STEP had a great discussion on Friday as we tried to answer the question: how do we talk about modern-day civil rights issues in schools?

Here are some of the highlights:

• People want to talk about these issues. Sometimes, we need to talk about them. Schools should provide an opportunity to do so without fear of recrimination or judgment–explicit or implicit.
• To effectively educate on an issue, all perspectives should be considered. Students should be allowed–and encouraged–to develop their own well-informed opinions.
• It is hard to present and discuss modern-day issues. Because civil rights are often charged and emotional, we must strike a balance. No one perspective should be touted as the only correct one. No one should be allowed to discredit another opinion (or person) without at least hearing it first.
• Truth be told, this is something that we are still working on at Cary Academy. Very few STEP members have had the chance to talk about recent civil rights events (the cases in Ferguson and Staten Island, the repeal of Amendment One). Unfortunately, even when we do have those discussions, we find that one side is often promoted, and certain thoughts and opinions are left unsaid.