Tue., Dec. 27, 2016

Student’s poignant speech on tolerance continues to resonate

Ava Sharifi has had a big year: a school speech she gave at Lewis and Clark High School went viral on social media, she was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and other events followed. She is photographed here at her home, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

The speech, posted to YouTube in February, struck a nerve with more than 11,000 views, hundreds of comments and an article on Buzzfeed, along with a slew of local media coverage.

In her speech, Sharifi shared how as a 10-year-old she realized her skin color and ethnicity set her apart. Later she remembers strangers contacting her on Facebook, asking her why she hated Westerners. She recalls walking into middle school and hearing children call her a terrorist.

Now, Sharifi is a freshman at the University of Washington studying political science. After delivering that speech, she said she was invited to speak at the University of Washington as well as the University of Idaho. Full story. Eli Frankovich

Posted Dec. 27, 2016, 8:15 a.m.