Diversity Club Comes To MHS

“The Diversity Club inspires each and every one of its members to instigate a discussion on diversity and re-shape the student body’s outlook on racial issues.

It is a catalyst for positive change; it aims to guide people to acceptance and to increase knowledge of racism, social equality, and white privilege while simultaneously decreasing unconscious bias, and dismantling systematic inequality.

The Diversity Club leads the members to practice acceptance, reflect on our own actions and thoughts, and drop judgments. The group aims to create an open dialogue on inequality in America without victimizing or blaming any person.

The members of the club believe that every person is not only interesting, but original, not only included, but valued — not just equal in rights, but in opportunities as well.”

Though the Diversity Club is not officially approved yet, a group of passionate students at Madison High School has begun to assemble to take action for a cause that is arguably one of the most relevant issues in the country today. Led by Mr. Ellrott of the English department, the club meets weekly to discuss current events and to coordinate plans to integrate racial awareness into the school.

The club was started by a group of students who were discontent with the lack of awareness among students and teachers alike. Though Madison is known for its high academic standards and exemplary student body, there are still problems that exist in the school in relation to ignorance and prejudice. Because of the largely homogenous makeup of the student population, there is a general lack of understanding on racial topics, simply due to lack of exposure to these issues. The Diversity Club aims to shed light on these issues in order to create a more unified community at Madison.

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Madison chose to have their students attend school for a half day and watch videos centered around the idea of race in America. Though the videos were interesting, many students found that they did not sufficiently reflect the ideas and goals of King; one video, watched in English classes, asked the question: “Should white people be afraid of becoming a minority?” Many felt that the day was a wasted opportunity to actually discuss relevant issues related to race. Some students chose to observe MLK Day as a holiday and stayed home on the half day. When it became clear that the sentiment of disappointment was shared among many students, they decided to take action. MLK Day is just one of many things that the group wants to address.

Most of all, the club is focused on the idea of peaceful activism and acceptance of everyone. Sean Purnell, also known as Pe$o the Misfit, has wisely stated: “We should not be surprised that there is racism and prejudice out in the world… if someone is raised in a specific type of environment and only taught from one viewpoint instead of being introduced to multiple different cultures, they will be unfamiliar with and unable to understand why others act and speak the way they do. I firmly believe that the human race is capable of living in peace amongst each other and learning to love one another equally, but it will not be a fast process.” Sean’s ideas encompass the goals of the Diversity Club perfectly. There is no desire to point fingers at any group, nor is there a need for immediate change. The club aims to slowly but surely bring about awareness and education to the student population at MHS.

One of the main ways it plans to accomplish its goals is through a publication. Many members of the club have already written articles, all centered around racial topics, in various forms; personal anecdote, research, satire, and poetry being just a few. The publication will most likely be a bi-monthly or seasonal magazine that is distributed to the school, funded by the club. The amount of work put into the publication from students so far is emblematic of the dedication of the Diversity Club.

Even after just a few meetings during lunch, the Diversity Club has compiled a thorough list of goals to be accomplished in the coming school years.  Students can expect to see posters lining the hallways with enlightening statistics regarding racial issues, increased coverage of racial topics in their history and english classes, an MLK Day filled with relevant and thought-provoking activities, and possibly an annual assembly presented by a distinguished speaker. As each of these goals come to fruition, the Diversity Club hopes to see the topic of race shift from dangerous taboo to one of open discussion and understanding.

Approval from the administration to put these ambitions into action seems likely; several Diversity Club elders gathered in the conference room last Thursday with Mr. Robertson and Mr. DeBiasse to discuss the intentions of the group, and were rewarded with enthusiastic support. Nearly all initiatives presented to the two were deemed feasible, and Mr. Robertson assured that he would fight hard for official club recognition from the Board of Education.

While MHS is known to possess an amicable student body, issues of race have the potential to pit even the most tranquil of people against one another. In Madison, it is a topic much like a dormant volcano- subdued and kept under the surface, but always possessing the ability to explode. With an unyielding approach to unearthing these conversations, the Diversity Club expects, and even hopes for tensions to rise as the strong views of the student body are exposed, for an impassioned response to racial injustice is necessary to make real progress. The Diversity Club will serve as the leading organization through the process of normalization of such a tender topic, and promises to do its best to provide to all students a respectful and open-minded forum for discussion.

Interested in joining the Diversity Club? Reach out to a current club member, find us on Facebook/ Twitter, or come to a club meeting Fridays during lunch!