Racist dating video shows schools need to talk more about diversity, inclusion

Santiago Covarrubias/For the Sun-Times

The video mentioned in the article “Racist dating video at Lincoln Park H.S. sparks difficult conversations among CPS students” was racist, offensive and completely unacceptable. But it also presents an opportunity to examine the ways we discuss race and reflect on ways to ensure all students feel like they belong.

Let’s consider the teenage experience for a moment: This is arguably the time when adolescents experience the most physical, emotional and social changes of their lives. They’re tempted to question who they are, to probe why things are and to wonder if things can change. There’s enormous pressure to perform academically, to find and fit in with their peers, and to develop an independent sense of self. These are tough times.

But these are also opportunities for growth. One of the most important things a high school can do is be tolerant and inclusive of the wide range of racial identities, embracing the ambiguity that arises. 

This means talking more about race by encouraging students to explore those identities in student-led groups. It also means including minority perspectives of American and world historical events, investing more time to making sure the preferred identities of students are being heard and considering the interplay of race on societal and systematic scales.

None of this is easy, especially in diverse schools. There are students and teachers at Lincoln Park HS that do this now and can attest. But only by wrestling with the complicated and confusing notions of race in diverse settings can we grow as a school and society.

Alexander Dean, candidate for Community Representative at Lincoln Park HS LSC

Baseball and timing

Baseball is back this week and I know that simply because the weather forecast is calling for the possibility of snow. That’s not to say that I’m all for a shorter schedule but consider this: it’s possible for a woman to both conceive and deliver a baby between the first and last pitches of the same season.

To make matters worse a baseball game now takes over three hours to complete and that’s about 60 minutes too long for most seniors. And though a majority of sports fans can’t get  enough football action, they rarely sit through an entire baseball contest. After three innings or so they’re likely to stretch their legs while searching for the lost remote.

And yet Chicago is excited that another opening day is at hand. After all, in comparison to months of COVID quarantine, carjackings and random acts of violence, a slow-moving game of baseball is welcome relief. That is, until the home team is officially eliminated from the pennant race.

Bob Ory, Elgin