A Ray of Hope

Often times studying racial ethnic relations can be depressing. Considering my background in history I have studied human history and one of the most common themes that continues to rear its head is racism. In the case of the U.S. I try to look at how deplorable things were in comparison today, and that helps me realize just how far we have come as a nation and as a people.

Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go and believing that racism has been eradicated is dangerously naive. We must always strive to tackle the real issues of ethnic stratification, rather than kid ourselves into believing that they no longer exist. I recently read a New York Times article in which those issues were being addressed by a group that perhaps has the greatest potential in overcoming our racial and ethnic differences.

At Roosevelt Intermediate School in Wesfield, New Jersey; and Cedarbrooke K-8 Center in Plainfield, New Jersey; two different groups of eighth graders were learning about the same novel, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. What makes their study of the book so unique is that the students of both schools studied the novel together. Facilitated by modern technology, such as Skype, the students were able to ask questions to each other about their feeling and ideas about the book and its characters.

Coming from different backgrounds each group of students had a preconceived concept of the other, with Westfield's mostly white students associating Plainsfield with 'fried chicken' and 'hair salons', while students from Plainsfield thought of Westfield as 'rich' and 'snotty'. Once brought together each group benefited from their experienced. Students from Westfield were exposed to people from a very different background, and the students from Plainsfield were encouraged to know they were equally capable of doing the same academic work as students from Westfield.

While this story may come off as idealistic and cheesy to some I believe stories like this are important for several reasons. One is that it shows that there is still much work to be done in the way of ethnic assumptions, stratification, and interracial relations. Second is that it helps show how we can use classic works like Steinbeck in conjunction with modern technology such as Facebook to allow teens to engage with both literature and each other. Finally, it shows us that not all is wrong in the world and that there is progress being made, and frankly who does not enjoy something positive?

You can read the article here