Reduce Violence by Celebrating Diversity

Melting Pot is a description of our country, but the pot boils over in rage and segregation. These kinds of situations occur in the workplace, on the street, for the nation to view, and in America's schools.

Diversity in Richmond, Indiana, schools is evident. Walking down the hallways one will experience all races. Black, White, Asian, Mexican, and all others are represented here. Because of this, school is an obvious place for racial tensions to flare. Even thought high school students are younger, we feel the same or more racial pride as any adult, and we sometimes handle these problems inappropriately.

Just recently in Cincinnati, this pride was shown. On April 7, 2001, 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, an unarmed black man, was fleeing Cincinnati police. Thomas was shot and killed by a white police officer. Because of this, Cincinnati's community boiled over with rage. Black protesters violently smashed windows and destroyed the city. Almost every protester was between the age of 10 and 22. This shows how youth can battle racial problems inappropriately.

Students can feel when these outpourings of anger are about to occur, but sometimes administrators cannot see a problem. So they say there isn't one.

"The mere absence of war is not peace," former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy said.

Racial tensions are in our schools. We can' t say that just because a problem has not occurred, a problem isn't in the making. Certain steps cannot eliminate race problems. Instead of elimination as our goal, we should look towards improvement.

As of right now, my high school has one day out of 365 where we celebrate the world's diversity. One day during Black History Month we gather as a high school to celebrate that month, but is one day a year enough? My answer is no. We should constantly be celebrating diversity.

One sway to improve this problem is to use our school' s public address systems as a tool for peace. During home room announcements, the administrators should share famous moments in peace-making that correspond to the date's date. This will allow all students to be more in touch with different solutions to these problems.

Another way to improve diversity problems is to bring ways to handle these problems to the student's level. Use the school's publications to honor students who have thrived or done something great to defeat segregation or promote unity. For instance, someone who take action effectively and peacefully when someone else is being treated wrong could be honored. This would be a great way to improve different race relationships.

America's high school history classes should d o a better job of teaching about all races' past. Students should give report on some aspect of their ancestry, like a family meal or a story that has been passed down. This will let students gain more respect for different races and their classmates.

If we are patient, we will become happy with the small steps we take. We will be more victorious over racial tension. Schools must realize they cannot force students towards peace, but they can help students make responsible choices.

Craig Mauger is a Sophomore at Richmond High School and attends Holy Family Catholic Church. He enjoys tennis and writing. His essay won first place in a Peace Essay competition sponsored by West Richmond Friends Meeting.