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Peace and Conflict Resolution (Education) In my essay I will discuss the issue of political and racial conflict that took place at Washington High School. I will describe the events and try to analyze their underlying cause. From the very beginning the issue seems to consist of many problems: racial discrimination, freedom of political views, unfair judgement of authority, psychological aversion to a different race (Afro-Americans). In conclusion I will try to state and to prove my own point of view on cause of the issue.
The conflict started with the court-ordered basing initiative that brought a huge amount of Afro-American students into the high school. The basing completely changed the composition of the student-body of the school that turned from mainly white into such that had about 25 % of Afro-Americans. Naturally, this change provoked racial tensions at school. The peak of the racial conflict was when the United States was sending troops to the Gulf War. Seven Afro-American students walked through an American flag on the stage during the talent show performance. Then the students ripped the flag apart, and threw the peaces into the audience.
By doing this, the students unfurled an African national Congress flag and were parading across the stage with it. The audience went wild, but eventually the order was retuned and the administrators decided continue the show because no real harm had occurred. [Larson, 1997 ]. This case, roughly speaking, concerned misbehavior and violence of students and at the same time it was coloured by political views and racial tension. Before the show all the students were given a copy of the rules for the talent show.
It was evident that the Afro-American students violated the rules knowingly in order to demonstrate their protest. The principal of the school called this event an incident that was caused only with misbehavior of students and thus the students were to be punished. As a result the administrative team suspended all the seven students for three days. However, the reaction to such actions of the principle and his team was a greater tension.
The white and black students harassed each other. The white students started to wear American flags and the Afro-American students - African National flags. Racial comments were increasingly exchanged by students. More than that, the white captain of the basketball team started collecting money to send black kids back to Africa. [Larson, 1997 ]. Nevertheless, the administration of Washington High School remained adamant in their opinion that they had made a right decision concerning the student behaviour at the talent show.
It was evident, that the students had broken the rules of school policy and they got punished accordingly. But yet the conflict was far form being over. Some teachers of the school supported the administration but there was another part of the teachers who were having misgivings about the event of the past few days. [Larson, 1997 ]. As a result, the issue of the students protest turn into a political one. Teachers and students were choosing up sides. [Larson, 1997 ]. All in all, the conflict was solved after sharp debates and arguing between the both sides.
But the fact, that this case took place and lasted for a long period of time, demonstrates that the policy of the school administration was not adequate and enough correct. From the very begging the principle denied that the case of the misconduct at talent show had a serious political and social background. I think that it was also important that the school form virtually white turned into mixed for a short period of time. Thus, maybe the controversy lied in psychological aversion of a different race.
Bibliography: Larson, A Case for Leadership. Ohio University. 1997, Feb. 28 2005 < web >
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