Boston Day and Evening Academy

honestly about the stereotypes they held.  The lists from both schools included many stereotypical statements such as the inner city students’ lives were filled with rap music, street life, drugs, gangs, criminal records, police harassment, and poverty and that the suburban students’ lives were filled with wealth, lots of college and career opportunities, and easier happier lives.  After sharing their lists of stereotypes, the students explored together how these impressions are formed, and how they can be obstacles to honest communication and to creating community. Throughout the discussion, students began to understand each other better and as we toured our neighborhood together, many stereotypes were dismissed. Students from both schools were amazed by how powerful the experience was, as they quickly moved beyond the stereotypes and discovered that they had much in common.

 

A month after the Hudson students visited BDEA,  we visited Hudson High School.  This time, preparation for the visit included students from both schools creating photo essays about their lives.  Students in Ms. Borab’s classes took pictures of neighborhoods and people and things that they value form their daily lives.  From these pictures, students grouped their essays around themes in order to tell the story of their lives. The themes included family, education, and transportation. One image board, which focused on the impact of violence, consisted of pictures of teddy bears and flowers on the sidewalks to represent murders that had occurred and lives that had been lost. This highlighted one of the powerful differences between the two communities.

 

During the visit, students shared their boards, quickly deepening the level of conversation from the previous visit.  Students then divided into small discussion groups and focused on different questions built on the essential question: “What can we do as individuals and together to make our world better?”  Michael Roberson from BDEA received applause for expressing his idea that “Education and communication are the only way to make a better world, but first we must better ourselves, then come together as a whole.”  Craig Lee, also from BDEA, echoed this but stated that in order to break the cycle of poverty and violence in his neighborhood, “We need to have jobs. Most of us are willing to work, but I looked for a job for 2 years before finally getting one.”  One of the students from Hudson shared her desire to expand the program: “Every student in Hudson should have the chance to be part of this program. I took the Ethics class in order to participate in this program and to have conversations about issues that matter.  It has changed the way I understand things.” Another Hudson student talked about the clique problem in their school and how it is clearly seen in their cafeteria. This comment led to a key question for BDEA students about why there aren’t more cross-cultural friendships in their own neighborhoods.

 

One of the big topics of discussion was about how segregation still exists in society today.  One of the students form Hudson spoke of experiencing segregation because of classism more than racism whereas BDEA students spoke of first hand experiences with both. When discussing the differences in race and class, the students from both communities realized that their school buildings reflect the differences.  The predominantly white student body at Hudson High is housed in a relatively new, 42 million dollar building that has a movie theater, live theater, TV studio, 9 computer labs, and a state-of-the-art athletic complex, all of which provide great educational benefits and better opportunities for the students in Hudson.  In contrast, BDEA, which is 88% Black and Latino/a and comprised of students who face an uphill battle to complete their education, has a non-regulation gym, no studios or athletic fields, small classrooms, and limited access to computers at school and even more so at home.  The Hudson students, seeing their advantages through the BDEA students’ eyes, began to realize how they take too much for granted, and the BDEA students expressed their appreciation for BDEA, a second chance school.

 

The Cultural Exchange Program has provided students with a way to explore new ways of thinking, to appreciate what we have, and to imagine a better, more equitable society. It inspired some students to reach for their dreams so that the next generation could have it better. It inspired all of the participants to realize that Maya Angelo was right—“We are more alike than different.”

 

For a look at student reflections on the Hudson Cultural Exchange experience over the years, please visit our

Reflections page.