The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas announced the winners of the ninth annual Social Justice Video Contest today. The grand prize was won by a student from Mercy Academy in Louisville, Kentucky.
The topic for this year’s video contests focused on embracing diversity and standing in solidarity with people who experience oppression and marginalization.
The grand prize was awarded to Lauren Nissen, a senior at Mercy Academy in Louisville, for her video Beauty in Diversity.
The second place prize went to Gabriella Tesoro of the Academy of Our Lady of Guam in Hagåtña, Guam, who created a video titled See the World Through a Child’s Eyes.
“In a world where marginalized groups of people are increasingly the focus of prejudice and disdain, it is uplifting to see messages from our Mercy students that encourage us to recognize the inherent dignity in each individual” said Mike Poulin, Justice Resource Manager for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
The video contest was launched in 2017 as a way to connect high school and college students at Sisters of Mercy-sponsored schools with the Critical Concerns, five areas of particular importance to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; the Critical Concerns are immigration, nonviolence, care for the Earth, racism and concern for the education, health and spiritual needs of women and girls.
The winning videos may be viewed here.