Discrimination

A demonstration with chocolate bars teaches Wilson Elementary students a lesson about prejudice in America.Early last week, Daniela Ramos' fourth-grade students came back into class after recess and got a shocking assignment. The Wilson Elementary School teacher ordered all the children to stand against the wall, then invited the boys to sit in the front rows and enjoy chocolate bars. Once the boys were seated, Ramos told the girls to do 15 push-ups each. Most of the girls stared at her dumbfounded, while a couple tentatively dropped to their knees.

HUMBERTO CASPA It's been about a week since five Latino mothers stood up in front of the Newport-Mesa Board of Education to complain about racial and ethnic discrimination at TeWinkle Middle School. So far, our community has shown a perplexing response of silence, as if nothing has happened. There hasn't been a spark of controversy. There has been no public outcry; no opinion letters have made it into the Daily Pilot's mailbag, either supporting the five moms' version or defending the school's principal Dan Diehl and his assistant Tim Tolzda against discrimination charges.

Michael Miller Five women -- family members of children at TeWinkle Middle School -- stood up at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board meeting Tuesday to complain about the way school employees treat Latino children. The women, four of whom spoke through a translator, said officials at the Costa Mesa school made ethnic slurs toward their children and often gave them excessive detentions or suspensions. One of the speakers, Mirna Burciaga, called the relationship between parents and administrators intimidating and said she planned to file a complaint with the federal Office for Civil Rights later this week.

Regarding the Pilot article "Parents clash over school enrollment," Jan. 4, I was so angered at the fact that these so-called members of the Catholic Church would be so narrow minded in this day and age -- not to mention, did they forget why Jesus died? I am sure that all the St. John the Baptist parishioners are so perfect and in God's good graces that they do not even need to go to confession! Who gave them the right to decide who God wants to go to church.

STEVE SMITH My father was a man of very few words. He did not often initiate conversations with me, and I could not tell you today whether he voted Democratic, Republican, or whether he was a closet communist. I inherited my big mouth from my mother, who never had an opinion she did not wish to share. Poles apart as they were, one of their common beliefs was evident: They had a less than zero tolerance for discrimination of any type. That behavior, that kind of talk was strictly forbidden.

The Newport Beach Public Library has a variety of books available to help parents teach their children about respecting one another and the beliefs and practices of others. The Tolerance Collection was funded by a donation from the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation. The following four books are perfect for your independent readers to enjoy; they also make excellent books for reading aloud. In "Now We Can Have a Wedding," by Judy Cox, we learn what happens when Roberto and Sally's wedding day arrives and all of the tenants in the apartment building bring their own nuptial dishes to the reception.

Deirdre Newman There is reason to believe that Cirque du Soleil discriminated against an HIV-positive performer when it fired him, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Friday. The commission's determination is in response to a federal discrimination complaint filed on behalf of former trapeze catcher Matthew Cusick by Lambda Legal, a gay and lesbian civil rights organization. The determination came a day after Cirque offered to hire Cusick back.

Deirdre Newman A small protest of alleged discrimination by Cirque du Soleil took place Friday before the opening night of "Varekai." Seven people held signs and handed out fliers and stickers in protest of Cirque du Soleil firing a cast member from performing because he disclosed that he is HIV-positive. The protest stems from a federal discrimination complaint Lambda Legal filed in July against Cirque du Soleil on behalf of Matthew Cusick.

I've been thinking that maybe we need something other recreational activities have, a governing body that sets out the rules and regulations of that activity. If we had such a booklet, some of the brouhaha might have been avoided because it is clear that Councilman Dick Nichols doesn't know the rules of the beach. Now, there are rules and there are rules. The city has certain rules -- when the beaches are open and when they're closed, when surfboards are allowed, the amount for parking fees.

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