continues to grow, according to Babar Khan of the Eden Prairie Human Rights and Diversity Commission.

“All the submissions were amazing, and reading them was a pleasure,” Khan said. “Each participant should be extremely proud. They are truly proof of the bright future ahead for the next generation.”

The contest is sponsored by the Eden Prairie Community Foundation, which provides cash prizes for the winners.

A full list of winners, honorable mentions, and their entries is available online.