I think we, as BCA students, have forgotten how lucky we truly are. Recently, on the eve of a BCA tradition, I got down to thinking- thinking about school, about the world, about the BCA community.
What I realized from this brief contemplation was the length to which our school goes to in order to maintain a positive community of acceptance- one without prejudice, bigotry, or intolerance. Education, I saw, is the key; our school fosters acceptance and tolerance within the BCA community through the education it so greatly emphasizes.
During the annual International Day of Acceptance at BCA, this dedication to education as a means of creating an accepting community was further strengthened over the course of workshops, speeches, and performances.
Hearing our teachers and even our fellow students talk about equality and acceptance, seeing different aspects of the variety of people here at BCA, and developing empathy through listening and opening ourselves to understanding, we have come to see that differences only unite rather than separate us.
Simas Chacar-Palubinskas, an AEDT sophomore said, “I think that IDA is a great celebration of the diversity of cultures and ethnicities at BCA. IDA certainly does not represent all cultures, but its message of acceptance and inclusion transcends any certain cultures being celebrated today.” He added, “Acceptance means, to me, a culture that is open to all people, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, etc. A culture that does not prefer or favor certain people.”
IDA is such an anticipated day at BCA and for various reasons: everyone embraces who they are while sharing their individuality with everyone else.
David Song, an AAST junior, further agreed that the IDA workshops are certainly impactful.“The introduction of the workshops (2015) was an excellent idea and I think that it really gets everyone actively involved.”
However, Song expanded on the role of acceptance. “The first step to acceptance is the acknowledgement of a fact.” He then added: “Most instances of ostracism and discrimination in history begin with not an innate, irrational fear or hate but rather an ignorance of reality. Even today, aversion to foreign or unfamiliar cultures or lifestyles is based on a lack of information.”
Ignorance, indeed, is the driving force behind bigotry and prejudice. When you do not know about other people or you do not understand those who are not as yourself- this is what creates barriers between people of different cultures and identities.
We are lucky enough to be in a school that recognizes this. The differences between us are immense in scale. However, simply by coming together, we have blended together as a scholarly community-as students and as friends. We respect each other, regardless of our nationality, beliefs, and backgrounds.
Even aside from IDA, BCA seeks to continually provide an atmosphere where diversity is accepted and everyone strives to understand each other’s differences.
Deena Shefter, an AAST sophomore, agreed. She said, “In BCA’s education system, we learn about a huge variety of different topics, and not once in my BCA experience has a teacher been biased or pushed the debate in one way or the other. This definitely shows how much the teachers here believe in listening to everyone’s opinion.”
The IB program in itself is an example of how the promotion of global perspective is interwoven into our education. As David Song makes clear: “BCA’s curricula – the IB program in particular – is incredibly effective at rectifying this. IB classes are driven not by raw facts but rather arguments and perspectives, leading to a more in-depth understanding and recognition of the subject at hand.”
He continued, “Being armed with just the knowledge of a different culture can do so much in changing the individual’s attitude towards it, as the legitimization is always the first step in discussion and acceptance.”
I myself attended an after-school education meeting hosted by our very own Israel Club in which students had the opportunity to educate themselves on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a representative of the organization Stand With Us, who spent two hours explaining everything: from history to current differences in position to political influences.
Yet, this entire event was put together so that we, students, could hear an unbiased, objective view and form our own opinions based on knowledge and understanding through education: even our own students recognize the importance of understanding a situation in order to avoid forming judgements without comprehending the full scope of a situation.
If we, as a school, have come together to create a community where bigotry is not tolerated, how different would the world be if a system of education like ours was used to promote acceptance?
There is a terrible amount of hate in this world. Whether as seen through the lens of history or of today, hate seems as if it has always been a part of human nature and it seems undeniably present in our world today. As a nation and as a society, we are guilty of choosing to sometimes ignore the injustices, marginalization, and disgusting treatment of individuals that occurs around us.
From our media to the targeted violence at those who are different, we like to think that we are better than our ancestors: that we live in the 21st century, free from prejudice, bigotry, and racism. But that is an illusion, for hate and prejudice is a part of our world just as it was hundreds of years ago.
However, I am not alone when I say that at BCA, these issues are significantly limited. So, why is it then, that while parts of the world are in turmoil and battle bigotry and racism, we are able to create within our school walls such an accepting community?
By all means, we are not perfect, but my belief is that intelligence married to experience and open-mindedness, yields itself to acceptance and equality. Taking the time not only to learn about different cultures, different people, and different beliefs, but to also appreciate the differences: that is what allows and leads a person to be accepting of those who are not as oneself.
But to the conundrum: how do we take the BCA experience and apply it to the world outside our door? I suggest that we us have a responsibility to take our knowledge and our understanding of differences and spread that understanding and acceptance- beyond the interiors of BCA.
There is power in knowledge, and each one of us has a voice powerful enough to be heard. But to be heard, one must speak up.