Bob Dylan Center

Inspired by legendary artist and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, the Freedom Highway Essay Award encourages students to reflect on themes of justice, equality and the power of using their voices to create change. Essays are reviewed by a panel of educators, community leaders and center staff members.

This year, the review panel selected two winners from a pool of more than 30 entries. First place winner Victoria Burleson explored the impact of protest music and how songs by artists including Mavis Staples, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Buffalo Springfield raise awareness of social justice issues. Drawing from her family’s experiences, Victoria reflected on inequality while emphasizing the hope and unity found within music.

Runner-up Rocco Salce focused on the message of hope in Mavis Staples’ song “Sad and Beautiful World,” writing about the importance of standing up for others and advocating change. He reflected on participating in a student walkout supporting classmates impacted by immigration policies. Rocco concluded that while progress may feel slow, music can inspire people to continue believing in the possibility of change.

The Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award is made possible through the generous support of Jenny Norton and Bob Ramsey.

While working as a Peace Corps photographer in Washington, D.C., Rowland Scherman found himself immersed in the early 1960s folk scene alongside acts like Peter, Paul and Mary. Hearing the buzz about the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, he soon crossed paths with a young Bob Dylan, first spotting him casually on a tennis court, then watching him perform at a small folk workshop. As Dylan sang, Joan Baez joined in, her harmonies drawing an ever-growing crowd. Scherman moved closer and began taking photos.

On Nov. 28, 1965, four months after Dylan’s infamous "going electric" set at Newport, Scherman documented an equally rousing performance at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C. Camera in hand, he slipped backstage mid-show to capture a strikingly blue-lit image of the upstart singer-songwriter that he knew would be memorable. Two years later, Columbia Records selected this iconic portrait for the cover of the 1967 collection “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” which won a Grammy award for best album cover photography. From intimate workshop performances to electrified stages, Scherman’s images frame Dylan before and after his rapid ascent in the mid-1960s.

From intimate workshop performances to electrified stages, Scherman’s images frame Dylan before and after his rapid ascent in the mid-1960s. Dive deep into Dylan’s emergence as a cool and at times combative rock star this summer inside our exhibit “Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan 1966,” opening July 18. “Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan 1966” is generously supported by Presenting Sponsors Bob and Debbie Russell.