Reflecting on Race

Hanzel Tuitea, 17

Savanna High School senior

Hanzel, who recently moved to Anaheim from Compton, says he’s witnessed racial tensions in both cities and wishes all people would become more tolerant. “We all need to come together because if we all come together, everybody would benefit. . . . We should learn about different cultures at school along with math and everything else.”

Mindy Resnik,17

Fountain Valley High School senior

“I don’t think people should let their color or their race be the boundary for friendship. . . . Programs like this help people understand. It really doesn’t matter what you look like.”

Seema Bhakta, 17

Buena Park High School senior

“In our history, we have treated people like they are inferior because of their race. It is our responsibility to stop that and to say, ‘No, we are all one race.’. . . People are always saying that our age group is so screwed up and I think that is so wrong. We really care.”

Ariana Williams, 15

Mission Viejo High School sophomore

Ariana said she was recently fired during a racially tinged argument with a customer who became upset when told she couldn’t return a pair of shoes for cash without a sales slip. “She said, ‘I don’t believe they let “you people” work here.’ I was just doing my job and she got me fired. . . . We need to learn more tolerance.”