Letters About Literature Home >> 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 1 National Honorable Mention: Sarah Jenkins
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
Letters of 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions
Level 1 National Honorable Mention: Sarah Jenkins
Dear Mrs. Taylor,
"Racism is man's gravest threat to man—the maximum
of hatred for a minimum of reason." This quote by the author
Abraham Joshua Heschel rings loudly in my ears. Nothing is more
devastating than bearing hatred because of the color of your
skin, because of the skin color God gave us. I admire your book,
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, because you had the courage to write
about and expose a topic so wounding. I can personally relate
to the struggle against racism endured by the African American
people in your book. Sadly, racial prejudice exists here in my
home—here in Hawaii. But, instead of white people mistreating
black people, some Hawaiian people mistreat white people, Hawaiian
versus Haole.
"Haole" is a racist label spewed out hurtfully like
the "N" word. It's what the Hawaiians call us, not
the other way around. "F@#!ing Haole!" Piercing and
plunging, daggers stab my heart when I hear them call me that.
From verbal reminders to visual reminders, signs of hatred line
the highways of Molokai.
Provoking controversy and plaguing my island, signs of hatred
glare at me everywhere. All these hate signs due to a piece of
land called La'au owned by a company called Molokai Ranch. This
company wants to build two hundred homes on sacred land. Opposing
and protesting, the Hawaiian people are against the building
of the homes. But, instead of signs that say, "No to La'au" or "No
to development," they say, "Haoles go home" and "No
to 200 white houses." These visual reminders stare at me
every day on my drive to school. Just because I am white does
not mean that I agree to development either. This is my home,
this is our home, this is Molokai—regardless of race.
Receiving hate and racial comments feels horrible and disgusting
like vomit. It STINKS! Your book confirmed my thoughts that no
one should judge a person by the color of their skin, but by
their character and personality of their soul. That's all that
should matter. My best friend is half Hawaiian, half African
American. Even though we have different color skins, we never
tease one another. We're heart sisters from the inside—forever
friends. She gets called "black girl," and when I'm
around her we get called "Oreo." It is very sad that
people are ignorant and say thoughtless words. You have to ignore
stupidity and walk away. That's my advice. Maybe someday I will
write a book about our friendship that propels beyond the boundary
of skin color.
P.S. I'm a huge fan! Keep writing and doing what you do best.
Sincerely,
Sarah Jenkins
Letters About Literature Home >> 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 1 National Honorable Mention: Sarah Jenkins
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