TRYING TO CLEAR THE AIR : `DIALOGUES' GRAPPLE WITH RACE RELATIONS.Byline: Luz Villarreal Daily News Staff Writer Few students were willing to dip into dip into Verb 1. to draw upon: he dipped into his savings 2. to read passages at random from (a book or journal) Verb 1. the subject at a South Central Los Angeles high school Los Angeles High School, founded in 1873, is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans. , but across town, in Atwater Village, 14 people couldn't stop talking. The topic? Racism. ``We were always the first black family to move into the block,'' said Monique Taylor, an assistant professor of sociology at Occidental College History The Birth of Occidental College Occidental College (commonly referred to as Oxy) was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group of Presbyterian clergy and laymen. during a session at Atwater Park Center. ``We were the family that was bringing property values down.'' Amy Smith said she was uncomfortable with racial jokes. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to say when people say racist jokes,'' she said. ``I've never experienced racism but one thing that bothers me is how most people think Latinos are Mexican,'' Bertha Rodriguez, aMexican-American who lives in Glendale, said it bothers her how people have a tendency to label all Latinos as being Mexican nationals. ``Just because we speak Spanish doesn't mean we are all Mexicans,'' she said. Across Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on Thursday, hundreds of people from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds grappled with race and diversity at one of 10 settings citywide for ``Days of Dialogue on Race Relations race relations Noun, pl the relations between members of two or more races within a single community race relations npl → relaciones fpl raciales .'' The program began in October 1995 at the direction of Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas Mark Ridley-Thomas (born 1954) is currently a California State Senate where he chairs the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee]]. He represents the 26th district which includes the communities of Vermont Knolls, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Hancock Park, Korean as a way to relieve racial tensions after the not-guilty verdict in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial. This year, 10 other cities from across the country are joining Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in its efforts to create dialogues through Monday to coincide with the birthday and holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. But getting people to open up the divisive issue wasn't always easy Thursday. After an unproductive effort to role play with the 26 students before him at Dorothy Vera Johnson High School, facilitator Aquil Basheer finally challenged them. ``You are the next leaders of society,'' he said. ``Race relations is tearing this country apart. If this generation does not step up and deal with it, it will tear us apart. Don't sell yourself short. When you have an opportunity to speak, express yourself.'' He finally had a taker tak·er n. One that takes or takes up something, such as a wager or purchase: There were no takers on the bets. taker Noun . ``Well, when someone steps up to speak, will people listen?'' asked 18-year-old Shanika Johnson, a senior. ``When the Days of Dialogue was started, the goal was to listen,'' Basheer said. Johnson said it goes back to the old saying, `You can't judge a book by its cover.' ``I live down the street from gang members but I do not gangbang gang·bang or gang-bang n. Vulgar Slang 1. Sexual intercourse, often rape, involving one person or victim and several others who have relations with that person in rapid succession. 2. . Just because I know them and associate with them, that does not mean I am a gang member.'' At Atwater Park Center, participants shared their frustrations openly. Robert Egami, a teacher's assistant from Pasadena, offered a suggestion for dealing with racial jokes. ``Tell the person you don't appreciate racial jokes and that your relationship can be impacted by it.'' Kaye Ragland said she would turn the joke on the person who said it. ``I make a joke out of the person's joke and say something like, `Hey, now that's a racist joke, isn't it?' '' Taylor said people should be challenged. ``You can say or ask `Where is the humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was in this?''' she said. ``You force them to explain it and look at the situation. It's hard to sleep at night when you let these comments go. We all feel free to talk about war, economics and politics but when it comes to racism, people don't want to touch it.'' Facilitator Ron Newton, of Pasadena, credited Days of Dialogue for helping the people in his group come to terms with something that is not often discussed in public. ``Primarily it's an opportunity to help people discuss a subject that is pretty sensitive in a forum where they feel comfortable,'' he said. ``They can exchange ideas and take away from it different concepts.'' If the sessions go well, the dialogues go beyond the issue of race, he said. ``This whole concept builds community,'' he said. ``That's very important. It brings people together.'' After Thursday's program, Egami said he learned something about himself and everyone in the room. ``We are prejudiced,'' he said. ``But we overcome it by information. We're all ignorant about a lot of facts about other people. If we can learn to be more sensitive, that would help out a lot.'' DAYS OF DIALOGUE: Race Relations Residents across Los Angeles are gathering through Sunday for community dialogues focusing on race and diversity. Several sessions are set in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . TODAY: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Pacoima Senior Citizens for United Concern Inc. 11300 Glenoaks Blvd., Pacoima Information: 834-6100 7 to 9:30 p.m. Phillips Graduate Institute The Phillips Graduate Institute is a graduate school based in Encino, California. It provides graduate education in family therapy and human relations. In the 1950s its founders, Clinton E. Phillips, Ph.D., and David Jansen, D.Min. Conference Room 203 5445 Balboa Blvd., Encino Information: 386-5684 SUNDAY 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. All Saints All´ Saints` 1. The first day of November, called, also, Allhallows or Hallowmas; a feast day kept in honor of all the saints; also, the season of this festival. Church/C.O.L.O.R.S The Forum 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena Information: 796-1172 3 to 5 p.m. Lankershim Arts Center 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood Information: 563-9861 MONDAY: 12 to 2 p.m. Temple Kol Tikvah 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills Information: 348-0670 CAPTION(S): box, 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Pupils at Dorothy Vera Johnson High School in South Central Los Angeles listen to discussions on race relations. (2) Robert Egami recalls experiences with racism Thursday in Atwater Village. Myung J. Chun/Daily News Box: Days of Dialogue (see text) |
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