A day to celebrate diversity

MIDDLETOWN -- Angela Harper wanted her classmates at Middletown High School North to understand what it was like to be followed around a store because of the color of her skin.

She shared another story about a time she forgot her lunch money and had to borrow from a teacher. When Harper went to pay her teacher back the next day, she was surprised by questions about whether she could afford to return the money.

None of that would have ever happened if she were white, Harper said.

Harper, 14, a freshman, and other students led their classmates in a frank discussion Tuesday about race, tolerance and stereotypes. The conversations were part of a district wide "Diversity Day" program to promote tolerance and understanding among students.

Each of the district's 17 schools ran special events throughout the day that included guest speakers and presentations to address a range of issues from bullying to civil rights to tolerance of different religions.

A cleric from the Islamic Center of Monmouth County, based in the township, explained to students at Thompson Middle School that his religion teaches its followers about peace, while a Muslim student at High School North talked to her classmates about "hijab," the head scarf she wears every day.

Diversity Day was introduced throughout the district a year after a series of racial incidents involving Middletown students. The program was not developed in response to past problems, however, but as a way to showcase efforts to celebrate diversity ongoing throughout the school year, said Assistant Superintendent Christopher J. Halpin.

High School North students debated why they felt it was appropriate for black youths to address each other using racial slurs, while finding it offensive if a white person used the same language.

White people use slurs to put black people down, said Nichole Render, 17, a junior. Black people use the same words to address their friends, she said.

She tried to break down stereotypes when talking in front of her classmates Tuesday and ran off a list of misconceptions held against black people.

"Black people don't all do drugs, end up in jail or listen to rap music," Render said.

"Everyone is colored," she added. "No one is clear."

Octavia Morris, 17, a junior, had doubts about speaking to her classmates about issues of race. Morris said she felt uncomfortable during lessons about slavery and worries she gets apologetic looks from classmates.

But she was hopeful talking to her classmates would make a difference.

"I guess after what we did today everyone would learn to appreciate our culture," Morris said.

Amina Soliman, 14, a freshman, and her friend Ingy Alhelawe, 16, visiting from Ocean Township, tried to dispel misconceptions about Muslims.

Most important, they wanted to share the message that not all Muslims are terrorists.

"Terrorist perpetrators don't fit any stereotype," Alhelawe said. "Islam doesn't encourage the killing of innocent people."

Soliman spoke about being the only student at High School North who wears a head scarf.

"It doesn't stop me from doing anything," said Soliman, who runs track. "We wear it for modesty."

At High School South, students experienced examples of Asian culture with Tai Chi demonstrations, performances of Asian Indian music and presentations about Japanese and Chinese language and culture.

Students could have their hands painted with henna as part of a display about Indian life, watch "Bollywood" movies, sample foods from different Asian countries and watch demonstrations of Chinese caligraphy.

Sameera Wilders, a parent, volunteered to teach Middletown South students about her homeland of Bahrain. She talked about her life growing up in the small Middle Eastern country and told students that childhood was not very different from theirs.

"I wanted to show them that even though we are so far apart geographically, we are so similar," she said. "We play the same games, have the same hopes and dreams.

"I think if we see the differences in each other and accept them, then we are no longer strangers," Wilders said.

Diversity Day was the brainchild of Stephen J. Baglivio, assistant principal at Thompson, who modeled the program after a similar event in another district.

Sheik Jamal Zahabi, the cleric, spoke to students at Thompson Middle School about the Muslim religion and addressed the horrors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

During his talk, Baglivio reminded students that during World War II people in this country were afraid of Japanese and other Asians.

"This is what we have to break away from," he said, making a comparison to the fear of and uncertainty about Muslims following Sept. 11.

"We believe they were extremists," Zahabi said of the terrorists. "They have no approval in our religion whatsoever."

Date published: 2/09/2005 - The Asbury Press