THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411050703
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
``Not everything you face can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it's faced.'' - James Baldwin
Louise Derman-Sparks can't remember where Baldwin's quote came from, but she knows what it means. And she's trying to live it.
Derman-Sparks spoke Friday at a teleconference sponsored by Old Dominion University titled ``Teaching About Racism: Tools and Strategies.'' The two-hour coast-to-coast broadcast was designed to teach students and educators how to promote racial harmony in schools.
The program featured Derman-Sparks, a professor at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, Calif.; and Lecia J. Brooks, an education specialist with the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
``Racism is just so insidious in society today,'' Brooks said. ``It has such an impact on people's lives.''
The discussion at ODU's Darden College of Education attracted nearly 50 black, white and Asian men and women - most of them ODU faculty members and students. The broadcast of the discussion, however, reached an interactive audience of thousands of students and educators in 45 cities across the country.
``The kinds of things we're doing extend the geographical boundaries of (the school),'' said ODU's director of teleconferences, Albert Hannans. ``We're committed to these issues, and they're a good way to give other colleges more exposure to the types of programs we have.''
Hannans, who developed the idea for the program, said it is important for teachers of all grades to know what they can do to foster racial harmony.
Teachers must try to reach children at an early age, before any misconceptions about the races have set in, Derman-Sparks said.
``Children are developing theories by the time they're 2. By age 3 and 4 they're absorbing their biases and prejudices,'' she said.
Derman-Sparks and Brooks fielded questions from the studio audience and callers on topics ranging from dealing with racist parents to promoting cultural identity.
The discussion was highlighted by a videotape of methods used across the country to combat racism. One segment, featuring a weeklong camp for teenagers in Southern California, showed some of the brutal realities of stereotypes.
In a session at the camp, members were divided into their five racial groups - African American, Hispanic American, White, Asian/-Pacific-Islander and Native American. Campers listed stereotypes they had about each of the other four groups. Then groups met to see what one another had said.
Blacks said Asians smelled bad. Whites said Hispanics were loud and unruly. The lists went on and on. Many of the teens cried or were angry when they discovered what others believed. ``But people came out with a new-found strength,'' Brooks said.
Sharon Young, who is studying for her teaching certificate and was in the audience at ODU, said of the video: ``We realize that a lot of stuff we were going through, we're not alone.''
Confronting racism head-on can be painful, said host Kelly Wright of WAVY TV-10, but as in training for sports, ``no pain, no gain.''
The program was is the first in a two-part series at ODU on teaching critical issues that affect the nation and the world. The second part, ``Teaching About Global Issues,'' will air in March. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT, Staff
Education specialist Lecia Brooks, top, speaks during a national
teleconference on racism Friday at Old Dominion University. Graduate
student Sharon Young listens to the show, broadcast to 45 cities
across the country to help educators learn to teach racial harmony
in the classroom.
KEYWORDS: RACE RELATIONS RACISM by CNB