Diversity Essay Showcase

Eliminating Ethnic Prejudice
By Heather Ellis, Central Mountain High School, Clinton County
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In America and around the world, every person is an integral part of our existence, no matter how small or meaningless that person might seem. One would assume that the importance of life might be obvious and certain}y not taken for granted, but this task, the acceptance of others, has been magnified over hundreds of years to become the social issue of prejudice today. Daily, one reads or hears of a hate crime, a killing of an innocent person, or even a nation participating in ethnic cleansing. As a youth of today and a possible leader of tomorrow, I am appalled at the world's indifference to the plight of minorities everywhere, particularly in war-torn areas throughout the world, like the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and the killing of thousands during the Bosnian-Serbian War several years ago. These horrors are often described in detail accompanied by eyewitness reports and first-hand photographs, with the ensuing remarks consisting of sighs of anguish and despair. Yet, these are the only kinds of reactions that can be heard; most Americans assume that the murdering of millions in a foreign country is someone else's problem, not theirs'.

In the United States, many people take their First Amendment Rights for granted, rights that some people of the world would die to obtain. Racial hatred and genocide stem from a single act: prejudice. Discrimination is not an instinctual task; it is a learned and acquired skill, something that has been instilled in some people at a young age. This is what my generation, the future of tomorrow, must work to erase, the bigotry and intolerance that have tainted adults of today.

The process of eliminating prejudice will no doubt be an arduous one, but one that is vital in achieving the peace and solidarity that so many young people view for the future. Unfortunately, I don't expect to live to see the day when everyone is accepted, but I hope that posterity will be blessed with that privilege. Starting the solution should not be difficult, for it would implement a new form of education within today's classrooms, a type of racial awareness course. While nothing like that exists, at least to my knowledge, creating and then initiating such a course would not be hard at all. Lessons would be dictated according to various age groups, starting with the basic teachings of tolerance in the elementary schools, to racial acceptance in the middle schools, and then the history of racism and its consequences in high school. At the younger level, the key idea to be addressed would include the realization of differences among all types of people and the fact that these differences are perfectly fine. It would not only focus on racial and ethnic differences, but on all various types of people, thin, heavy, tall, short, those with glasses, anything that is not considered "normal." The fact is though, that these differences are truly what is normal and are by far more beneficial than uniformity. Differences create individuality, the main ideal within American society. The goal would be to help the students understand that it is precisely these differences that make the world such a diverse and interesting place that it is today. This would not only help them to accept people of various races, but would allow them to gain new views and perspectives on all aspects of life. Values and morals are different for everyone, and the more we are able to learn about each other’s beliefs, the better we can understand different cultures in the long run. For the middle school students, the previously introduced idea will be continued, but looked upon in a more intense way, perhaps studying different cultures and trying to eliminate any stereotypes. Films could be viewed, articles could be read, Web sites could be found, and traditional food could be prepared and then eaten by each student. This would be particularly beneficial to those areas where ethnic diversity is lacking, my hometown of Lock Haven for example. That way, these children would be exposed to the different types of people that they would have not previously known or could have had a skewed perception as to their lifestyle. To finish the ongoing courses, high school students would examine in-depth the consequences of racism and prejudices, particularly those during the Holocaust in World War II, the Armenian genocide, the Killing Fields during the Cambodian genocide, the Bosnian-Serbian War killings, and the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Primary sources would be utilized whenever possible, such as historical films, diaries, first-hand accounts, and even Web sites with photographs for the students to gain an insider’s view, despite their limited perspectives. Ideally, guest speakers should be brought in to share their experiences with the students on a personal level. It is one thing to read or hear about a tragic event, but to listen to a survivor's account brings an entirely new meaning to that occurrence within the students' minds. While this enormous task may seem overwhelming, the implementation could be done in various stages, first introducing short lessons and then expanding to cover a district-wide curriculum. Training would have to be completed, but any teacher willing to educate their students on this important topic would be able to teach these lessons, whether their background is in math, science, or history. The more background a teacher previously had in that specific area of teaching, the better the situation would be, but a good teacher must foremost be passionate about their work. To quote my favorite teacher and mentor, Mr. Mark Condo, "Teaching is not just a job, it is a lifestyle." To some degree, this racial awareness program already exists, but it must be enforced and executed more effectively so that the children of the future will not be subjected to ethnic discrimination. As a parent, it is important that the concept of confidence and acceptance of others is a skill taught at an early age, for it has been proven that children who have poor self images of themselves are more vulnerable to developing prejudices while still very young. If young children are able to accept everyone around them, whatever their racial background may be, then a huge step will have been accomplished. Moreover, if a child is caring and sympathetic, a characteristic that stems directly from the parents, studies have shown that the child is far less apt to be prejudiced at all. Children are able to look past appearances and accept others for whom they truly are, despite whatever visible differences there may be on the surface, and it is our job to keep that capability alive. In my opinion, if today's youth can grow up living with a variety of cultures and lifestyles, racial harmony will be that much closer and possibly within reach.

On a more local level, the first thing that people often notice about Lock Haven, my hometown, is the lack of racial diversity. Except for several minority groups that attend Lock Haven University, our town is predominantly white middle-class Americans. We are sheltered from the realities of a different world, such as a culturally diverse population with foreign influences, and do not have the privilege of experiencing any varying ways of life. I truly feel deprived by this; my narrow-minded perspective of how life should be lived is so one-sided that I might never be able to fully appreciate the way in which other people live. I yearn to learn more about the lives of others different than me, yet I am unable to experience these simple, while at the same time, complex ideals. At my school we have approximately 1500 students, four of whom are African-Americans. I feel cheated that I cannot interact with those that are different from me, for I do not know anything except my own structured way of life. Even thirty miles away, in Williamsport, there is a relatively large population of African-Americans, compared at least to those in Lock Haven. I don't consider myself prejudice in anyway, yet I feel apprehensive about interacting with people of different backgrounds than me. In a city like Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, this complaint might sound foolish, but in rural Central Pennsylvania, we are unfortunately missing the benefits of a culturally and ethnically diverse population.