A Difference in Perspective
Upon entering his classroom during homeroom period, Mr. Ortiz, an eighth-grade teacher, noticed several students crowded around two of their peers, Nikhil and Jasper. They were arguing about something Nikhil was wearing.
Mr. Ortiz asked the students to take their seats and inquired about theconflict. Jasper explained, “Nikhil is wearing a swastika and I don’t think it should be at school. It’s offensive.” Mr. Ortiz glanced at Nikhil but didn’t notice anything controversial about his attire. Before he could inquire further, Nikhil looked at Jasper and retorted, “Your ignorance is offensive! I got this from my grandmother.”
“Whoa!” Mr. Ortiz replied. “Perhaps someone other than Jasper or Nikhil can explain what’s going on here.” Madelyn, one of their classmates shared her perspective: “Nikhil is wearing a gold chain from his grandmother, and it has a swastika pendant on it. Jasper got upset when he saw it and asked Nikhil why he was wearing a Nazi symbol. Then Nikhil said it’s an ancient Hindu symbol or something, but Jasper cut him off and said that it shouldn’t be allowed in school because it represents hate.” She continued, “I agree with Jasper. It’s not cool for Nikhil to wear that.”
When Madelyn finished speaking, the students looked to Mr. Ortiz for a response. “May I see your necklace, Nikhil?” he asked. Nikhil pulled the gold chain out from under his t-shirt, revealing a penny-sized pendent that looked like a swastika.
“That was a gift from your grandmother?” asked Mr. Ortiz.
“Yeah,” replied Nikhil. “She passed away recently and it was hers. I’m wearing it to honor her.”
“You understand that this symbol is offensive to a lot of people, right?” Mr. Ortiz asked.
“Yes, but it’s important in my religion. If people learn the deeper history of it, they shouldn’t have a problem with me wearing it. It’s no different from wearing a cross.” After hearing Nikhil’s explanation, several students expressed their disagreement.
“OK, OK,” said Mr. Ortiz. “Quiet down and remember to raise your hand if you have something to say. This is a longer discussion than we have time to have today, as you need to get to your first period classes. We’ll discuss it tomorrow, I assure you, and we’ll find some resolution then.”
“That’s fine with me,” responded Jasper. “But Nikhil should take it off until then.” This comment started another commotion, leaving Mr. Ortiz to believe he needed to resolve the matter immediately. As he was thinking about what to say, he saw Madelyn waving her hand in the air, eager to share something.
“Yes, Madelyn?” he asked.
“Nikhil is telling the truth,” Madelyn shared. “I just looked it up on my phone and that is an ancient Hindu symbol. Looks like it’s been used in a lot of religions and cultures before it became a Nazi symbol. Actually, the one used by the Nazis looks a little different from what Nikhil is wearing.”
“Of course, I’m telling the truth,” Nikhil responded, sounding defensive. “This chain means a lot to me and I’m not taking it off just because people are ignorant.”
Mr. Ortiz didn’t know anything about the history of the swastika, but he did know that Nikhil’s necklace could be disruptive to some students. Although learning more about it would be a great educational opportunity, he worried it would be impossible for the conversation to reach everyone in the school and he did not want to deal with additional disruptions. He proposed a solution to Nikhil, hoping he would agree.
“You are right about our ignorance, Nikhil,” he said, “but you can’t go around educating everyone who sees you wearing it and you can’t just call everybody ignorant. We have to consider the disruption your necklace is causing, and since most people seem to think of it as a symbol of hate, I don’t think you should wear it in school. Perhaps you can still honor your grandmother by wearing it at home.”
“No,” responded Nikhil, “I don’t think it’s fair that other students can display their religious symbols and I can’t. I’m not taking it off.”
Mr. Ortiz replied, “OK, I’ll stop by the principal’s office later today to see what she has to say. Until then, you can wear the necklace, but please keep it under your shirt.”
The bell rang and the students headed to their first period classes. Mr. Ortiz knew it would be only a matter of hours before everyone in the school had learned about Nikhil’s chain. We need to figure this out quickly, he thought.
Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education by Paul C. Gorski and Seema G. Pothini