Can We All Get Along? : Rodney King’s Visit Gives Tustin High School Students a Learning Experience

Rodney G. King may not be a role model, but his life and times offer profound lessons for young people. Especially for the 7% of Tustin High School youngsters who, like him, are black. So it’s difficult to see why some school officials and parents got so upset about his appearance at Tustin High School on Wednesday night. What’s the big deal?

As every Tustin High youngster surely knew, King is the motorist whose videotaped beating at the hands of Los Angeles police became a national and international incident. The subsequent acquittal of the officers touched off the Los Angeles riots and reminded the world of the sorry state of American inner cities. But it was King’s simple message, aimed at quieting the storm, that proved to be a question heard ‘round the world: “Can we all get along?”

What’s so bad about having youngsters exposed to that messenger? Yet scores of outraged parents telephoned school district offices after King’s surprise visit to the campus with his lawyer, Milton C. Grimes, who was scheduled to speak by the African-American Student Alliance Club. The school board president said King’s appearance was “upsetting” because nobody in the school hierarchy authorized it. The superintendent was hand-wringing about “what his appearance did to this community.”

Really, now. Did it matter to anyone what the students thought? Those interviewed by The Times after the talk said they welcomed King’s candor in talking about the problems of growing up black in Southern California. And bringing in outside speakers with a wide variety of points of view and experiences enriches the life of any educational institution.

Perhaps a little more notice was warranted before the unscheduled appearance. But there’s something to be said for the spontaneity. And the reaction was all out of proportion. King’s appearance offered an educational experience for youngsters.