The photos and report are from proud parents Corey Dickinson and Anne Dickinson:
Lifetime West Seattle resident and West Seattle High School junior Keaton Dickinson just won first place in the Youth Against Gun Violence Essay Contest on the date of the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School Shooting. The essay contest was sponsored by Washington Ceasefire, an organization dedicated to reducing gun violence.
Keaton arrived at City Hall this morning thinking she would listen to and support common-sense ideas on preventing gun violence in schools and society. She soon learned that she won first place in the essay contest and a $750 scholarship.
She then read her essay to a crowd of 200, which included Mayor Jenny Durkan, City Attorney Pete Holmes, State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and Seattle City Councilmembers.
Keaton is passionate about preventing gun violence. She has volunteered for Washington Initiative 1639, gathering petitions for the measure to help get it on the 2018 ballot, and she also worked the phone banks to help the initiative get passed. She is President of the West Seattle High School Gun Violence Prevention Club. Earlier this year, Keaton organized a voter registration drive at West Seattle High School where she registered over 500 voters, most of whom will be first-time voters.
You can read Keaton’s essay here (PDF).
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