Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 24, 2009, edition 1 / Page 10
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Students say they notice subtle racism at their schools BY LAYLA HARMER THt CHRONICLE A group of high schi>ol stu dents from across the county spoke candidly about race* and race relations Tuesday evening during a forum at West Forsyth High School. Each year during Race Equality Week, the city's Human Relations Commission gives students a chance to sound oft" on the topics. "We want them to reflect da the past, examine the pres ent and plan for the future," said Dr. Ernie Wade, -chair of Student Relations for the Human Relations Commission.. "We've asked them to he as candid as they can." The students fielded ques tions from Wanda Allen Abraha. director of the Department of Human Relations. t and Moderate, Maynard "Busta" Brown, of 97. 1 WQMG.on a wide range of race-related subjects. If the experiences Of most of the 12 student panelists are arty indication, oven racism may be a thing of the past. "My friends at school don't really view race as a fac Local students discuss-mce on Tuesday evening. tor." said North Forsyth stu dent April Ellis. "It just hasn't ^heen a big deal - or any kind of deal -*111 my life." The majority of the stu dents agreed that race wasn't a major concern among their frienils. and many said they have a racially eclectic group of friends. Still, many of them were able to cite instances where they say they believed they were mistreated by peers and even teachers because of their race. Arthur Balwah, a senior at Parkland IB Magnet High School, recounted a story from his freshman year when he went out for the basketball team. The coach. Balwah said, kept calling him "Paki." a derogatory term used for peo ple from Pakistan. Balwah. who is Trinidadian, believes the coach's prejudices led him lo unnecessarily cut him from (he team "I was one of the better people out there," Balwah related. "1 really thought I should have made it. but 1 did n't " Isaiah Fletcher, a student at East Forsyth, says teachers' standards for African Moderator Brown American students are often lower than that of their Caucasian peers. . "At East Forsyth, if you're black and you pronounce your words well, you enunciate, if you know common English, all of a sudden everybody thinks you're so smart." he related. Reynolds student Lauren Howard says she has encoun tered a subtler kind of discrim ination at her school. Her the ater teacher, for example, has an affinity for plays that revolve around largely white characters, so rarely, she said, are minority students selected for roles. "Even though it's not said; even though it's not men tioned: it's still there," she remarked, "and all the minori ties - we know that we're at a disadvantage." Louis Williams, who rep resented the Career Center but is a student at Atkins, said race is an issue among his peers at his home school. "At Atkins, it's a big prob lem," Williams related. "...No African American student really conversates with white students; it's a no-no." Several of the panelists attended Downtown Elementary School, and said that the close-knit nature of the small student body there left little room for prejudices. Race Equality Week will continue tonight (Sept. 24) at 6 p.m., with the Human Relations Commission's Ninth Annual "Beyond Soul and Salsa." a forum on African American and Hispanic issues, at the Gateway YWCA, 1300 S. Main Street. For more infor mation, call 336-727-SIHM). Homeless frompagt' At Williams has written about . the experience and talks about it freely because sne says too often the public bejieves that the homeless population is filled with those witb.no ambi tion. education or drive . She is proof that that is not always the ease. : "liven though i have Walked, w ith the' homeless, fed them and supported them. .1 was not prepared for all of the emotions that I am experienc ing now that 1 find myself fac ing the same dire circum stances." Williams wrote in an essay about her experiences. Williams has always been a giver. She walked 18 miles in the dead of winter in Wisconsin to raise money to create a scholarship for single mothers" at her alma'fndter, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. She also volun teered monthly with the home less outreach ministry at her 'vqhurch here - Greater Tabernacle Worship Center. When she studied abroad. Williams donated clothes and food to children in need, in the countries she visited. Wifliamssays becoming the beneficiary of the generosity of others has been a tough pill for her to swallow. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be on the receiving end." she related. "I was always the giver." For the time being, Williams has a roof over her head, thanks to the generosity of a WFU benefactor, but soon, she'll again have to pay rent - a momumental chal lenge for someone who has not received a paycheck in six month v The substitute work has become less steady. Williams reports. She estimates that she has applied for at least 200 jobs in every sector, from fast food to teaching positions at community colleges, but to no avail. "It's been nerve racking, to say the least, and stressful, because yon realize, that you have a family to support and you have vero income coming irr/ related the single mom. "...I really try to relax myself before each interview because 1 don't want to come off des perate because I've found with employers, that's really a tumoff." . In the face of so many challenges. Williams says she has relied heavily on her faith to get her through. "My spirituality keeps me grounded and keeps me going, as well as my children, because it's not just me - 1 have to support them - 1 want to see them become success^ I'ul." she related. "...I'm .still applying lor everything imagi nable. and praying for divine intervention, that I will not end up in the same position (next month)." While Williams may seem like an unlikely homeless per son. Andrea Kurt/ says that her story really isn't that odd in these tough economic times. "The biggest thing that We're seeing in our shelters is an increase in- the number of intact duo parent) families .. and the increase in the number of people who. prior to the economic crisis, were living fairly middle-class lives," said Kurtz, the implementation director of the city's Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The economic nosedive has changed the face of home lessness in our country. says Kurtz, as more and more peo ple like Williams find them selves out of work. Although over the last three years, the city program claims to have reduced chronic homelessness by 48 percent, the problem could get even worse down the road. Kurtz said she and others who work in the homeless sys tem are bracing themselves for a new wave of clients, as thou sands in the Forsyth County area are expected to run out of unemployment over the Course of the next 180 days. "We are looking at mas sive numbers of people losing their unemployment, and 1 don't know that we're pre pared for that," she admitted. Nevertheless, Kurtz says all hope is not lost. "Things are changing slowly," she commented, "...we're not living in a com munity where there is nothing: there are employers who are still hiring. You just have to put your best face forward." Williams says despite her down moments, she is still upbeat and faithful. "The one thing that 1 desire, is to shine a spotlight on the increasing number of displaced/homeless people in North Carolina, In some places, it is considered taboo to discuss homelessness." she writes. "What does homeless ness look like? It is definitely not just our old perception of the older man or woman with the tattered coat and worn out shoes pushing a shopping cart filled with aluminum cans. Who can become homeless? Any one of us." ________ ?% When a mother is a child without a home, en hen V V i n r N i aki v 6.00 prf.gnant or parenting girls between the ages of 10 and 1 8 in Forsyth County, youth pregnancy in our community is a serious issue. But consider that around 40 of these girls are also homeless, and the story suddenly becomes desperate in a way few of us can imagine. That's why The Children's Home now offers shelter and education to young, unprepared, and vulnerable moms and their children at My Aunt's House, a residential program that provides a safe and loving environment for girls to hr,ing their babies into the world while also teaching them life and parenting skills. We welcome your support, l.carn more at tchome.org. Qoodness grows here The CHILDREN'S Home Winston-Salem Campus 336 721-7600 ~ Franklin Campus 828-349-0345 - www.tchomc.org
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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