The Gazette of Montgomery County, Maryland carried this story about inauguration activities at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac:
As the students of all colors and backgrounds joined together in a conga line that snaked around the room, the celebration seemed to answer Obama’s call to come together as one.
“We’re passing the stage of racism,” said Bokamoso youth group member Pearl Zondo, 19, of Obama’s historic inauguration. “We’re finally realizing that we are the same, if you can just forget our skin color.”
Students paired off to pinpoint a common trait — black, white, northern, southern, public school or private school attendees, for example— and discussed the “snap judgments” that came to mind for each phrase.
“What we are all struggling with is to get beyond those first judgments or assumptions we make about people,” said Kincaid. According to Alex Lis-Perlis, a St. Andrew’s student who organized the workshop, a need for dialogue about diversity will remain after Obama’s election.