OF A SANDWICH AND NO IT'S
NOTPRIMANTI'S.
STAY WITH US TO LEARN MORE.
FIRST WE ARE CELEBRATING MARTIN
LUTHER KING JUNIOR DAY WITH THE
WINNERS OF A WRITING CONTEST IN
HIS HONOR.
WELCOME ENGLISH PROFESSOR JIM
DANIEL AND FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
OF THE WRITING AWARDS AT
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITIES
AND A -- UNIVERSITIES AND A FEW
WINNERS.
WE WANT TO WELCOME MADISON,
ELON AND JOSH GREEN AND JOYCE.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
I LOVE THIS.
SO MANY PEOPLE.
SO, JIM, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CRETE ATE
THE CONTEST.
WELL I. FELT LIKE THERE WAS
SO MANY DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE
ISOLATED AND WE WEREN'T TALKING
TO EACH OTHER ABOUT THE THINGS
THAT SO OFTEN DIVIDE US.
AND WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN
PARTICULAR, THEY SEEM MORE
OPENED TO THE POSSIBILITIES OF
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS.
AND THINK WRITING CONTEST IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
AND THERE'S A BIG CEREMONY
HONORING THE STUDENTS TODAY.
YEAH, YES.
THE RECEPTION IS AT 4:30 AND
THE AWARDS ARE AT 5 IN THE
COHEN UNIVERSITY CENTER.
AND IT'S FREE AND OPENED TO THE
PUBLIC AND WE WILL HAVE MUSIC
FROM THE CARNEGIE MELLON
THEATER DEPARTMENT, AND FREE
FOOD.
AND WE WILL HEAR FROM THE
STUDENT.
YES.
THAT'S THE MAIN EVENT.
THAT'S THE MAIN EVENT.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EACH
OF YOU.
LET'S GO DOWN THE LINE AND TELL
US ABOUT YOUR WORKS AND WHAT
YOU WANT FOR.
SO, I WON FIRST PLACE IN
PROS FOR AN ESSAY ABOUT TBROAG
UP GAY AND RURAL PENNSYLVANIA
AND I ATTEND CAPPA A MUCH MORE
LIBERAL AND OPEN SCHOOL TO THE
CONCEPT OF LIKE LGBT ISSUES AND
IDENTITY BUT I WROTE ABOUT MY
EARLY EXPERIENCES WITH
ATTRACTION TOWARDS GIRLS AND
HOW I EXPERIENCED CERTAIN
ASPECTS OF HOMEOPHOBIA WITHIN
THE SCHOOL AND I WROTE ABOUT
THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING.
GREAT.
LIKE YOU SAID BREAKING DOWN THE
BARRIERS THE YOUNG PEOPLE ABLE
TO DO THIS AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I WAS ONE OF TWO WINNERS FOR
FIRST PLACE THE FIRST PLACE
SHOOTING IN SQUIRREL HILL AT
TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE.
BUT MORE BROADLY MY POEM IS
ABOUT THE VIOLENCE EXPERIENCED
BY MARGINALIZED PEOPLE.
BUT ALSO ABOUT GRAPPLING WITH
THE PRIVILEGES I HAVE OF LIVING
IN A FIRST WORLD COUNTRY AND
BEING WHITE AND EXPOSED TO LESS
VIOLENCE THAN OTHER PEOPLE BUT
ALSO BEING EXPOSED TO VIOLENT
ANTISEM TIME IN AND YOU ATTEND
CAPA.
I DO.
OKAY.
AND JOSH YOU ARE A STUDENT AT
CARNEGIE MELLON.
YES.
I WON THE SECOND PLACE PRIZE
FOR COLLEGE POETRY FOR MY PIECE
WHICH EUS THE CONTEXT OF THE
LAQUAN McDONALD MURDER AND
CONVICTION OF HIS MURDERER, THE
CBD OFFICER JASON VAN DYKE TO
TALK ABOUT WHITE PASSTIVEITY
AND FORMS OF BLACK PROTEST AND
WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT'S
NOT.
AND JOYCE YOU ARE STEWED
WASN'T DID YOU WIN FOR.
I WON SECOND PLACE IN
COLLEGE PROS AND I WROTE ABOUT
MY EXPERIENCE GROWING UP IN
BEIJING AND COMING TO SEE A NEW
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND ALSO
CENTERED AROUND RECONCILING
THEENGLISH SPEAKING AND CHINESE
SPEAKING PART OF MYSELF BECAUSE
THEY ARE SOMETIMES IN CONFLICT
WITH EACH OTHER.
AND I WROTE ABOUT HOW THEY
SHAPED MY IDENTITY.
VERY STRONG TOPICS.
TELL ME ABOUT HOW YOU CHOOSE
THE WINNERS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
HEAR A SAMPLE OF THE WRITING
BUT YOU CAN TELL THERE'S A
PASSION BEHIND ALL OF THIS.
WELL, IT BECOMES MORE AND
MORE DIFFICULT AS WE GET MORE
ENTRIES.
WE HAVE A RECORD NUMBER 21 HIGH
SCHOOLS AND 8 COLLEGES SUBMIT
THIS YEAR.
AND SO, WE HAVE SOME STUDENTS
THAT HELP CARNEGIE MELLON
STUDENT HELP TO SCREEN THE HIGH
SCHOOL WINNERS.
AND WE HAVE SOME UNIVERSITY
PROFESSORS HELP US DO SOME OF
THE FINAL JUDGING AS WELL.
BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR MORE
PERSONAL NARRATIVES ON RACE AND
YOU CAN TELL FROM THE
DESCRIPTIONS THEY ARE TELLING
THEIR STORY.
RIGHT.
OUT OF THEIR LIVES AND
EXPERIENCES, AND THAT'S A BIG
PART OF THE JUDGING PROCESS IS
LOOK FOR THAT RATHER THAN MORE
GENERAL STATEMENTS THAT ARE
MUCH EASIER TO MAKE IN THE COME FROM A PERSONAL
PLACE.
YEAH.
YEAH.
THANK YOU ALL AND
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS FOR
COMING ON AGAIN TO TELL US
MORE.
THANK YOU.
COME HEAR THE WINNING
ENTRIES FOR THE MARTEN LUTHER
KING JUNIOR DAY WRITING AWARDS.
THE RECEPTION BEGINS AT 4:30 IN
