Our Observation

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17, now’s a good time to think about racial tension within our communities — and nation — and what we can do to ease it.

Events are planned in Maitland and Winter Park to celebrate the holiday but how about taking the positive energy from these annual events and using it in everyday lessons? Although honest discussions about race could benefit us all, schools seem like the most natural place to start. Our children are our future, and if we want a future of peace and equality, we have to teach them to accept and respect others, no matter their race or ethnicity.

Orange County has been a minority majority county for several years, meaning that the majority of the county is made up of minorities. So it is likely that every school, organization, business and community deals with racial issues, whether they are positive or negative.

MLK day makes most people think about the African American community, but when we talk about racial issues, it must be all encompassing. Orange County has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the state, which makes them a large part of the race conversation.

Experts say the best way to tackle racial issues is through education. Openly discussing different races is healthy. For instance, an East Orlando school that recently had an issue with racial tension between white students and Hispanic students plans to host a diversity day, where students from all different backgrounds will have the opportunity to showcase their culture. This teaches students that diversity is a positive thing. The school also invited counselors who specialize in race issues to speak to the student body.

Last month, middle schoolers from Geneva Christian School, Leader’s Preparatory School, an Islamic school, and the Jewish Academy of Orlando participated in the Multifaith Education Program learned about each other’s religion and ethnicity. This weekend, Rollins College has planned host of diversity events.

All schools should zero in on race whether or not racial tension has been an issue. Host a diversity day of your own, work it into a lesson plan or host a workshop where a professional speaks to the students. It’s easier to do this now than to wait until problems arise.

Besides schools, healthy racial discussions should take place in our community centers, our libraries and our government meetings. The more we talk about it, the more likely we are to deal with it. In 2008, when Barack Obama was running for president, people were hopeful that racial tension would finally quiet because the race conversation had been started. People were talking about an issue that, for the most part, had been considered taboo.

So while the target of this effort should be in the schools, we as adults must lead by example. The more the whole community becomes involved, the stronger the message to our future leaders that acceptance is key to a healthy and prosperous community. Because if one group is left behind, we’re all held back.