Each year in the Stop the Hate Essay contest, high school juniors and seniors throughout northeast Ohio shine a light on intolerance and then step into that light to resist prejudice and bigotry. This morning, we'll meet some of the with the finalists, hear them read excerpts of their essays, and discuss their experiences and the actions they're compelled to take. An Indian-American student is asked by her classmates: "Why are you here" in this country? A young woman who loves math and science fights an adult mindset that channels boys, not girls, into those areas. And a black student faces fastballs, and racial epithets, on the diamond. Later in the hour, thoughts on Harriet Tubman, soon to grace the $20 bill.
-Joe Cimperman, Board Member, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage and President, Global Cleveland
-Nupur Goel, Grand Prize winner, 11 th Grade, Gilmour Academy
-Isabel Sands, 11 th Grade, Orange High School
-Elijah Bugg, Finalist, 12 th Grade, Oberlin High School
-Christian Borkey, 1 st Runner-Up, 12 th Grade, Gilmour Academy
-Vishnu Nistala, 2 nd Runner-Up, 12 th Grade, Mentor High School
-Nya Hardaway, 12 th Grade, Shaker Heights High School
-Alexandra Wainwright, 12 th Grade, Firestone High School
-Zack Williams, Associate Professor of African American History, University of Akron
-Heather Clayton Terry, Associate Director of Women in Science & Engineering, Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, Case Western Reserve University