Art Installation Finalist
Two Anonymous Students, Grade 9, San Diego
This art installation, a finalist in our spring 2019 contest, was made by two ninth graders. To inspire the work, their teacher Mr. Leka describes, “We did multiple lessons on racism from #USvsHate resources, including from the New York Times [Learning Network] and AFT’s sharemylesson.com. From NYT, I had students read an article titled “First Encounters with Racism,” which shared four young people’s personal stories and then prompted students to write about their own “first encounters”. I also showed NYT’s “Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Racism,” which explained the concept of implicit bias, as well as another video titled “Racism is Real” (Brave New Films), highlighting multiple studies showing that a person’s skin color affects how they are treated and the opportunities they have throughout their daily lives.”
Poster Finalist
Ashley-Nicole, Grade 10, Chula Vista, CA
Teacher Kalie Espinoza describes the work behind this finalist by tenth grader Ashley-Nicole: “My classes were involved in a six-week unit about using their voice to speak up against the injustices committed against others. We read Night by Elie Wiesel, discussed the ADL’s Pyramid of Hate, and reviewed many resources from the #USvsHate lesson list.”
Conversation Starter Finalist
Anonymous Student, Grade 9, Vista, CA
A ninth grader made this powerful anti-hate message about gun violence; it was a finalist Conversation Starter in our spring 2019 contest. The student asks viewers to consider the relationship between gun violence and hate, explaining, “My message about my work of art is that there should be no gun violence and that [it] is a real big problem.”
Poster Finalist
Linnea and Sara, Grade 10, Carlsbad, CA
Created by Linnea and Sara, tenth graders, this poster was chosen as a finalist in our spring 2019 contest. As its creators describe, “This is about people being able to use their voice, regardless of what sexuality, religion, or race they are. It is inspired by the themes in the novel Lord of the Flies.”
Sticker Finalist
Sherlyn, Grade 7, Vista, CA
This moving self-image was created as an anti-hate message by Sherlyn, a seventh-grader. As teacher Beth Duncan describes, “Students were challenged to show tolerance, unity, acceptance, love, and pride through photography/photo manipulation. Each student that participated decided how to represent what was important to them through creative photography & digital editing.”
Sticker Finalist
Ueli and Matthew, Grade 1, Poway, CA
The Statue of Liberty surrounded by air filled with love? This simple and clear #USvsHate sentiment was created by first graders. Teacher Sra. Perucho notes that “As our third submission for #UsvsHate, the kids had the freedom to create their messages in their choice of format.”
Sticker Finalist
Whole Class, Grade TK, San Diego
As a TK class, students made this strong message of inclusion. Teacher Laura Gingras notes that, “All Are Welcome is a book we read in class, along with many other books that celebrate diversity. Beyond tolerance and acceptance, we want everyone to feel welcome. We celebrate our differences. We not only all look different, but come from all different homes and backgrounds. We feel different, we act different, and we see things differently. This is what makes us all special.”
Conversation Starter Finalist
Whole Class (“DREAM Team”), Grade 5, Cardiff, CA
This Conversation Starter finalist exploring the “American Dream” was made by fifth graders. The message also lifts the voices of students’ families. As teacher Trish d’Entremont described, “This is a collaborative project with a whole class. Students asked their parents about the ‘American Dream.’ Responses were shared electronically and uploaded to word cloud generator.”
Poem Finalist
Anonymous, Middle School, Chula Vista, CA
Video Finalist
Alexandria, Community College, San Diego
“Our power suits!” This video about wearing “what makes you feel powerful” was a finalist in our spring 2019 contest. As Alexandria explains, “In this video I conveyed the message of body positivity and I was influenced through the lessons from the literary works of those such as bell hooks, Roxane Gay, and Kristen Sollee. I used a Canon T3i to take my photos, 3D paint software to add the words and color to my photos, and Microsoft Video Maker to put the video together and add music,” all in the classroom of Christy Ball.
Video Finalist
Anonymous Students, Grade 12, San Diego
“You don’t gotta joke around like that”: seniors created this short video against hateful “jokes” in schools. Teacher Phil Ensberg notes that to prepare for this video message, “We did a survey that highlighted the importance of anti-bias messages around the idea of immigration.”