{"id":202893,"date":"2021-05-12T09:32:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T14:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/?p=202893"},"modified":"2021-05-12T09:33:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T14:33:10","slug":"winners-of-the-tolerance-week-written-word-contests-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/winners-of-the-tolerance-week-written-word-contests-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners of the Tolerance Week Written Word Contest Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ian Greigg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hinton Middle School<\/p>\n

A person with a different colored skin walks by.
\nYou don\u2019t put them down, but you don\u2019t say hi.
\nIs tolerance enough?
\nYou smile at someone with a teardrop tat,
\nBut when they turn away you try to scat.
\nIs tolerance enough?
\nYou listen to the person with a different view,
\nBut in your mind you\u2019ve already decided that it\u2019s not true.
\nIs tolerance enough?
\nBut if you take the time to walk in the others\u2019 shoes,
\nYou\u2019d realize they\u2019re all people, like you.
\nSo don\u2019t just tolerate the people that you see,
\nRespect them, everyone is human,
\nAnd we\u2019re all worthy.
\nRespect is enough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Honorable Mention<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barite Mohammed<\/strong>
\nSouth Sioux City Middle School<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate these differences\u201d. Aure Lorde<\/p>\n

If you look around, you see White, Black, Brown and different kinds of people. In terms of religion, you see Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews, etc…Since the dawn of time, humans evolved in different skin colors and different socio-religious groups to adapt to their environment and satisfy their needs for survival. However, they see these differences as if it was created by the supernatural and have existed forever. Instead of focusing on their unities and celebrating their differences, humans have been discriminating against one another in line with race, religion, sexual orientation, and social classes.<\/p>\n

As almost all of us know, Homosapiens were black, originated from Africa, and migrated to Europe and the rest of the world, blacks are the most discriminated and mistreated race ever. Because of their skin color, they were regarded as inferiors and sold as slaves for thousands of years. Even today in modern and developed western countries, racism against blacks are increasing. Last year\u2019s killing of unarmed black man George Floyd and the recent police shooting of Daunte Writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota by White police Officers are the best examples.<\/p>\n

The second most widely used tool of discrimination is religion. Every culture has its own way of belief systems. Since these belief systems are different, they discriminate and fight over them. Many wars have been fought over religion and many more are undergoing. Religion should be a source of positive inspiration, teach tolerance and compassion rather than being a reason for fighting.<\/p>\n

Finally, class discrimination and sexual orientation-based discrimination are widely practiced all over the world including the western world. In the United States people are identified based on their economic class such as higher, middle class, and lower class as if they are different human species. Moreover, discrimination against people who have different sexual orientations is culturally and religiously accepted and practiced by many.<\/p>\n

In summary, even if we have different skin colors, deep down we all carry similar genes of one human race. If fair and equal chances are given, anyone can be a good citizen and contributes to the society he or she lives in. Therefore, for the human race to survive and thrive, tolerance and brotherhood are the only solutions. \u2018 We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools\u201d. Martin Luther King Jr.<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention <\/strong><\/p>\n

Avery Welte<\/strong>
\nHinton Middle School<\/p>\n

Take the Journey<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nAll the same but so far apart
\nSeparated by the invisible boundaries
\nof what can be seen outside of our shells
\nof bone, muscles, blood, and flesh<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nAll the same but not at all
\nSeparated by the walls of our minds
\nIt seems to be
\nYour thoughts do not belong
\nWhen you are different<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nSitting in a cage of iron forged in bigotry
\nWhere those are incarcerated for
\nthe way the blood runs in veins,
\nthe way thoughts flow,
\nThe flesh on the body,
\nAnd the unshakeable strength inside<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nExisting in a mere fragment of time
\nDoes it need to be this way?
\nWhy must the oddities and others conform
\nto another\u2019s moral agenda?<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nPerhaps in another world
\nEmbraced with the arms of love
\nSeen as equal for the way we are
\nViewed as human for who we are
\nA world where the true self is enough
\nEnough.<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nIn a world that can be ours
\nA world that does not have to be a dream.
\nA world with open arms
\nEnveloping us in the warmth of acceptance
\nEnveloping us in the soft scent of kindness
\nEnveloping us in a curtain of tolerance.<\/p>\n

You and me
\nUs and we
\nIn a world we can call our own
\nA world just outside the window
\nA world waiting for us.
\nA world waiting for you.
\nTake the journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winner Ian Greigg Hinton Middle School A person with a different colored skin walks by. You don\u2019t put them down, but you don\u2019t say hi. Is tolerance enough? You smile at someone with a teardrop tat, But when they turn away you try to scat. Is tolerance enough? You listen to the person with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202893\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toleranceweek.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}