Embracing Our Differences 2010

Walking the walk
Do you whisper behind people’s backs? Be honest.
It’s time to share your deepest confessions about
what you say about your classmates, friends and
strangers when they’re not watching. Now, try to
think of ways that you can turn this secret badmouthing
into something positive. Don’t pretend to
be tolerant. Walk the walk of a true humanitarian.
A“People take
different roads seeking
fulfillment
and happiness.
Just because they’re not
on your road doesn’t mean
they’ve gotten lost.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Author
Don’t Judge
a Book ...
“Celebrate Diversity”
by Jeremy Lebediker, Ballston, N.Y.
This acrylic painting symbolizes the power that embracing our differences can have. Each drummer
brings a different ethnicity and a different drum to the session, and together they create a colorful
mix that explodes with potential. This work was created with a free-flowing style of painting, using
everything from water to hand-sanitizer to create interesting textures within the background.
Ever since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, flying the “friendly” skies has become less and less friendly,
some civil rights organizations are arguing. Racial profiling – defined as judging patrons based on their
ethnic appearance – continues to be present in the transportation industry. But it’s a matter of conjecture
to many. Is it racial profiling or is it just being extra cautious?
On Christmas Day last year, an attacked Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit brought the
issue back into the spotlight, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). President Obama has since
emphasized the need for better information sharing between government agencies. He vowed to subject citizens
of 14 countries, and the travelers passing through those countries, to more thorough airport screenings.
The ACLU argues that a person’s behavior, rather than his/her ethnic background, is a better indicator of terroristic
activity than anything else. This kind of thinking is also more in line with the American values of justice
and equality.
Would you feel safer if passengers were singled out based on their looks or their actions?
What is the more tolerant philosophy? You decide.
Source: ACLU
12 EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES
A Herald-Tribune Media Group Newspaper in Education Publication