MEMPHIS, Tenn. — At a time when racial tensions are high across the nation, some students at White Station High School are embracing tough conversations in the classroom.
The White Station group of “Facing History and Ourselves” met Wednesday, to learn from the family member of a Holocaust survivor.
The group looks to the past to teach tolerance.
Members spend a lot of time discussing civil rights, including racial tensions that exist today.
“We talk about everything,” said senior student facilitator Terrence Wicks.
“Discrimination,” sophomore student facilitator Destiny Sobotka added, describing a topic of group conversation.
The “Facing History and Ourselves” group has been around White Station about 20 years.
This year, there seems to be more to talk about.
Following the shooting deaths of people like Michael Brown in Ferguson and Darrius Stewart in Memphis, discussions about race have been at the forefront.
“Officer shootings or anything officer-related, that sometimes kids have a voice also,” Wicks said.
Teacher Susan Satar said the school has added an after school component, called Real Talk Tuesdays, where students and faculty talk about important issues.
Satar said helping students discover their voices prepares them to have these conversations in the real world.
“Then you begin these conversations about the tough topics, the hot button topics and then we can talk about change,” Satar said.
“I’m a person doing something just crazy, or whatever, and you follow me. Well then, you’ve started a movement, because now you’re following me. Other people might want to follow you,” Wicks said.
The group teaches being an up stander, meaning somebody who does something, instead of a bystander.
Organizers said this group is not just about discussing the past or current events, it is also about breaking down racial stereotypes at the school.
“This is a happy family, yes, but we have separate happy families, so we want to bring them all together,” Wicks said.
“Facing History and Ourselves” is a global organization that began in the 1970s.
The group at White Station has more than 30 students involved.
