Music is a universal language bridging barriers and building harmony among disparate groups of people.
Two Kansas City area foundations are to build harmony from hatred — RRACE (Racial and Religious Acceptance and Cultural Equality) and Faith Always Wins. The nonprofit organizations are conducting a songwriting contest seeking compositions that address the subject of racial, religious and/or cultural equality and acceptance. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}Songwriters ages 14-21 are invited to submit original works now through Feb. 28 for the first Faith, Love & Song competition. Winners will be announced at the SevenDays Celebration taking place in April 2015.
Following the tragic events that took place in April 2014 at the Jewish Community Campus and Village Shalom, RRACE and Faith Always Wins were established to create something positive from the evil that occurred. This song competition is aimed at promoting understanding, tolerance and acceptance through the arts.
“Music is healing. It can bridge the gap between religions and race. Together, as a community, we can overcome evil, when we join hands and voices to make good louder. My father and Reat each had a love of music and this songwriting competition adds meaning to how they lived their lives,” said Mindy Corporon, whose son Reat Griffin Underwood and father Dr. William Corporon were killed outside of the Campus on April 13, 2014. The third victim, Terri LaManno, was gunned down outside of Village Shalom. The Corporon family established the Faith Always Wins and the Reat Griffin Underwood Memorial Foundation to engage others in a dialogue that will encourage Faith and the good that is in the world.
“We are doctors. We believe in healing and not in killing. Our mission is simple. We ask all, regardless of racial, religious or cultural differences, to join our cause: cherish life, become a healer,” said Drs. Ekkehard and Sieglinde Othmer, who established RRACE after learning about the April 13 shootings. RRACE hopes to promote understanding and acceptance through the arts, starting with this songwriting competition.
The purpose of the songwriting contest is to promote acceptance and diversity. Contestants may submit an unlimited number of compositions for consideration, but they must be original works. Songwriters may also work together. For complete contest details, please visit www.faithalwayswins.org.
A panel of judges from the music and entertainment industry will choose up to 10 finalists who will be notified by March 15. The public will ultimately choose the three winning compositions through “likes” on YouTube. Judges’ scores plus the number of likes posted on the YouTube version of each song will determine the three winners. Voting will take place March 29 throug April 4.
The composers of the top three winning compositions will receive scholarships in the amounts of $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place. The compositions will be performed as part of the April SevenDays events.
The songwriting competition is co-sponsored by: RRACE, Reat Underwood Memorial Fund, Faith Always Wins, the LaManno Family, Morgan Family, Herbert and Bonnie Buchbinder, KC SuperStar, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, Village Shalom and the Church of Resurrection.
For more information on the songwriting contest, email Tammy Ruder, producer, at . 816-612-8151.{/mprestriction}