October is Hate Crimes Awareness Month, and the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes is marking the occasion with art — and with youth voices leading the way.
One of those voices belongs to 11-year-old Queens student Abigail Ramnarine, whose painting “Gaia’s Embrace” was among the winners of this year’s “HeARTwork Against Hate” student art contest.
What You Need To Know
October is Hate Crimes Awareness Month
The New York City Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes is marking the month with a new Youth Ambassador Program and a multi-borough traveling student art exhibit
The youth ambassador leadership program is made up of 8-to-18 year olds
Students who are interested in applying for the Youth Ambassador Leadership Program can visit the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice for more information
Her colorful piece, filled with bright tones and swirling shapes, carries a message well beyond her years.
“We are all different colors. We come from different backgrounds, and we all come from different places,” she said. “Gaia’s embrace means you support and accept one another.”
“Gaia,” she explained, “is originated from Greek mythology, and the meaning means goddess of Earth.”
Each student artist was asked to create a piece reflecting the theme of standing against hate, bias and discrimination. For Ramnarine, that message comes naturally.
“We all should love each other for who we are,” she said.
The contest is part of a broader initiative by the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, which is also launching a Youth Ambassador Leadership Program this month. The program empowers students between the ages of 8 and 18 to speak out against hate, bias and discrimination and to make their schools and communities safer.
“If we educate them on what hate crimes are, what bias is, what discrimination is, and we give them a chance to understand the impact of those crimes, they can become more informed and maybe make different decisions as adults,” said Vijay Ramjattan, who leads the office.
Ramnarine is among the youth ambassadors already helping shape the program — and her words are as striking as her art.
“Labels are not for people, they are for food,” she said. “Nobody should be bullying one another.”
Students interested in joining the Youth Ambassador Leadership Program can find more information through the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.