West Orange Kids And Race

West Orange Kids on AC360 Special Report: Kids on Race, The Hidden Picture

BY Georgette Gilmore | Saturday, Mar 31, 2012 2:01pm


Earlier this year, first grade students at West Orange’s Mt. Pleasant Elementary School were selected to participate in a series being filmed by CNN on race in America.

Anderson Cooper’s series titled AC360 Special Report: Kids on Race, The Hidden Picture, will air the week of April 2 at 8 and 10 pm.

The CNN commissioned pilot, AC360 Special Report: Kids on Race, The Hidden Picture, study builds on the original Doll Test’s historic research done in the 1940s that examined how African-American children interpret race, discrimination and stigma. Teaming up with child psychologist Dr. Melanie Killen, the Anderson Cooper 360° ground breaking report scientifically explored how kids view interracial contact in their daily lives. The children, ages six and thirteen, were shown images that were scientifically designed to be ambiguous to children. “What is happening in this picture” was the starting point for interviews conducted with the group of 145 African-American and Caucasian children in six schools across three states. The report explored how children’s interpretations of the images often changed when the races of the characters were switched.

This series will tackle controversial issues and answer some difficult questions. Is race a factor in how children view conflicts and choose friends? Do children see race or are they, as many parents believe, socially colorblind? How, when and why do they form their opinions on race? Can those opinions change over time or at a certain age, are kids “hard-wired” about race? And does the racial make-up of their school and environment affect their opinions on race? Cooper along with CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien will share with the viewers the children’s answers and the conclusions our researcher drew from their responses.

They will also speak to the parents for their thoughts and reactions to conversations on interracial dating and bullying.

“I am extremely proud to have our first grade students involved in such a groundbreaking study. We truly epitomize a culturally diverse and integrated school. We are proud of our diversity and hope to lend a truly unique perspective to this special report, and represent the West Orange Schools and our community,” stated Michael Schiavo, Principal of Mt. Pleasant Elementary School.

The West Orange Public Schools District serves just over 6,800 students in grades PreK – 12, located in the center of Essex County, NJ, a community of approximately 45,000 residents. The population is culturally diverse and spans all economic strata, and this is reflected in the student body of its public schools where over 50 languages are spoken by students.