Words really do matter. You and I know it, and all our children know it. So to raise awareness and start turning the tide, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage has been offering scholarships for the best essays from junior and senior high school student upstanders reflecting on and responding to intolerance and indifference.
“Over 11 years, we’ve reached 30,000 students, and given away over a million dollars,” relates Darryl McNair, a member of the board of the Maltz Museum and chair of the Stop The Hate program.
“It made me really think about the words that people say, and the tones that people use, and how much that actually does matter in every interaction that we have,” says finalist Samuel Oguntoyinbo (pictured), a senior at Solon High School who was awarded a 4-year $40,000 scholarship as the Youth Speak Out Grand Scholarship Winner.
View the video here.