Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 21, 1992 TAG: 9202210369
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
FORUM SEEKS PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING
People think Scott Habeeb, 17, is "different" because of his name and his dark hair and eyes.But he's not.
His ancestry is Middle Eastern, but his grandparents were born in America, said the Christiansburg High School student.
"I consider myself totally American," Habeeb said at the end of a hate crimes forum Wednesday at Virginia Tech.
Montgomery County high school and Virginia Tech students got together with others in the community to discuss hate crimes and suggest possible solutions.
The forum, "People Understanding People," was the second in a series organized by community leaders in response to racial problems in the county and the nation. About 150 people participated.
Habeeb had an opportunity to think about issues he hadn't considered before, he said. Christiansburg High School doesn't have a big race problem, he said, but there is some segregation among students in organizations.
Habeeb, who is student council president, said he felt encouraged by the forum to organize activities that would include everybody and not be targeted for a particular group or club.
Some black students from Blacksburg High School said they think that race relations is a problem there and that their concerns are often swept aside by their school administration.
"I do feel our school is racist, but they try to hide it," said Blacksburg High student Kim Day, 17. There are only five black students in her graduating class of more than 200, she said.
Last year, Day said, the school experienced some problems that escalated into fights between black and white students. This year is not much better, she said.
Only recently have black students asserted themselves to push for activities to recognize Black History Month, Day said. In the past, administrators have "let it slide. This year we're trying to do something about it."
Asked about the students' comments Thursday, Assistant Principal Alfred Smith said he was unaware of any racial problems at the school or that any fights were racially motivated.
Smith said that for the past three to four years in February, an announcement is read each morning in honor of a famous black leader.
At Wednesday's forum, group discussions were like testimonials as members revealed hate crimes they had experienced or seen involving assaults against women, homosexuals and different races.
Day said she now has a friend who, before he met her, hated blacks. "If each person can mold their own mind, then perhaps [they can] influence others," she said.
Dan Couchman, a mechanical engineering junior at Tech who co-facilitated one group discussion, admitted he used to be a racist in junior high school. Couchman, of Virginia Beach, said it was because "that's how people were" at his school. Frequent fights were racially motivated, he said.
When he entered high school his attitude changed because of the school's positive atmosphere. The school's theme was "We Are Family," and unity was encouraged, Couchman said. In high school, "I was still a racist, but a human racist," he said, meaning he learned to appreciate all people and cultures.
At the end of the day, some Auburn High School students said they were shocked at what they had heard.
"Everyone at Auburn gets along," said 16-year-old Andy Stull.
"It's an all-white school so we don't really experience it [racism]," said Bradley Hudgins, 14. "There's a lot of ignorance."
Stull said it was one thing to see hate crimes on the news, but to hear about them from people in their own county was surprising.
"It's kind of like being on a desert island," he said of Auburn.
Groups proposed solutions to stopping hate crimes, including:
Individually embracing other cultures.
Making each other aware of different cultures.
Standing up and speaking out against racism.
Changing curriculums to include classes focusing on different cultures.
Continuing communitywide forums to address problems.