After class tonight it really brought back the memory of the race simulation lesson I learned in high school. I went to the Hockaday School in Dallas from 1992-1995. I was a boarding student coming from Greenville, Texas in East Texas. Growing up I was around mostly all white, middle to upper class friends and families. At Hockaday there were many ethnic students. I learned so much about religion and culture, but race was something that wasn't mentioned as freely.
As we walked into school one morning, we were handed a red or blue button. I was handed a blue button and was told to just wear it all day. I proceeded to class not thinking a thought about the button. My first period teacher told the blue students to sit in the front, take off our shoes, enjoy the snacks, while the red buttons were yelled at to get to the back and get to work. We were all giggling and trying to figure this out, but the teachers were very straight forward and made no jokes. The day went on and each period the red buttons were being treated terribly while the blue buttons got so many perks! Through out the day it was honestly odd to me that the blue buttons began to hate the red buttons and vice versa! At the end of the day we had an all school assembly and were told what had gone on all day. The diversity committee had set up this simulation to show us exactly how racism can come between people just because of a color.
I really learned a lot that day. I had always thought I knew what it would be like to live in a time period where segregation happened, but really that experiment proved just how divided our country was at that time period. I truly hope some day we can see past color and religion and truly see the person. I feel that young children today are starting to see past color and truly see the person first. I know my niece has never said that her friend is "black", she will say "darker." Race and religion will always be part of our issues around the world, but hopefully they will lessen over time.
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