OCR Text |
Show Panel debates racism in schools "The word colored is definitely a thing of the past. We're all colored." This assessment of a common word usage in our language was one of many topics considered in a panel discussion held Wednesday afternoon in Milton Bennion Hall at a meeting of the Student Education Association. Proceeding under the topic of "Racism in the Schools," the panel was moderated by Kerry Segel, ASUU presidential assistant for community relations. Members of the panel included Mrs. Judy Williams, who works with underprivileged children at the YWCA, and Mr. Garcia, who is a social worker with the Salt Lake Board of Education. Also on the panel were Gloria Brown and LeRoy Lyons, both University students, who previously attended the Christian Action Ministry (CAM) School in Chicago. Mr. uarcia stated that There is a small amount of racism in the Salt Lake public schools." This racism, said Mr. Garcia, is almost non-existent among the faculties, and occurs mostly in the peer groups of the minority children. Mrs. Williams presented a somewhat different view of local racism. According to Mrs. Williams, "there is racism in our schools, and it's not to a small degree, but to a large degree." Local racism is subtle, but it's there, she said. One oi the main problems in our schools, said Mrs. Williams, is that "white, middle-class teachers try to teach minority children white, middle-class values. They try to 'whitewash' them." Mrs. Williams told the perspective teachers that the best thing they can do to help minority group children in their classrooms is to "Look at yourself and your value structure." Teachers must remember that these children come from different cultures, and, therefore, have different values and mores, she said. |