The rEvolutionaries Project

What social issues are given more priority in a school setting and how does
that differ between students of different grades?

Caitlin Wasielewski
High Tech High
Semester 1, 2015
Lisa Griffin
Mona Kiani
Bernardo Quintero

Table of Contents
Personal Narrative Essay: Identity Markers and Privilege 2-4
Interview: Privilege Interview 5-6
Project Proposal 7
Experiment 8-20
Experiment Reflection and Write Up 21-26
Research Process and Source Summaries 27-28
Interview Highlights Reflection 29-31
Latin American Compare/Contrast Paper 32-33

Personal Narrative Essay

I was born on December 14, 1999 in San Diego, California. I grew up in a very quiet
neighborhood without many other children and no siblings. I was only exposed to what my
parents and teachers chose to expose me to. Id like to say that ive always been very openminded, and my parents never forced any ideas on me. Both my parents are educated people and
I would consider us middle class. In terms of privilege, Im towards the front-middle of the
spectrum. Ive had my few disadvantages, but ive had relatively easy life.
I dont remember when I became first aware of my race. I think it was just something I
always knew. I just grew up knowing that my moms side of the family was Japanese and my
dads side was Polish and Irish. I was never ashamed of my race in elementary school. Looking
back, I realize that my private elementary school was made up primarily of White, Asian, and
Indian children. There were no black kids in the entire school and only a few hispanic kids. I was
privileged in that aspect because I never had to face discrimination because of my race. I fit right
in.
All throughout elementary school, I was surrounded by people who were upper middle
class or higher since I was in a private school. All my friends parents were doctors or lawyers.
Sometimes I felt weird because my parents both worked for the city. We made good money, and I
never really had to worry, but sometimes I felt bad because we werent as well off as the other
kids. I specifically remember going to my friend Sarahs house and being amazed by how big
and spacious it was. In contrast, when in sixth grade, I realized there were people who didn't
have all the things the other kids had. In elementary school, I was about the same social class, if
not lower, and in middle school I was much higher. I also remember going to my friend Dalinas
house and seeing how much smaller it was than my house.

I first became aware of my gender when the kids in our class had to use different
bathrooms. We also looked different because boys had short hair and girls had long hair. Girls
wore skirts and pink colors while boys did not. Girls and boys played with different kinds of toys
but I dont remember a specific moment where I felt extremely different from the boys. I played
Pokemon, but I also played with Polly Pockets. Im extremely grateful to not have been steered
away from toys because of my gender.
My parents didnt raise me with religion in our household, but I saw it when I went to my
grandmas houses on both sides of my family. My grandma on my dads side was Catholic, and
my dad was raised Catholic. I remember going to her house and feeling extremely uncomfortable
around the wall-hangings of Jesus on the cross. At the time, I didnt know who that was or why
he was attached to the letter t.
Things on the other side of my family were different. Whenever we would visit my
moms side of the family in Hawaii, we would always make sure to visit the cemetery and
Buddhist temple. I didnt know that the temple was anything religious, I only knew that I had to
take off my shoes and be very quiet. It was also an opportunity to feed the Koi and ducks at the
pond outside. I have a lot of very fond memories of the temple, even though I had no idea what it
was really for.
I dont feel privileged or at a disadvantage for not having religion in my life. I dont feel
as if anything is missing from my life and Im glad Ive been able to experience multiple
religions from both sides of my family without having any beliefs forced on me.
Because of my sheltered life, I never really knew you could be something other than
straight until I was in early middle school/late elementary school. Girls just always liked boys
(and vice versa) and I didn't know/was never around anyone who was openly gay. I know that

Ive always liked boys and Ive always been pretty open minded. I think being straight is
definitely a privilege. I dont have to be harassed just because of who I love.
In hindsight, I feel as if I have lived a pretty privileged life, and Im grateful for that. Im
glad to be white and asian, middle class, straight, able-bodied and minded, and come from a
supportive family. The only area where I am disadvantaged would be being a female, but I am
proud regardless. I have lived my life unaware of these privileges but now that I am aware, I
want to advocate for others who do not enjoy the benefits that I do.

Privilege Interview: Living With Divorced Parents

I interviewed my close friend Kyla who does not attend High Tech High. We have known each
other since we were as little as five years old. We both were in the same dance classes and both
of our moms grew close over the years. I remember not seeing her dad around that often, but I
didnt think anything of it because dads rarely came around the dance studio. Later on, I came to
learn that her parents were divorced. I chose to interview Kyla because I wanted to understand
more about her life, since divorce and family life is not something we discuss often. I also
wanted to understand how life is different and what its like when your parents are not together.

What age were you when your parents divorced/separated?

I was one year old.
How is your relationship with your mom? Your dad?
My relationship with my mom is good. The relationship with my dad its not the greatest. I
currently live with my mom. My dad has a girlfriend now.
Did your parents divorce affect you negatively or positively? Elaborate.
It affected me negatively. I dont usually see my parents together every day. I dont see my dad
that often. I saw him a lot more when I was little but as Ive gotten older, I see him less and less.
Do you feel as if your parents divorce affected your life outside of home?
Not really. It just affected inside of home. Drama.
How did your parents divorce affect your life at home?
It affected my life because there was a lot of drama around the house while I was growing up.
The drama was between my mom and my dad. They talk about me and drama between my dads
girlfriend
Do you remember any particularly tense moments?
Yes. When I was little, my dad picked me up one day and we got into an argument. I was upset
about how many times he had let me down and how many times he left me to go be with his
girlfriend.

Do you feel as if your parents divorce affected your outlook on marriage?

No because I dont know. I havent really thought about it.

Reflection
The interview experience was a new one for me. It was a little awkward asking all of
these personal questions, even though Im very close with the interviewee. I could tell she was a
little uncomfortable answering the questions and didnt want to talk a lot on the subject. I didnt
want to force any answers from her. It also felt as if she hadnt really thought much about the
subject. I have known this person almost my whole life and never really thought about how
different her life is from mine. Because we are such close friends, I thought she would be able to
talk about the subject openly, but its something that is hard to talk and think about for her, even
though her parents have been separated for as long as she can remember. I have a newfound
respect for Kyla because having your parents together is a privilege not everyone enjoys and I
didnt realize it was so hard for her.

Project Proposal
Gloriann, Jordan, Jalani, Caitlin

Project Proposal: PREJUDICE VISIBILITY

Essential Question: What social issues are given more priority in a school setting and how does
that differ between elementary students, middle school students, and high school students?
Justification:
Our topic is prejudice visibility, which is related to all types of prejudice and whether or not
people recognizes those problems. It is important to us because we feel as if people should be
aware of the issues around us. Because, if we dont know what type of problems are happening
in the world how can we solve those problems? This addresses the privilege of having the option
of dealing with prejudice and having the ability to ignore it. Our essential question is what social
issues are given more priority in a school setting and how does that differ between elementary
students, middle school students, and high school students? We wish to hand how a survey to 3
separate age groups and have an open ended discussion afterwards about the type of problems
they discuss in their classes. A few sub questions would be What type of problems are they most
interested in or What problems do they value over others? Answering these questions will give
us a better understanding of what problems will be addressed in the future. Each of brings
something to the group. Gloriann and Jalani are both outgoing and very social. They are willing
to gather any information whether it being interviewing someone or doing research online
thoroughly. Jordan is very dedicated to the topic and wishes to find out the answer to each of the
questions. Caitlin is very good at organizing her thoughts and making sense of the information.
We feel as if we are a good group to work together because of how our skills allow us to work
with each other. Also each of us are very open minded to feedback.

Experiment and Analysis

Gloriann, Jordan, Jalani, Caitlin

Topic: Prejudice Visibility

Essential Question:
What social issues are given more priority in a school setting and how does that differ between
students of different grades?
Survey Questions:
Choose the one issue that your teacher speaks the most about in a positive way (to advocate for
the issue)
Choose the one issue that you hear talked about the most in a negative way (jokes, rude
comments)
Choose the one issue that you hear talked about the most in a positive way
Which of these issues do you wish got more recognition or was spoken more about in a positive
way?
Which of these issues do you want to learn more about?

Sample Size: 75
9th & 10th grade: 37 students
11th & 12th grade: 38 students
Sample Population: Students at High Tech High, from all four grades

Frequency Tables:

Jordan:
Question: Choose the one issue that your teacher speaks the most of in a positive way. (To
advocate for the issue)
Racism
9th&10th
Relative
Freq.

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None
4

Total
18

---> 13%

---> 19%

---> 5%

---> 3%

---> 11%

---> 49%

Racism

Sexism

Body
Image

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None

11th&12th
Relative
Freq.

Body
Image

Sexism

10
---> 26%

Total

1
---> 3%

15

2
---> 5%

9
---> 24%

1
---> 3%

10

37
100%

15
---> 39%

38
100%

33

75

Jalani:
Question: Choose the issue that you hear talked about the most in a negative way. (Jokes,
rude comments)
Racism
9th&10th
Relative
Freq.

Sexism
18

Social
Class
5

LGBT
Inequality
0

None
3

---> 48%

---> 13%

---> 15%

---> 0%

---> 8%

---> 16%

Racism

Sexism

Body
Image

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None

11th&12th
Relative
Freq.

Body
Image

21
---> 55%

Total

3
---> 8%

39

4
---> 11%

3
---> 7%

4
---> 12%

Total
6

37

38

75

---> 7%
7

Gloriann:
Question: Choose the one issue you hear talked about the most in a positive way
Racism

Sexism

Body

Social

LGBT

None

Total

Image
9th&10th
Relative
Freq.

Inequality
4

12

12

---> 5%

---> 5%

---> 15%

---> 11%

---> 32%

---> 32%

Racism

Sexism

Body
Image

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None

11th&12th
Relative
Freq.

Class

7
---> 18%

Total

2
---> 5%

4
---> 11%

1
---> 3%

13
---> 34%

37

11

38

---> 29%

25

23

75

Caitlin:
Question: Which of these issues do you wish got more recognition or was spoken more
about in a positive way?
Racism

Sexism

Body

Social

LGBT

None

Total

10

Image
9th&10th
Relative
Freq.

Inequality

37

38

14

75

---> 22%

---> 22%

---> 13%

---> 16%

---> 8%

---> 19%

Racism

Sexism

Body
Image

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None

11th&12th
Relative
Freq.

Class

8
---> 21%

Total

4
---> 11%

16

3
---> 8%

12

11
---> 29%

5
---> 13%

17

---> 18%
8

Question: Which of these issues do you want to learn more about?

Racism
9th&10th
Relative
Freq.

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None
1

Total
10

---> 24%

---> 19%

---> 16%

---> 11%

---> 2%

---> 28%

Racism

Sexism

Body
Image

Social
Class

LGBT
Inequality

None

11th&12th
Relative
Freq.

Body
Image

Sexism

2
---> 5%

Total

8
---> 21%

11

2
---> 5%

15

14
---> 37%

18

2
---> 5%

10

37

38

---> 26%
3

20

75

Circle Graphs:
Jordan:

11

12

Jalani:

13

Gloriann:

14

Caitlin:

15

Caitlin pt.2:

16

17

Analysis and Implications

Gloriann, Jordan, Jalani, Caitlin
Topic: Privilege Visibility
Essential Question: What social issues are given more priority in a school setting and how does
that differ between students of different grades?
Sample Size: 75
9th & 10th grade: 37 students
11th & 12th grade: 38 students
Sample Population: Students from High Tech High, from all four grades.

1. What is the probability that a HTH student does not hear their teacher talk about an issue in a
positive way?
P(chose none in response to first question AND HTH student) = 33/75 = 44%

2. What is the probability that a HTH student hears racism talked about in the most negative way?
P(chose racism in response to second question AND HTH student) = 39/75 = 52%

3. What is the probability that LGBT inequality is the issue talked about the most in a positive way?
P(chose LGBT inequality in response to the third question ) = 25/75 = 33.3%

4. What is the probability that students at High Tech High wish social class got more recognition?
P(chose social class in response to the fourth question) = 17/75 = 22%

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5. What is the probability that students at High Tech High dont want to learn about any issue?
P(chose none in response to the fifth question AND HTH student) = 20/75 = 26%

6. What is the probability that students at High Tech High want to learn more about social class?
P(chose social class in response to the fifth question AND HTH student) = 18/75 = 24%

7. What is the probability that an 11th/12th grader heard racism talked about in a negative way?
P(chose racism in response to the second question| 11th & 12th grade) = 21/38 = 55%

8. What is the probability that an 9th/10th grader heard racism talked about in a negative way?
P(chose racism in response to the second question| 9th & 10th grade) = 18/37 = 48%

When analyzing this data, we found that students in HTH are exposed to the subject of
racism much more than LGBT Inequality or Social Class. Out of the 75 students that we gave
surveys over 50% of them have heard Racist jokes more than any other type of derogatory joke.
We also learned that certain students arent being exposed to any of the selected problems. 44%
of HTH students do not hear a problem advocated against by their teachers. 33% of HTH
students hear LGBT inequality talked about the most in a positive way.
When we asked the students what issues they wished got more recognition, the answers
were all across the board and there was no one topic that stood out. Something that surprised us
when we were looking over our data was the number of people who said they didnt want to
learn about any social issues (26% of HTH students) Something else that surprised us was that
zero 9th and 10th graders heard social class being talked about in a negative way. From

19

conducting this experiment, we can conclude that racism and LGBT inequality are two issues
that get the most recognition, positive and negative at HTH. While issues such as Social Class
get only a fraction of the recognition that those other two problems get. Not only that but we can
also conclude that over 25% of the students included in this experiment at HTH have no interest
on learning about any of the selected issues.
The reason the data we have collected is important is because the answers that High Tech
High students have given us is not only representative of the student body here at High Tech. Its
a possibility that the data we received from our study speaks for our generation as a whole. For
example, if 48.6% of the students we surveyed told us that they hear racism joked about or talked
about negatively often , It is likely that 40 - 50% of students from other high schools would also
say that they hear racism being talked about negatively often or perhaps even on a daily basis. If
this is the case that means we can confidently say that our survey results accurately represent our
age group as a whole in San Diego schools. And if we can apply that percentage to teens, then
we can most likely apply the rest of our stats as well. Making our project not just about High
Tech students, but about high school students in general.
In hindsight, when conducting this survey, we could have worded the questions better.
Some questions such as Choose the issue that your teacher speaks about the most in a positive
way (to advocate for the issue) or Choose the one issue that you hear talked about the most in a
negative way (jokes, rude comments) were confusing to the people we were surveying. We
didnt take into account speaking of in a positive way can mean agreeing with the prejudice.
We all assumed that the people we were surveying, were against all the issues and believed in
equality for all the issues. We didnt think about the people who might think racism or sexism is
right/justified and how they might interpret the questions. In the survey, we also asked a two

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opened ended questions, hoping we might get some interesting story responses. Unfortunately,
we didnt get many good responses and didnt record the ones we did get. We also wanted to
hold an open ended discussion after the surveys were filled out, but that didnt pan out either. We
decided not to include that after we tried to hold the discussion with a class that was unwilling to
participate.

Experiment Reflection
Gloriann, Jordan, Jalani, Caitlin

Privilege is a special right, advantage, or immunity, granted to only a particular person or

a group of people. Everyone has different privileges being offered to them, and many people
experience privilege on a daily basis without even noticing it. Little things in life can be

21

accounted for as a privilege. Such as, in America, we have the privilege of always having access
to clean water to whereas some countries cannot do this. Privilege can come in many forms, and
it is a great part of our lives that can affect us in a positive or negative way. Race, gender, sexual
orientation, social class, etc; are some social structures that affect us in life related to privilege.
Privilege is related to probability. Depending on your chances of something happening, it can be
affected by the amount of privilege someone, or a group of people have.
Probability is the likelihood of an event happening. To find the probability of an event,
we look at the number of favorable outcomes out of the total number outcomes. In probability,
there are two different kind of events, independent and dependent. Independent events are not
affected by previous events but dependent events are. There are also simple events and
compound events. A simple event describes a single outcome while a compound event describes
an event made up of two or more simple events. One way to find the probability of an event is to
test it through an experiment or simulation. Through running experiments, you can find the
experimental probability which is the number of times the event occurs out of the number of
trials. According to the Law of Large Numbers, the more experiments you run or the larger the
sample size, the closer the experimental probability will be to the theoretical probability. The
theoretical probability is the closest to the truth you can get.
After discussing both probability and privilege its about time we compare the two and
see whether they affect each other or not. As shown in a discrimination profiling experiment, The
Angry Eye, probability is used as a way to access privilege and the lack of privilege. For instance
its more probable that a person who is constantly told to be beneath another to fail than it is for
someone being constantly told they are above another to fail. The privilege that you gain in turn
affects the probability of certain events happening. For instance african americans have a greater

22

chance of getting into college but they also have less of a chance of meeting the requirements
necessary to apply for college. People who have a better social status have a better chance at
getting into more prominent schools and in turn receiving a higher education. There is also an
issue with morale as those with less privilege are often noticed and given prejudice based of their
lack of privilege. As shown with the Angry Eye experiment where an elementary school teacher
had the students judge one another by their eyesight, the students that were told they were
serperior based off their eyesight not only did better academically but choose to mock others who
did not have the privileges they held. The privileged are given more opportunities and they in
turn have a higher chance of succeeding because of their upbringing. While the no privileged are
constantly being put down whether its emotionally, mentally, economically or physically.
However that doesnt always mean that the non privileged dont succeed and that doesnt mean
that the ones who are privileged are always cruel to the non privileged. It all depends on the
person and whether or not they can see past the material value of people. If they can see the
greater value from within.

Personal Reflections
Jordans Reflection:
As an African American male I know what difficulties some of the non privileged face
and how they are treated. I have experienced several of those disadvantages, or lack of
advantages myself. How I have been judged based off the color of my skin. The standards that
people set for me seem to naturally be lower because of the false stereotype that all African

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Americans are stupid. However I also have recognized the privileges that I do have being an
African American. The privilege of a close correlation and connection to others of my race. The
privilege I have from being able minded. However before doing this project I had not realised
just how much more privilege I have than others. Those that dont have a good social status, or
those that feel shackled by the accusations that come with religion and gender. Those that feel
restricted and honestly held back do to them not being able minded. The privileges that I hold
over others and the privileges that others hold over me. The very things that we use to separate us
can be sacrificed to make us equal. To make all of us realize that as different as we are that all of
us are the same species. Human. However, I dont believe that we are now ready to do that.
Because for years we humans have been taught one thing, to strive for greatness. To be the best
whether it be at our profession or another occupation. We have been taught to do better than
others. Some of us are unable be satisfied with their own current success. They want more that
they dont really need. And until we humans are able to become satisfied with what we already
have we will never be able to sacrifice our luxuries to give others what they need.
Caitlins Reflection:
My privilege is being half white, able-bodied, able-minded, straight and coming from a
financially stable home. In many ways, Id say that I have it pretty great. I dont face
discrimination on a daily basis, partly because I live in a very open-minded/forward thinking
area and I enjoy many systematic privileges. My non-privileges would are being female and half
japanese but even these qualities dont put me at a severe disadvantage. I, personally, can use my
many privileges to stand up, advocate for, and be an ally to those who do not enjoy the same
privileges I do. It is much more powerful for someone who enjoys a privilege to stand up for
someone who does not enjoy that privilege. Its unfortunate that systematic privilege exists just

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to oppress people over things they cant change like their race, gender, or sexual orientation. I
admire how far we have come as a society, but I want to acknowledge how far we still need to go
to achieve an community that treats everyone equally. Im not sure if my generation is ready to
give up our comforts and privilege to make the world more just because I can only speak for
what I see in my community. I dont necessarily know what other teenagers believe in, in other
parts of the country and in the world.
Glorianns Reflection:
Growing up, I've never actually thought about the privileges and disadvantages that come
with my identity. Being able to experience life, as a half white, able bodied and minded, straight
young girl has been always normal for me. But, as I soon started to realize all of the privilege
that I have, which were the ones I mentioned before, I now know that I and everyone else should
appreciate what is given to them. Even though these may be the small things in life, I know they
have a great impact. Having these privileges in life so far have been great for me, I'm living a
good life. Some disadvantages that would come to me would be being female, but even this
disadvantage does not affect me in any drastic way. Starting this project helped me see that I can
use my privileges to help others. I remember hearing in class how its more powerful when
someone stands up for you if they have a particular privilege you don't have. I intend to advocate
for others whenever I can, if they lack a privilege I have. If everyone does this, in my opinion
that's where I feel like when change will happen throughout the world.
Jalani's Reflection:
The most valuable thing I learned when doing research about privilege is that although I
am a minority, I am still in a position where I can help others because of certain advantages I
have. Perhaps the biggest advantage being that i am male, allowing me to advocate for females

25

and be heard by all. Another area that many people would consider an advantage is that I'm half
white. Being half white gives me the option to associate with either culture I choose. Although
this is not an advantage in every case. For example , because I am mixed I am not necessarily
black or white, therefor I'm not 100% accepted by either of my races. However this disadvantage
is minor in comparison to all the huge advantages I have. Another major advantage I have is that
I live in an extremely positive environment in almost all aspects. I live with both of my parents
therefor I am not affected by divorce .I live in a community that is for the most part accepting of
all people , so I am taught to eliminate prejudice not create it. And I go to a school that allows me
to do projects such as this and learn about the world from a non traditional standpoint . One very
important factor about going to High Tech High is that the fact that I'm a minority didn't affect
whether or not I got into the school. This means I got in but someone who, by society's terms, is
more privileged than me did not. This is very closely related to another topic we learned about,
privilege and probability. In this case the amount of privilege I have did not affect me getting
into this school, however this is a rare example. What is much more common is when privilege
does affect probability. For example if someone has the privilege of living in a wealthy are, they
are much more likely to get into a nice school, and if they do the probability of them being
accepted into a college they apply forms much higher. I consider having the opportunity to do
this project and others like it a privilege because it gives me the ability to reach out to people
who can take advantage of their privileges and make the world a better place for all, just as I am
being taught to do.

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Context Research: Prejudice Visibility

For my background research, I read Understanding Prejudice from
beyondprejudice.com written by Jim Cole, Ed.D. This article explains the authors views on the
dynamics of prejudice and the two different types of prejudice, intentional and unintentional.
First, Cole explains that we learn stereotypes as children (earlier learning) and act as if that is the
truth until we develop the skills to learn in a more active way by discussing and evaluating (later

27

learning). Cole goes on to explain how internal conflict between the earlier learning and the
later learning often results in prejudiced-like behavior. Next, Cole explains the difference
between intentional prejudicial actions and unintentional prejudicial actions and the differences
in the people who perform these actions. The article goes on to explain how to handle prejudice,
mostly in the workplace.
In the article, Cole explains, Prejudices will be dealt with here as a single set of
dynamics that function to dehumanize people who are identifiably different in some way from
the people whose perceptions are limited by the dysfunction we call prejudice. This passage
explains that prejudice is simply actions that work to deprive people who are different of their
basic human qualities.
The article unintentional prejudicial actions in this passage, Situations arise where the
earlier learning seems to be an automatic response. Time, attention, and awareness do not
provide the opportunity for the later decided belief system to come into use.This is important
because it explains how prejudiced behaviors can sometimes be an automatic response to
uncomfortable situations. This is what is known as unintentional prejudice, where the offender
acts automatically, without thinking.
This passage explains the dynamics of the unintentional prejudicial response, When one
has an encounter with an individual from a group for which one has earlier learned prejudicial
perceptions or reactions, the resulting perceptions and behavior is prejudice like and in conflict
with the individuals later learned beliefs and convictions, and often results in an avoidance
behavior to reduce the discomfort [this] also assures that the internal conflict is not examined
or altered. This passage shows how prejudiced behavior can become a cycle if it is not

28

addressed. People are often in denial to avoid discomfort and the behavioral responses tend to
stay intact.

Waging NonViolence: Eric Stoner

Eric Stoner is an editor for and one of the founders of
WagingNonViolence.org, a people-powered news source
dedicated to highlighting stories of systemic prejudices and
injustices in the U.S. and around the world. Waging NonViolence
works to showcase, not only the depth of a wide array of
injustices, but also what people are doing about them. Stoner and

29

his colleagues started Waging NonViolence because they felt there was a hole that needed to be
filled, so they created their site to collect stories about activism around the world. Eric Stoner
also teaches college classes about nonviolence and social justice.
When describing how he became affiliated with the work he does, Stoner explained, I
took a class called solutions to violence which exposed me to nonviolent resistance and
peace makers. It shattered the way I understood the world People default to violence
because they dont know theres another way to confront evil or a brutal, repressive
opponent. He went on to describe how he became passionate about nonviolence and started to
learn as much as he could. This struck me because he grew up with conservative views, but was
able to find his passion and create something effective with it. I also connected with the way he
said he learned the history of nonviolence and realized it was far more effective than violence
because that is exactly what we learned in class.
When asked what young people can do to create positive change, Stoner replied, Young
people have more power than they realize. The nature of school is to teach students to
conform, not to think outside-the-box, and not to challenge authority. But, there is a rich
history of young people affecting change and moving culture in the right direction.
Something simple is to be open and build relationships and friendships with people outside
of your circle. This resonated with me because it really doesnt take much to become aware and
affect your community positively. He told us to reach across lines, learn about issues other
people were going through and work together to create change and advocate for them. Stoner
also gave us book recommendation: Teenage Rebels: Stories of Successful High School
Activists.

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When explaining how people can be more aware and educated about social justice issues,
Stoner said, Its a lot easier now, than it was 5 or 10 years ago. It takes a lot of your own
initiative. I didnt get it through formal channels, through education or school or
mainstream news. I relied on internet a lot and social media is key. This struck me because
Stoner said he didnt get educated through formal channels because they werent offering it, but
times have changed. In school, we are learning more about nonviolence and being an upstander.
We can always keep learning and becoming more aware because there are constantly new
struggles that need to be overcome.
We also asked Stoner about Waging NonViolence has responded to the recent rise in
violence, to which he replied, What weve tried to do is highlight stories and ways we can
respond to threats and danger without using violence. Not crazy things but actually
effective, constructive responses that will work better in the long run, to create community,
trust and security. Always explore the root of the problem. I liked the way he described what
the sites main intention is. All of the writers and editors have worked extremely hard to put out
the best and most informative content.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Eric and wish we had gotten more time to speak
with him and hear his thoughts on other issues. Before this project, I had never thought to seek
out news other than what was shown on mainstream news stations. After hearing about how
dedicated Waging NonViolence is to putting out content that focuses on ordinary people who use
nonviolent tactics and strategies, I felt a tremendous amount of admiration for all the work they
are doing. Mainstream media fails to focus on the people who are up to something good, and
mostly on violence and celebrity. The interview with Eric was eye-opening and it was also
refreshing to hear his views on nonviolence and social justice issues.

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Latin American Assignment

In the article The Costs of American Privilege by Michael Schwalbe, the professor of
sociology discusses what privilege is and what kinds of privilege Americans enjoy. Schwalbe
describes privilege as membership in a dominant group and [...] typically invisible to those who
have it. People of dominant groups, such as whites and men, usually do not notice their
privileges because they see them as ordinary, unexceptional entitlements. American privilege is
the lack of awareness that life is different for others and the moral blindness that comes with it.
According to Schwalbe, people from third world countries often know more about the
U.S. than most Americans. For people in foreign countries, it is a matter of survival [to] pay
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attention to what the U.S. does. American privilege is not having to bother to learn about other
countries or how U.S. foreign policy affects other countries. Privilege creates a vacuum of
knowledge that allows Americans to be ignorant about others, themselves, and how they are
viewed by the rest of the world. They hold a smug self delusion, belief in the myth of ones own
superiority, and a presumed right to dictate morality to others.
In the article White Privilege in the Americas by Aisha Brown and Dedrick
Muhammad, the authors discuss Latin Americas long history of white privilege and white
supremacy. According to the authors, white privilege has been permeated through Latin
American society through economic manipulation, cultural jokes and stereotypes, and
paternalism implemented by the church.
In Latin America, intense segregation still exists. People of color are often the poorest,
least educated, and least empowered and politically engaged in society. As stated in the article,
Internalized racism of Latin Americans has led our community to deny or reject their African
and/or indigenous heritage [and] reinforces the idealization of whites in our society. There are
few reflections of people of color in Latino media which also perpetuates the segregation and
glorification of white people.
In both of these articles, it is obvious to see that white people have systematic privilege.
But non-white people also have privilege if they live in America. The two articles dont talk
specifically about the same topic but they discuss the kinds of privilege that are systematically
afforded to specific groups. Through this research and the learning we have done in class, one
can conclude that the epitome of privilege is to be a white male living in America.

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