South Philadelphia High School

Racially motivated attacks at a South Philadelphia High School aimed at students of Asian descent recently made the headlines this past month. Dialogue surrounding the issue engage many issues of racial relations in the United States. Student and faculty at the high school cited the Asian students' lack of reaching out as a possible reason why this problem was prevalent within their high school. When initiating an outreach group for South Philadelphia High School to address school violence, the committee didn't hold a single person of Asian descent. The superintendent is careful to curb the issue away from one of racial discord.

So for four hours yesterday, Ackerman and the Asian advocates presented widely divergent analyses of the Dec. 3 attacks, in which Asian students were beaten by large groups of primarily African American students.

The superintendent said that she wanted the finger-pointing to stop, that the underlying problem was citywide violence and racial discord spilling over into schools. She also suggested that the trouble at South Philadelphia High might be gang-related, a theory never before voiced.

Activists have accused the district of long turning a blind eye to the problems of immigrant students. The district's fixes - including more counselors, cameras, police officers, and diversity training for students and staff - are a start, they say, but only a start.

"There's clearly some disagreement about the nature of the violence and the nature of the remedies that are being put into place," Glassman said in recounting the meeting.

How should this issue be handled? Does it detract from power of the Asian students when they are not represented? How do you feel about "language and cultural barriers" being seen as reasons why these students would be targeted and not report their attacks? What does the labeling of these actions as gang violence do? What has happened, or what do you think would happen, within your own school system?



http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20091204_Asian_students_under_attack_at_S__Phila__High.html