Ethnic Clubs on School Campuses
Re “As Ethnic Clubs’ Popularity Rises, So Do Tensions,” May 12: The need for ethnic clubs such as MEChA on high school campuses in California is more acute today than ever before. The article and comments by a Tustin High School junior imply that racial tensions at high schools are caused by the presence of ethnic clubs such as MEChA. Such an analysis is, in my opinion, a distortion of reality and unfairly puts the blame on the very students who have the courage to stand up to social injustices.
If anyone is to blame for heightened racial tensions on high school campuses today, it’s politicians who exploit the differences and fears that exist among various ethnic groups to advance their own political ambitions. The answer to racial tensions on campuses is not to abolish ethnic clubs such as MEChA but to continue to educate our students about the richness of the racial and ethnic diversity of our state and nation and to elect political leaders that work toward bringing people together rather than play on people’s fears.
JOSE JAIME MEDINA
MEChA Faculty Advisor
Poly High School
Riverside
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
