THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010058
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TIFFANY QUASH, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
WHEN 15-YEAR-OLD Teresa Caccam was a student at Great Bridge Middle School North a few years ago, she always wondered why few of her African-American and Caucasian peers would talk to her.
Looking back on those years now, she believes it was because she is Filipino.
``School is supposed to be the place where races can blend together,'' Teresa said.
But it doesn't seem to be.
Earlier this year at Greenwich (Conn.) High School, five seniors cryptically spelled out ``Kill All Niggers'' underneath their photos in the yearbook. Locally, in June 1992, two Cox High School students were suspended for posing for yearbook pictures with hand signals similar to those used in the movie ``Mississippi Burning'' as a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan.
Although there have been no similar local cases reported since then, Teresa and other teenagers say that racism and prejudice against different ethnic groups continues to be a problem. Statistics back them up.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors racial incidents around the country, says that hate violence reached unprecedented levels in 1991. Nearly half of all hate crimes were committed by those under age 21, and 4 out of 10 young people polled admitted that they would participate in or silently support racial incidents.
``Young people will do things like that without thinking, that's a reflection of young people today,'' said Elsie Williams, an editorial assistant with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
But she adds, quoting the director of the center, ``As Morris Dees says, `We have the right to hate, but we don't have the right to hurt,' ''
Angelica Orta, a 16-year-old junior at Great Bridge High School, agrees with Caccam. Angelica, who is half Hispanic and half African-American, had similar problems when she was at the same middle school.
``Until we can look at each other as equals and not as a skin tone, we are all doomed,'' Angelica said.
That's a tall order, and one that teenagers must have to grapple with if things are going to get any better. However, the track record isn't good, at least locally.
Each year, The Virginian-Pilot polls high school seniors on several social issues, including whether they believe that race relations have worsened since they entered school. The numbers have climbed each year since 1993, when the question was first included.
In 1993, 30 percent said that race relations had worsened. In 1994, the figure was 34 percent. This year, it was nearly 40 percent.
Lately, much of the blame for racism has fallen on the media.
``Everybody has racism and it's subtle and people perform by their clique, but much of it is implied by the media because the media portray (people of color) negatively,'' said one Portsmouth parent. The woman added that racism and how to handle it isn't a problem exclusive to teenagers. It's of great concern to parents as well.
The Portsmouth woman remembered the time that her 7-year-old daughter, who is biracial, was taunted by schoolmates, who called her ``white girl.''
For teenagers, school is where the races mix, or don't mix. They say that all the desegregation and culture clubs haven't changed things much.
``There seems to be a lot of fighting in school over race,'' said Justin Bariso, a 1995 graduate of Norview High, ``and I haven't seen any of it get better. It seems that white kids usually stay together, and black kids usually stay together, but the two groups stay apart.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Tiffany Quash is a junior at Great Bridge High School.
by CNB