Students Using Videos, Puppets to Fight Bigotry

A group of high school students are hoping to put a dent in bigotry with a series of videos in which they will use puppets to convey messages of tolerance.

The eight students are putting the final touches on their videos at the Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center with the help of a professional puppeteer. They hope to have the videos aired as public service announcements on local television stations.

One video tells the story of an old man who was never accepted in his town because his skin was purple. One day the man saved a child stuck in a tree.

“At first they judged the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he dressed,” said 17-year-old Ruben Clingerman, who came up with the idea for the video. “Once they found out who he really was, they all liked him.”