CHRIS CRUTCHER: STANDING UP FOR DIVERSITY AND TRUTH
Some experts believe that writing good stories that explore the slow leap from our teens into adulthood requires a step away from judgment. Best-selling novelist Chris Crutcher is from that open-minded school of expertise. From Running Loose, his first novel, to Whale Talk, his most recent, he has consistently celebrated the beauty of diversity and the power of standing up for yourself and your truth.

Crutcher sat down to answer these questions exclusively for the debut edition of Diversity Matters. Read his thoughts on this important subject. Then read his novels to see where fact and fiction intertwine.

DM: What does embracing diversity mean to you, and why is it important?
CC: It's fundamental to who we are as humans. It speaks to inclusion. When we do not embrace diversity we disrespect ourselves individually and as a race; and by race I mean human race.

DM: How has the strength of individuality been portrayed in your novels?
CC: In my mind it is portrayed in the most basic sense; the strength of any individual lies in his or her ability to stand up for him or her self. When we are able to say who we are and stand by it, we become powerful in an individual sense.

DM: What would you consider the biggest roadblock to human co-existence today?
CC: Ignorance and greed.

DM: How can young people help remove those roadblocks?
CC: Most of us have the capacity for empathy, though we don't always engage it. If I have plenty and I run into someone who is hungry, and I don't feed him, I'm turning my back on what I know. On an individual basis that's pretty easy to see. On a collective basis it's harder to see because we give ourselves excuses not to help where we can. We tell ourselves those people could take care of themselves if they only would. We put ourselves in arbitrary groups, by color or nationality or religion or whatever, and we tell ourselves it's okay if we just take care of those inside our groups. We depersonalize, so we don't have to feel bad.

DM: Do you see today's world as more or less accepting of differences than was the world you grew up in?
CC: Certain ones, probably. I grew up in the forties, fifties and sixties, and any black person in this country knows what a nightmare that time was. Some of my closest friends' parents were in Japanese internment camps during World War II. We put our own citizens in concentration camps. We took everything they couldn't carry and we didn't give it back. But you can look around and see the way some of us treat gays and mideastern people, to name two groups, and make a pretty good case that we haven't learned much. So many of us, on all sides, are so quick to exclude based on religious beliefs, or patriotic beliefs. We've come some distance, but we have a ways to go.

DM: What one experience in your life taught you the importance of diversity and the encouragement of tolerance?
CC: You know, there were a lot of big ones, most of which I saw on television or read about in the newspapers. The bombed church in Birmingham in 1963, our treatment of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the 1968 Olympics, our treatment of Muhammad Ali when he refused induction. Our double standard was so transparent in those situations. But I think the thing that impacted me most, on a personal level was when I went to Hawaii with my boyhood friend and college roommate, who was Japanese, and we were walking on the beach. He looked at me and said, "How does it feel?" and I said, "What?" and he said, "to be in the minority." It didn't feel bad at all; I mean, it was Hawaii. But I was instantly ashamed that I had been his friend all those years and never once thought his life was harder than mine and different because of the way he was perceived.

For more information about Chris Crutcher and his books, see his website at http://www.chriscrutcher.com. If your questions aren't answered on the site, e-mail him directly at Stotan717@aol.com.

WHY ARE WE SATISFIED?
Robert Corbin

Our urban at-risk youth are consistently and continually falling short as compared to their peers. Too often they exist as a statistic rather than a contributing member of society.

There has been a huge gap in student achievement on science and math tests between subgroups (National Science Foundation, 1999). Based on NC ABC scores from 2001-2002, less than 60% of CMS high school students are on grade level. Also, less than 60% of ninth graders graduate in four years. At Myers Park High School, 84 % of Whites passed ABC tests as opposed to only 30.9% of African-Americans and 53.9 % of Hispanics. Second, there is also a consistently higher drop-out rate among African-Americans and Hispanics that has persisted for more than 25 years in this country. Over 20,000 North Carolina students drop out per year. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) data for 2002-2003 shows that 41% of Africa-American high school students were suspended (ISS and OSS combined) within the academic year. Similar disparate data exists for absences and academic performance as is reflected in EOC scores. This trend of low achievement must be addressed if we are to avoid a socio-economic crisis in the future.

The National Center for Education Statistics (McMillen, 1994) states "Over half of the dropouts not pursuing any further education in 1994 had at least one child (as either a cause or consequence of their dropping out)". The sad truth about this statement is that the failure to educate and motivate all subgroups in North Carolina is actually helping to perpetuate an unfair practice that is certain to increase exponentially in future generations. Quite simply, schools are not meeting the promise of public education for all students. Society will pay a price-socially and financially-if remedies are not undertaken.

Although our educational institutions are based on the experiences of the dominant culture, they often go to great lengths to demonstrate that they treat all students equally. However, closer inspection reveals that unintended differences exist, and they cloak an inherent bias that marginalizes the efforts and achievements of those who are not members of the dominant culture. Frequently, the experiences of ethnic and racial minorities are thought of as deficits to be overcome by schools. Certain groups are marginalized in our schools without much challenge. Discipline is targeted at some students so that they might be assimilated into the dominant culture more easily.

Another substantial body of evidence seems to indicate that factors such as tracking, low socioeconomic status, parents' low educational background, standardized testing, and lower teacher expectations among others contribute to the gap in student achievement. Unfortunately, teachers erect barriers, too, for a teacher must either encourage change and improvement or support a continuation of practices that may no longer apply. It is even more unfortunate that some teachers rarely explore or honor the perspectives and points-of-view of students whose circumstances and ethos are different from their own but still are valid and worth consideration. Often, the reason for this avoidance of change is simply that teachers feel that they are simply too busy "covering the curriculum" in order to prepare students to pass tests. That excuse-more than all others outlined above-is reason enough to look for other approaches to fulfilling the responsibilities of teaching all students-i.e. to identify and re-define the difference between being a drill master from being an educator or the difference between a job and a profession.

It is perhaps a valid reason to consider a constructivist approach to education, which takes the values, attitudes, experiences and backgrounds of students into consideration in a positive light.
It should be stated here that such a constructivist approach is not easily accomplished, for even doing the research that specifically impacts the way teachers teach and students learn, means that-in one sense-the teacher at times becomes an advocate for the students. Another reason to hesitate before undertaking this approach can be found in the studies that show that constructivism works well in theory but often falls short in actual practice because teachers for whatever reason do not seem to translate it into actual practice. These considerations, however, can be overcome when constructivism is properly installed. They diminish considerably in importance when compared to the recent educational focus on improving test scores at the exclusion of learning how to apply the lessons to daily life in the community. In contrast, the constructivist approach allows students to not only learn their lessons but also to place them in an empowering community context, to respectfully engage in dialogue with one another about problems, and then to implement solutions to the problems. Honoring diversity in the classroom means drawing upon the cultural and social experiences of researchers, students, and teachers.

The late Paulo Freire is one of the most important proponents of this model of education. Freire rejects the traditional idea that students are like banks where knowledge is to be deposited. He believes in liberating students by posing culturally relevant problems in need of solutions. Freire states: "Whereas banking education anesthetizes and inhibits creative powers, problem-posing education involves a constant unveiling of reality. The former attempts to maintain a submersion of consciousness; the latter strives for the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality" In other words, schools which honor the cultural backgrounds and contributions of the students whom they serve are more likely to be successful than those which do not recognize students as a contributing resource. If the experiences of students are seen as valuable sources of knowledge, then it is the students who benefit.

In a dialogic pedagogy, students' linguistic and cultural understandings are not only perceived as valuable repositories of knowledge but also as bridges to the curriculum for all students who reap both academic and social benefits. However, this kind of educational environment also places students, teachers, and administrators in demanding social contexts where conflicts frequently arise. In part, the origin of these conflicts can be traced to the variety of socio-cultural experiences, values, and attitudes of the individuals that comprise the group. The mix provides not only a collage of geographic, social, and cultural places they have "visited" individually but also includes many negative attitudes and myths that will persist unless they are addressed and challenged by the group and/or the institution. This is not easily achieved because the individual's identity is not shaped as much by current or recent influences as it is by experiences, contexts, and relationships from the past. Among these life-lessons from the past are coping strategies that are necessitated by differing cultural and environmental contexts that may distinguish individuals or groups from the accepted social norm. All families, neighborhoods, teachers, and communities have distinct and individual identities that form the foundation of learning for the individuals within that group.

Dr. Alberto Rodriguez points out two likely sources of resistance to change that may be encountered as schools pursue constructivist ways of teaching. These sources are resistance to pedagogical change and resistance to ideological change. Resistance to pedagogical change occurs because of the pressure all educators feel to "cover the curriculum and maintain class control." Universities admit that constructivist principles are the best approach for instilling quality education, yet are reluctant-or unable to-apply the principles because of the societal pressure to "survive" in the teaching profession. Student-centered, inquiry-based, community-based, multicultural education is also considered an anomaly by many educators. Since it is not the way they themselves were taught, it becomes difficult for them to relent, to subscribe, and to implement transformative constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. To underscore this point, well-established teachers in America tend generally to teach advanced classes composed primarily of Anglo-Saxon male students where the most common form of teaching is didactic and transmissive. Is it conceivable that these "well-established teachers" are reluctant to consider transformative or constructivist reform efforts because their students are the ones who look best on paper, thus casting a positive reflection on the teacher as well?

Our urban at-risk youth are consistently and continually falling short as compared to their peers. Too often they exist as a statistic rather than a contributing member of society. The results of several studies have shown significant benefits of a constructivist orientation to teaching, one that would empower "at-risk" urban youth to construct their own meaning and place in the world. The impact of this approach could indeed be far reaching throughout our educational systems if we are brave enough to explore it sincerely. It is imperative that discussions and research be initiated to determine why our schools are not serving diverse student populations.

WHAT IS DIVERSITY?
Priya Sivasubramaniam

Although, in essence, practically everyone tries to promote the principle of diversity, especially at school, it is unbelievably harder to successfully do so and maintain a 100% diverse environment than it appears.

What is diversity? There is a myriad of meanings for this single word, and everyone may interpret them differently. Diversity truly lies everywhere- it may readily be seen within malls, theaters, and libraries, and throughout every classroom, "quad," or hallway at school. As an Indian living in a foreign country, diversity is a factor that effects every day of my life. Everywhere I go and anything that I do is somehow effected by this wonderful concept of diversity. Although, in essence, practically everyone tries to promote the principle of diversity, especially at school, it is unbelievably harder to successfully do so and maintain a 100% diverse environment than it appears.

By taking even a small glance at my life, it would seem that people of the same race tend to associate more easily with each other than people of different races, and this means of association can be said to be true for essentially all races and ethnic backgrounds. If one were to spend even five minutes observing a typical lunch period at school, they would most likely notice the different cliques that were formed, unknowingly, by the students, and they would probably be able to notice these cliques in an effortless manner. They would see that inside of the cafeteria, the Koreans would have a table for themselves and would be talking and laughing in Korean. Several African Americans would be together, outside of the cafeteria. Many people of a Hispanic background would be walking around the quad with each other, conversing in primarily Spanish. Students of an Irish background would presumably be together. The Indians, including myself, would be together, as well. This behavior occurs every day, and it occurs without the students even realizing what is happening. Every day, at lunch, I do not purposely find all of the Indians that are there and stand with them, but by the end of the lunch period, I do always find myself in a group consisting of usually only them. Although I fully support the principle of diversity, I tend to associate in an easier fashion with other Indians, simply because they can relate more to myself, and everything that takes place in my life, than others can, and this seems to be something wholly common throughout all races. Most of my interests and hobbies come from, or relate to, India, and only other Indians have these same interests and would be able to understand them. The promotion of diversity is what will help to break these invisible barriers, and allow all races to freely associate with each other.

Diversity is not only measured through race, but through lifestyles. For example, people who have a great interest in rock music tend to have more friends that share this same interest than people who do not. People who love animals tend to have more friends that love animals, as well. This concept creates diversity within races, because many people of different races share the same interests, but by doing so, it creates a new problem. Most people do not associate with those that do not have the same interests as them, and diversity is the key to solving this problem, as well.

Diversity is absolutely important for our society today, but it is hard for me to even think about what I would do if I did not have so many Indian friends. The culture of India, or any other parts of Asia, is unbelievably, radically different from the culture anywhere else, and the same is probably true for all other races and ethnic backgrounds. No matter how much we, as a society, promote diversity, there are still some things that I could discuss only with other Indians, but this should not stop us from trying to allow other cultures to understand the people, traditions, customs, and more, of India. This holds true for all cultures- we, as a society, should try as hard as possible for people to understand cultures that are different from theirs'. Exposure of all cultures is necessary, and by exposing these cultures, people may begin to break these invisible barriers that hold them apart, and diversity will become more pronounced. This is essential in our divided world today. What is diversity? It is the key to the invisible barriers that always manage to hold us all apart.

ON DIVERSITY
Paula Crabill

The word itself, di-verse, seems to beg a simple, poetic composition!

As a counselor in the schools, working with students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, the most delightful aspect has been in the variety of personalities of the young people. Listening as they share their personal stories or how they experience the world has been both a pleasure and an opportunity to truly see human diversity, even within our shared culture. Of course, the multi-cultural experience of students coming from other countries always adds a richer dimension.

Considering diversity immediately calls to mind the themes of acceptance, equality, power, domination, personal ethics and values. The word diverse comes from the Latin di for two and verse or versus for a turning of a line or row. In mathematics, the word vertex is the center of the angle, or rather the point at which the line turns (vertere). Everything within the angle has an absolute value, which means all numbers are positive; no negatives exist. At absolute zero, all movement ceases. The lines below are simply reflections of these aspects of diversity- rows that turn, the vertex in an angle, and the inescapable presence of negativity, often in "man's inhumanity to man," however it is expressed. The word itself, di-verse, seems to beg a simple, poetic composition!

The Gardener's Chronicle

The red clay parts down the center,
lines of dirt evenly divide.
Sienna pyramids rise
in careful perpendiculars.

The seeds are planted
and earth hides the light.
Row turns to row
and delicate buds unfold.

The flowers emerge.
Their hues shift slightly -
a softer shade,
a slender trace of shadow,
thousands of expressions-
all different, all the same.

Every atom and every birth
and every life and every death
contour each petal formed.
A panoramic view,
expansive, vast and broad-
a record of each living thing.

Buried within each row,
in the foundation of the soil
the living seed grows safely,
in the vertex of each angle.
There are those who believe
in the existence of only good.
Absolute zero knows no negatives;
evil is nonentity- the absence of light.

But the dark earth feels its privation
and weeds of power and domination thrive.

Above, both seeds grow strong,
while their remnants cast the composition
of every new flower.