Riverwood Students Attend To 'No Place for Hate' Summit

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Eleven students from Riverwood International Charter School bypassed the chance for extra sleep and a day off from school and instead spent their MLK Day at the 19th annual ADL No Place for Hate Summit at Agnes Scott College. The annual event focused on ways to build more inclusive communities and included over 150 students from public and private high schools and organizations in the southeast region. All represented a range of racial, religious, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds.

The students, representing the Riverwood No Place for Hate and Be the Voice clubs, attended plenary gatherings and joined small-group breakout sessions. They discussed topics ranging from bias and hate to identity and ally-ship. They brainstormed ways to make their schools more welcoming, inclusive environments. Two Riverwood students, Denis Flores and Luigi Camacho, assumed leadership roles at the event serving as peer leaders addressing students and introducing speakers. Both Flores and Camacho attended the summit in prior years as representatives for Riverwood.

The highlight of the event was a question and answer session with former Georgia state lawmaker and 2018 gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams. Abrams shared her own personal struggles with bigotry and her “Good Fight” story.

This was Riverwood’s second visit to the ADL No Place for Hate Summit. The Riverwood attendees were:

• Amanda Andrade
• Tess Berman
• Luigi Camacho
• Denis Flores
• May Fluker
• Halli Friedman
• Fernanda Guerrero
• Aahil Lalani
• Giselle Montalban
• Emily Negrete
• Miriam Zetina

“At the ADL No Place for Hate Summit, I learned that I am not alone in the fight against hate and prejudice and that if we all work together, we can make real change," Berman said. "I now feel more comfortable and have the skills to confront stereotypes effectively.”

The students were accompanied by Lorraine Benitez, Riverwood Spanish teacher and sponsor of the No Place for Hate and Be the Voice clubs.

“We participated in the Summit last year and it was hugely impactful,” Benitez said. “Riverwood’s greatest strength is its diversity. The ADL No Place for Hate Summit teaches us how to identify and confront bias and gives us tools to bring back to our school, so we can do the necessary and important work of making Riverwood a place where everyone feels valued and included. I am very proud of these students who chose to spend their day off of school attending the Summit.”