Power over Prejudice

Last week, Tech hosted the Power Over Prejudice (POP) Summit for 45 middle schools around the metro Atlanta area. Approximately 450 students attended the event over its three-day duration.

For the last 10 years, the POP Summit has taught students the value of tolerance and cooperation among different racial, religious and ethnic groups. They strive to increase the awareness and understanding of different forms of prejudice and to provide a safe forum for students to talk about issues facing them at their schools and communities.

The POP Summit is organized by the Anti-Prejudice Consortium (APC), a non-profit organization in Atlanta that provides year-round planning and support, as well as funding and volunteers for the event. The APC has helped the POP Summit gain recognition throughout the metro Atlanta area, allowing it to become partnered with numerous county school systems, private schools and religious schools.

In charge of logistics for the summit at Tech was Associate Dean of Students Stephanie Ray, who also directs diversity programs on campus. Ray works with the APC to facilitate the program's execution.

One of the things that Ray enjoys most about the summit is the In-School Follow Up Program.

"Students develop a program to take back to their schools to combat prejudice, discrimination and bullying," Ray said.

During the summit, students spent time in small breakout groups with facilitators who helped the students define prejudice and look at ways to be tolerant and inclusive of others.

For many of the facilitators, the ability to help young students learn about the detrimental effects of stereotyping and prejudice is very fulfilling.

"This is such an important thing for me, especially because it is something that I have personally dealt with," said Amanda Padgett, a facilitator for the summit.

"When I was looking for an organization to volunteer with, it was right after Hurricane Katrina so I really wanted to do something to help those victims. But when I saw the APC on www.volunteermatch.com, I knew it was the thing I had to do," Padgett said.

Richard Welch, executive director of the APC, has helped organize the POP Summit since its inception in 1996.

"We really try to address problems by looking at their root: first impressions and judgments based on a superficial nature," Welch said.

Welch has helped shape the program into one that lets students assess the needs of their school based on the level of diversity present there.

"Each school is different. Each one has its own personality and specific problems that need to be addressed," Welch said.

The POP Summit targets students at the middle-school level because this is a pivotal time when students begin to form their own opinions about the world and how they perceive it.

The summit gives students the opportunity to learn about the effects of stereotyping and discrimination and how those effects can be damaging to others.

Joy Franklin, a seventh-grader at Union Grove Middle School, explained that the conference was an eye-opening experience for her.

"People don't want to change because it's too hard to change. This has really helped us realize that we need to change," Franklin said.