South Bay : Student Play Looks at Racial Awareness

Students at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School will put a human face on the issue of race next month when they present a multimedia production about racial awareness.

“Human” is the result of more than 550 essays about being judged on the basis of race, culture and religion that were assigned by English teachers nearly a year ago. Since then, students, teachers and the peninsula-based Multicultural Advisory Board--a group that promotes ethnic diversity on the Palos Verdes Peninsula--have turned the essays into a two-hour production.

The play is shaped by monologues intermingled with video, dance and music sequences. Students created the music, dance and production sets under the guidance of drama teacher Jim Bell. Nearly a third of the school’s 3,000-member student body has participated in the production.

The school’s population once was predominantly white but the racial makeup has shifted. The percentage of Asian and Middle Eastern students has increased significantly, according to Mary Jo Mock, a member of the multicultural board, and the original play will reflect the school’s diversity and its acceptance on campus.

“We’re hoping to show that prejudice is something that is learned and it can be unlearned,” Mock said.