Racial Tensions

A school is a setting that includes pupils of many races. A neighborhood like this is a reflection of communities around the world where different races are brought together via education, careers, and the economy, among other things (Hashmi, 1969). Conflicts are unavoidable, particularly in courts or riots that depict the reality of racial boundaries. To identify how to deal with racism, it takes a committed individual or group to intervene.
Prejudice and racism are linked, for example, when someone refuses to sell or conduct business with another individual because of their race. Power conflicts have an impact on both prejudice and racial tension.They need distinct effort and involvement levels to deal with (Hashmi, 1969). Failing to engage the particular issues or effects that align these communities renders the effort to seek a change in human behavior fruitless.

Discussion

Students should act as examples and practice empathy within themselves. Whenever they realize an act of racism, they should step in and disrupt it in a friendly manner. By the offer of friendly greetings between people in the same community regardless of class, age, gender, or race, the fight against racism will impact positively on the society. To reduce prejudice between inter-groups, important conditions as equal status, cooperation from all parties, common goals and support from the law must be met. Friendships developed across races is an effective step against prejudice (Simpson & Yinger, 1987). In case of racism or prejudice, serious conversations between students should be seen on what really caused the act. Evidence and facts that lead to these acts once realized, can be used in future cases.
Education entails an extended area of significance for students who have taken steps to determine ways of reducing prejudice. Educational initiatives as cross-race friendships boost promising relations as they object myths and conventions associated with out-out-groups. This may include combining students from different racial grounds to a shared learning. Distinct groups on a peer discussion program where the subject of discussion touches on what establishes tensions and divisions also create awareness on ways of getting rid of prejudice (Clealand, 2017). Recently, racial conflicts have been on an increase mostly in schools. Students witness several of these cases and therefore they are the perfect group to be on the basis of these interventions due to their experiences. They can be easily persuaded to recall and mention them evidently.
The fact that it is impossible to completely get rid of racial prejudice is clear but we ought to develop a possibility of identifying and addressing these acts. They preserve unearned privileges of specific groups and induces restrictions to others who don't deserve. Racism convolutes the people's economic well-being except for it being addressed purposely and comprehensively, building efforts in a school or community will be futile (Mabbutt, 1991). The current shifts in demographics in several parts of the globe may lead to racial prejudice and racism causing tensions between races. The world is becoming more diverse and people more mobile. The distinct physical characteristics and other traits should be carefully guarded not to cause riots or hostilities.
Humans have no power read each other's minds but they behave in their day-to-day operations as if the other individuals around them directly access their feelings and thoughts. When anxiety develops on people as they interact between races, they expect all the others to have the same feeling. People decipher the agitation as discomfort or dislike due to prejudice. They amplify the positivity level they convey and expect their cross-race parties to understand reasons for awkward actions as they have interracial interactions. We should be conscious of the commonalities we share and not base on differences (Mehta & Favreau, 2000). However, it's profitable to be aware of them and their implications due to concerns of privileges and power.
The racial difference between the Whites and the Blacks is of relevance. As much as they take part in interracial interactions, they both believe that the other party has no interest in the interaction and avoids the interaction. The only reason they have when question if the fear of rejection from the other race. In a school community, for once friendship is built up, interaction should come first (Gordon & Massil, 1990). Students have to understand the behaviors of each other and make it a common interest to learn them in togetherness for joint objectives of excelling in their careers and improving the world's economy. Acknowledge the difference and in case a certain group is left out, the others should find ways of engaging them.
Students need to have knowledge on established intergroup relation signs and religious backgrounds. Teachers become profitable when they offer support as they make it more professional and of great impact to the society. Interventions assist in imposing challenges on daily believes on the out-groups. Discussions on historical events also help in breaking down barriers and objecting the prejudice generated from poor relations and historical conflicts. Several things that seem out of control can possibly be made clear to us (Emdin, 2014). We can maybe take action on a specific thing which relates to our longevity, for instance, our health. If we need to lose extra pounds, a little or more jogging will do, and you lower your blood pressure or cholesterol. We need resolutions to fix our society. These means building efforts to promote democracy which is a value of any state. There are both legal and moral reasons to act against prejudice and racism.

Role Play

Objectives

To enable students to understand that humans have negative attitudes and facilitate a beneficial conversation about racism and prejudice affecting the globe.
Illustrate the meaning of prejudice and racial tension and enable students to recognize and understand their own and other people's prejudicial and stereotypical attitudes.
It aims at increasing public awareness of discrimination and intolerance

Description

It is a friendly way of getting students discuss issues related to diversity in a set of groups. Players should portray persons of different races and interact based on the game. Engage in discussions and conversations with the usage of:
1. Interest portrayed from students
2. Active listening behaviors
3. Contribution of ideas, questions, and information
Students take up specific roles henceforth act and experience the feeling the reality of groups that face racism

Teacher's Notes

More time allocation in case activity is done in isolation to identify several discrimination types. Lesson timings depend on the teaching style, discussion period and the ability of the students.
Scenario replacement is advisable in the activity where appropriate. The scenarios are temporary and any changes required can be done.

Activity

I. Identify a suitable room or place with enough room for the activity
II. With the help of the teacher, list down four scenarios that show the act of prejudice and racial tension.
Scenario 1: an eight-year-old boy has interest in swim team, but the coach tells him how he lacks the strength to be capable of swimming a long distance. The instructor says, ""you should go home and spend time playing with your toys instead"".
Scenario 2: An Asian girl doesn't receive an invite to a birthday sleep-over party. Her buddy says, ""Mom told me how Asians don't like their children going to sleepover parties"".
Scenario 3: A fourteen-year-old boy develops an interest in jazz dance. On his arrival to the dance school, the tutor giggles and tells him ""your friends are waiting at the soccer game"".
Scenario 4: A girl informs her classmate that her father stays at home to look after her baby sister as her mother goes to work. Her classmate gets astonished and says, ""It's always weird for dads to look after babies, it's the work mums should do"".
The scenarios based on different experiences and imaginations the students have.
III. Write down these scenarios with every student able to access a copy
IV. The class is then divided into three or four small groups and each group given a scenario
V. The teacher then asks every group to act out the scenario illustrated with every student assigned a role. The groups are then supposed to think about how the character facing discrimination feels.
VI. Every group should role-play their specific scenarios in front of the whole class.
VII. As every role play ends, the class is to give a description of the discrimination types represented and a report on the discrimination impact on the character(s) elaborated. The responses then summarized on the board.
VIII. Students are then to come up with strategies useful in curbing situations shown in the scenarios. Groups can be requested to re-form and replay the scenarios consolidating their approaches needed to act on prejudice. Impacts of the game are considered as indicators of the future development of models set up in regard to the fight against racism.

Resources

Lesson Ideas - Acquired from the teacher's own understanding of prejudice and racial tensions. Used to support education initiatives against racism and existing curriculum or independently. Illustrations based on age, theme or the learning area.
Focus on media - YouTube video by Victor Rios: Help for kids the education system ignores. Link:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjch_75mr_WAhVGvhQKHcSRBg8QtwIIKjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ted.com%2Ftalks%2Fvictor_rios_help_for_kids_the_education_system_ignores%2Freading-list%3Flanguage%3Dmy&usg=AFQjCNEjLcJSwJAzRxzJzdFajJx4HArBEQ . The video reports on somewhat controversial and current events how they don't often reflect perspectives' breadth on a specific concern.
Books - Anti - racist resources: a guide for adult & community education, by Paul Gordon and Rosy Massil and found on Google books. The book empowers students on ways of managing personal conflicts and grow to be leaders in various communities they end up in (Gordon, 1990).

References

Clealand, D. (2017). The power of race in Cuba. [Oxford]: Oxford University Press.
Emdin, C. (2014). 5 Ways to Teach About Michael Brown and Ferguson in the New School Year. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-emdin/5-ways-to-teach-about-michael-brown-and-ferguson-in-the-new-school-year_b_5690171.html
Gordon, P. (1990). Racial violence and harassment. London: Runnymede Trust.
Gordon, P., & Massil, R. (1988). Anti-racist resources: a guide for adult &community education. London: Runnymede Trust.
Hashmi, F. (1969). Psychology of racial prejudice. London: Community Relations Commission.
Mabbutt, R. (1991). Prejudice Reduction. [Washington, D.C.]: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
Mehta, B., & Favreau, J. (2000). Educating against racism. Toronto: Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
Simpson, G., & Yinger, J. (1987). Racial and cultural minorities. New York: Plenum Press.