November 14 is "Mix It Up at Lunch Day," a project designed to foster respect and understanding in schools and communities:
The program’s concept is simple but powerful: For this one day, students are encouraged to sit with someone new at lunch. Nowhere on school campuses are the boundaries of group membership more clearly drawn than in and around the cafeteria.
“Many of our prejudices and biases tend to fall away when we mix with and meet new people,” said Mix It Up Director Tafeni English. “Mix It Up at Lunch Day gives students an opportunity to bring down the walls in their schools and get to know people they might not otherwise interact with. It helps teach young people the value of integrated living.”
The annual event is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program, which provides educators with free multimedia teaching kits and other materials designed to promote respect for differences and an appreciation of diversity.
This year, an estimated 4 million youths at 9,000 schools are expected to take part in Mix It Up Day. At many schools, organizers are planning a variety of innovative activities at lunch and throughout the day and week.\
For more information about "Mix It Up at Lunch Day," click here.
