October 16, 2019

Students from Wayne State's Honors College and Law School Awarded

Scholarship for Winning Essays on Tolerance

"Tolerance Means Dialogues" event at Wayne State University on October 17 will recognize essay contest winners and promote dialogue as a catalyst for understanding differences

Wayne State University will be hosting a session of Tolerance Means Dialogues on Thursday, October 17 from 4pm to 6pm in the Bernath Auditorium of the Undergraduate Library. The session is titled, "Religious Liberty or Unjust Discrimination: Is peaceful coexistence possible in the culture wars?"

The Tolerance Means Dialogues are public discussions designed to bring together students and thought leaders to find more constructive approaches to living together in a pluralistic society. As the most diverse generations, Millennials and Gen Z are already navigating these issues, so they are uniquely situated to chart the way forward and break through impasses. The dialogues have been taking place across the country, most recently at Brigham Young University and Case Western Reserve University.

The Tolerance Means Dialogues project is headed by Robin Fretwell Wilson, University of Illinois College of Law. She will be joined for the event at Wayne State by John Corvino, Dean of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and Christopher Lund, Wayne State University Law School.

"Robin Wilson has been a tireless advocate for promoting better conversation in the culture wars--and not just better conversation, but also concrete solutions for living together in a pluralistic society," says John Corvino, Dean of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and one of the dialogue participants. "I'm honored to welcome her to Wayne State."

The event will also recognize two Wayne State students who each were awarded a $750 scholarship for submitting winning essays on tolerance. Honors student Laura Lynch will be recognized for her essay, "Tolerance Means Taking a Few Steps Back to Move Forward" and Law School student Ben VanBarr for his essay, "ToleranceMeans having the courage to live alongside someone different than you"

The Tolerance Means Dialogue event on Thursday, October 17 runs from 4pm to 6pm. It takes place in the Bernath Auditorium of the Undergraduate Library. The event is free and open to the public, and interested students are encouraged to attend. Attendees will have a chance to receive a $250 social media engagement prize. The event is co-sponsored by the Irvin D. Reid Honors College, Wayne State ACLU, The Federalist Society, and the Keith Students for Civil Rights.

More information can be found at https://www.tolerancemeans.com