The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage announced its 10th Annual Stop the Hate Award Ceremony will be held on Sunday, April 29 at 4 p.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The event is free and open to the public.
“Stop the Hate is more than a scholarship or grant opportunity, it’s a movement,” said program chair Jordan Goldberg. “We are living in a time when speaking out and standing up for each other matters more than ever. This movement is about educating and empowering young people to use their voices for good.”
By challenging young people to consider the benefits of a more inclusive society, the consequences of intolerance and the role of personal responsibility in effecting change, the Stop the Hate contest also reflects Jewish values of responsible citizenship and respect for all humanity.
Each year, through the generosity of a donor, the Maltz Museum gives out $100,000 in scholarships, awards and anti-bias education in recognition of sixth through 12th grade upstanders in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties.
Now in its 10th year, the amount awarded to students and schools participating in Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out and Youth Sing Out will total $1 million.
Through creative expression of essay and song writing, students participate as part of either:
- Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out, a personal essay contest with the chance to win individual scholarship money for college (schools also receive money for anti-bias education when students from their schools win)
- Stop the Hate Youth Sing Out, a school-based group song-writing contest with the chance for winning schools to be awarded grant money for anti-bias education.
Between the two contests, approximately 4,000 students from hundreds of schools across 12 Northeast Ohio counties participate each year.
Stop the Hate Youth Sing Out is collaborative between the Maltz Museum, Roots of American Music (ROAM), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Select schools visit the Maltz Museum for a Stop the Hate Tour, connecting what they’ve learned at the Museum to discrimination they’ve experienced in their own lives; then, each class writes a song with the help of ROAM and performs for their peers and distinguished Cleveland judges at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Attendees of the award ceremony will have the opportunity to hear from the top 10 finalists from the Youth Speak Out contest, as well as see performances by the winning schools of the Youth Sing Out contest. The scholarship winners will be named live at the ceremony.
Registrations are encouraged to guarantee seating at the event; call 216-593-0575 or visit maltzmuseum.org.
