2022 Elie Wiesel Writing Competition winner Avery Britt

HOLOCAUST COMMISSION

2022 Elie Wiesel Writing Competition winner: “Hatred is all too common”

Debbie Burke

The first place winner in the Holocaust Commission’s Elie Wiesel Writing Competition for her moving and insightful poem about the Holocaust says she doesn’t consider herself a poet at all.

“Honestly, I focus a lot on playwriting and screenwriting,” says Avery Britt, a 2022 graduate of Norfolk Academy who entered in the Senior Poetry category. “I never thought I had the knack for poetry, but in the last year, I’ve better embraced the artistry of the form, and I’ve seen myself advance in my written expression.”

Britt typically writes about her experiences and observations as a Black female in America, but she says other topics inspire her as well.

Britt learned about the Holocaust in elementary school when the curriculum covered World War II, but she says, “The gravity of the event never truly came into full consciousness until we watched documentaries on the tragedy. To see people subjected to such a level of torture and dehumanization shocked me.”

Her poem, The Dolls, has several layers, tackling society’s ideals on beauty, but also standing as a commentary on awareness, activism, and righting wrongs.

“Adhering to a plastic or standardized image of beauty is stifling to any freedom of thought or expression,” Britt explains. “Being a bystander, ignoring or smiling through injustices, really isn’t enough to be a productive member of the world.”

As a child, she relates, she didn’t understand how people could be capable of mistreating others. “I’ve come to understand that this hatred is all too common in the world.”

Merely remembering the events falls short, though. It’s important to celebrate the lives that were lost and also, she says, “ensure that the same thing cannot happen again. If people know the real history, it is less likely to be repeated.”

Avery Britt.

SENIOR POETRY FIRST PLACE Linda Epstein Belkov Memorial Award Avery Britt, Norfolk Academy — Teacher: Ari Zito

AUTO ACCIDENTS | SERIOUS INJURY | WRONGFUL DEATH The Dolls

The Barbies And their bright faces And their sweet smiles And their cotton hair And their lilac eyes Form a blockade of sameness, Stretching across mahogany shelves— Seas and seas of perfectly pink prettiness.

There’s a sour comfort in their uniformity. Can I fit into the fold? Can I melt into the plastic form And assume the persona of The Doll?

But, I wonder about them. They who have their cerulean blues fixed On me. How can they track the little girl? Smiling pearly praises at her triumphs: Watching as I gain friends, Watching as I maneuver blithely. But, hurling those same white daggers Through my tears, Through my hurt.

I think about them. The ones with their eyes as coppery as

the Apostles of Notre Dame. The ones who stare, soulless, through suffering. The ones who never whimper at agony. They who see glib gibes, Malicious taunts, And meet them with a synthetic smile.

The girls And their metallic faces And their celluloid smiles And their synthetic hair And their groping eyes Sit in contented silence While the little girl in front of them Winces Frowns Cries. Oh how I long for the moment When these pawns Will jolt alive behind their plastic shrouds! And twitch those mouths to call out words of substance— Words of aid— I long to hear their voices raised against the injustice they see. When will the dolls start to defend? When will perfectly pink no longer be enough?

©Avery Britt