The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

Differences Can Bring Us Together

Lindsey Bell Co-Features Editor After last year’s controversial assembly, Latin School’s Black Student Union devised a different strategy to educate the ever-critical student body about black culture during this year’s Black History Month.  The club led a positive campaign, one that focused on the importance of multicultural inclusion rather than segregation. A method that has proved incredibly effective in the past, they chose to invite a Latin Alumnus to speak. Whenever Latin alumni speak, their message is usually more accepted by the community—for no other reason than that they understand their audience. Rendel Solomon (‘96) was no exception. Additionally, Latin students were exposed to the different interpretations of Black History Month through African-American faculty and staff that are known and loved among our community. The audience took back a great message from the assembly: For many, Black History Month is primarily about education and recognition; this is something that as a populace, we need to do a better job throughout the year—not just during the twenty-eight days of February. During his speech, Mr. Solomon said, “We come together on our similarities, but we build on our differences.” Although seemingly a simple concept, this notion is more difficult in practice. It can sometimes be difficult to overlook someone else’s race, sexuality, or political standing; or even the smaller characteristics that define us as individuals, such as the way someone dresses, wears their hair, or does on the weekends.  Especially in the Latin community, where pressure is high and the competition is rigorous, you might find yourself disregarding another student’s input simply because they don’t get the highest grades in the toughest classes. Regardless of whether someone is in your class, lives in your neighborhood, or has the same ethnic background as you—every person’s thoughts should be equally valued. We all go to this school for the same reason: we all care about our education. If we can take the message of the BSU Assembly to heart, using the things that differentiate us from one another in order to come together, we can become an impressive force in the community to accomplish our goals and make a difference.]]>

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    jbucciero11Apr 12, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    Ugh. I missed this, too–but I heard good things. Article itself is hard to argue with…

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Differences Can Bring Us Together