Local Student Places Strong in Anti-Hate Essay Contest

OAK PARK -- A local student has been honored statewide for her work to help root out sources of hate and intolerance.

Ruby Durgin is an eighth-grade student at Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park. She has been honored as the second-place finisher in the recent “Your Voice” essay competition from the Mobile Museum of Tolerance.

Learn more here about how Ruby fared against her peers statewide and more about the competition in this release from the organizers.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, through its Illinois Mobile Museum of Tolerance, announced the winners of its 4th annual “Your Voice: Changing the World, One Speech at a Time” contest. The competition, which was open to students between 6th - 12th grades, challenged participants to craft a three-minute, 450-word essay based on Simon Wiesenthal's statement: “The history of man is the history of crimes, and history can repeat. So information is a defense against repetition.”

More than 50 students from across Illinois showcased their dedication to embracing tolerance through compelling essays, sharing their insights and experiences. Finalists transformed their essays into recorded speeches that were evaluated by a distinguished panel on April 14.

“By engaging students, schools, and communities, the Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) seeks to empower individuals to recognize the threats of intolerance and take meaningful steps toward a more inclusive and compassionate society,” said Jacqueline Carroll, Director of the Mobile Museum of Tolerance. “The purpose of this essay contest was to engage students to think creatively about how they can combat hate and promote tolerance in their lives and in their communities. We are proud to have had such a strong response from Illinois’ students.”

The winners of this year's contest are as follows:

· Amelia Hwang, a 6th grader from Oscar Mayer Magnet School in Chicago, emphasized the pivotal role of information in catalyzing change in our contemporary world, securing victory in the middle school division. Ruby Durgin, an 8th grader from Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park, took second place, with Amanda Warmington, a 7th grader from John R. Lewis School in Waukegan, securing third place.

· Amine Onochie, a 12th grader from Disney II Magnet High School in Chicago, whose essay underscored the significance of learning from history to foster individual and societal growth. Eden Duckworth, a 10th grader from Fairfield Community High School in Fairfield, secured second place, while Lucas Rosenthal, also a 10th grader from Gillespie High School in Gillespie, claimed third place.

This year’s contest finalists’ speeches are available for viewing here: https://vimeo.com/935570207/15f66c6ec8.

For more on the essay contest and the MMOT, visit the MMOT’s website at https://mmot.com/ or follow MMOT on social media.
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MobileMOT/
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilemuseumoftolerance_

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).