アメリカの多元的な社会が求めるリーダー格とは。
Column: Prizes for diversity give hope for future
By Yolanda Young
As a nation, we are becoming increasingly diverse, but racial tensions seem to be on the rise, particularly among young people.
Hopes for a post-racial era are quickly forgotten when you read about two black teenagers accused of setting a 13-year-old white boy on fire in Kansas City, Mo. Or about white students at Gloucester (Mass.) High School being investigated for racist tweets directed at a black Washington Capitals hockey player, Joel Ward.
Such vile acts make me wonder whether today's youth are retreating into xenophobia. So I was greatly relieved to read about this year's winners and honorees of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, which recognizes high school students who work in their schools and communities to advance inclusiveness. Their efforts give us hope that these future leaders in diversity will negate the bad acts of a few.
Take Yousif Hanna, who came to the U.S. from Iraq. After entering Boston College High School in 2009, Hanna managed, with a limited grasp of English, to earn top grades and forge bonds with three other diverse students: Frankie Davis, who is Dominican and Irish Italian; Haitian immigrant Varnel Antoine; and Chinese-American Kevin Dong. Princeton credited them with breaking stereotypes and forging friendships that transcend race, and ethnicity.
Michael Wattendorf was elected the first white president of the Black Student Union at Thomas Jefferson High School in Northern Virginia. He won the award for creating a mentorship program to encourage an interest in math and science among black elementary and middle school students.
The most hopeful signs of these awards are that winners often continue to promote the cause of diversity. In 2004, Zainep Mahmoud was among the first-prize winners. As a high school sophomore, she wrote a play, Unforgettable, about the tragic consequences of harassment and assaults against those of Arab descent in the wake of Sept. 11. Mahmoud continued her diversity efforts as a leader of Dartmouth's Afro-American Society, while also mentoring students. She later was hired by Google, in part for her leadership skills, and is now attending Wharton Business School, where she is an officer of the African American MBA Association.
Although racial differences will probably always be with us, the Princeton Prizes give us hope for the future and the powers of inclusiveness.
Yolanda Young is the founder of www.onbeingablacklawyer.com.
