Students Learn the Truth About Each Other
For the past year, 22 Latino, Korean and African American high school students from Pico-Union, Koreatown and South-Central have met twice a month to learn about each other’s history and sample each other’s food, music and culture.
The idea was to learn what they had in common, and to dispel notions of prejudice.
“For some reason, I didn’t like Koreans, even though I never was affiliated with them,” said Maurice Burman, a 10th-grader at USC-Mathematics and Science Technology High School. But after getting to know Korean American students in the program, Burman said he found them “real cool.”
Jorge Gamez, a Loyola High sophomore who lives in South-Central, said for example that he was surprised to learn that not all students of Korean ancestry achieve perfect scores on the SAT.
James Hong, a Palisades High junior who lives in Koreatown, said the effort at understanding “distinguishes people from bigots and helps them become unbiased people.”
All 22 students were honored at a ceremony Friday night for completing the youth leadership program, sponsored by the Multiethnic Youth Leadership Collaborative--a partnership of the Central American Resource Center, Korean Youth and Community Center and the Youth Empowerment Project.
Proud parents and relatives were on hand to celebrate the milestone in their youngsters’ multicultural journey at the Korean Cultural Center, a museum-like facility where Korean paintings and artifacts are displayed.
As guests indulged in Central American cuisine, they admired the exhibits, which included a traditional Korean room, complete with satin cushions, antique cabinets, lanterns and wall hangings.
Some of the Latino and Korean immigrant parents could not fully understand the program because it was in English. But that didn’t take away from the significance of the occasion. One Korean father said he was pleased that his daughter, Youni Kim, was learning to mix with people of different ethnicities.
A language barrier makes that an impossible goal for his generation, he said, but for her, cross-cultural communication skills would be essential, especially in Los Angeles.
Florentino Gutierrez, who hails from Guadalajara, Mexico, said he was proud that his daughter, Erica, a Belmont High School senior, had completed the yearlong program.
“Communicating with different people is very important,” he said, as his daughter translated for him.
Several students said that in the course of visiting each other’s neighborhoods and learning about their respective histories in Los Angeles, they have come to feel comfortable with each other and more tolerant about their differences.
Their journey began in June with a weekend retreat at Lakes Hughes near Magic Mountain.
Later, the students heard lectures from community leaders, went bowling together, held mixers, and wrote their family stories and essays on race relations.
They also created a Web site--MYLC.org--where they are posting their year’s work.
Dennis Escobar, a 10th-grader at Belmont High whose family moved to Los Angeles from El Salvador, said an important lesson he learned was that there is diversity among Asians.
“Latinos tend to think Asians are Chinese,” he said. “I learned that every Asian is not Chinese.”
Jennifer Joh, a senior at Immaculate Heart High School, said she is much more comfortable around African Americans now.
“I thought that black people are unfriendly, but I learned that they are friendly and warm,” she said.
Hong said freedom from bias doesn’t come “naturally,” but requires determined effort. “It is this realization and that effort to change that distinguishes people from bigots and helps them become unbiased people,” Hong said.
One mother at the graduation said that she would like to see similar efforts made across Los Angeles, including for adults. “People work all day and when they come home they don’t want to do one more thing,” Dawn Cooper said. But the effort must be made, she added.
