FOUNDER

There is nothing better than a heated discussion that ends with a handshake or a hug. Unfortunately this wasn't common in my communities, and I wanted that to change which is why I founded Humanize the Hate. This organization shouldn't be confounded to one particular community. Bring our questions to your dinner table, place of warship, community center, or your bestfriends. The most passionate and polarized dialogue I have had would never have been possible without a common foundation of empathy and respect, and that is what Humanize The Hate strives to help build between people and communities, so that difficult conversations aren't avoided, but are embraced. I have seen the impacts in my community, and I hope you will see it in yours to! Our differences should bring us together, and that is what I hope to help our youth do.

Student Chapter President: Drew School, San Francisco CA.

My name is Eva Seligman, and I was born and raised in San Francisco, California. Currently, I am finishing high school at the Drew School. I have a background in grassroots activism that centers around Middle Eastern affairs, focusing on the Abraham Accords. Over the years, I've honed various skills, including donor research, communication, policy reform, and social media marketing. I speak English and am currently a student of American Sign Language. I have been studying at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) in London, UK, and Washington, DC, for the past year. This is where my passion for communication, advocacy, and conflict resolution was nurtured into the project I am a part of today. I met Nicky while studying at SEGL; we became friends drawn to each other's energy and passion. Our friendship was not hindered by our wildly different political beliefs and many arguments about it. Throughout our relationship, we witnessed the impact communication and empathy can have. We aim to take the skills of mutual understanding, compassion, and communication that allowed us to create a lifelong friendship based on mutual respect and teach those skills to youth around the country. We seek to empower a grassroots shift from the status quo of division to one that will cultivate leaders ready to change the world.

Student Chapter President: Telluride Middle High School, Telluride, CO

I’m Eva Henschel, a student from Telluride, Colorado, deeply passionate about the outdoors and fostering respectful, meaningful dialogue. I love skiing, backpacking, mountain biking, and surfing. I am a competitive FIS Alpine Ski Racer, ranked 16th in the world, and have been using my platform to create awareness on suicide prevention. In a setting outside of school, I noticed most of my male peers making hurtful remarks, saying that suicide is selfish when you have a family and children, offending a peer who had lost two family members to suicide in the past year. I intervened, using empathy and active listening to educate them on the importance of this issue. This moment taught me that growth and understanding are possible even in difficult conversations. As someone who has been affected by loss to suicide, I believe that it is essential that there is continuous education on suicide, to equip young people with the skills to engage in respectful, challenging dialogue. Being part of an organization that champions these values excites me, as I’m eager to help foster empathy and inclusivity in meaningful discussions.