Writing

Monumental Community Connections

I made a monument of Buddha, this reflects a rough period of time in Wissahickon High School’s history when there was a lot of racial tension and there were many fights at the high school. This monument is meant to speak to the students in the High School as well as the parents reminding them of this turbulent time and how the school used Buddha as a symbol for peace among every race for both the teachers and the students. It was Buddha’s mission to bring peace around the world and at that point in time we needed a person (not white or black) in order to help unify the school and remind them the importance of peace and acceptance. Writing peace in approximately forty different languages helps to convey this message of peace and acceptance, it unifies people from every culture (not just people of different races) so that all feel welcome both when they walk into the building and the entirety of their youth. It puts them in a more accepting atmosphere and allows them to approach people who are different than them in a more accepting manner. It’s my belief that it’s important to instill these ideas into the minds of young people so that they don’t grow up with hate in their hearts. There’s no better place for this than the High School, that’s how to reach the most kids from this area as we can. This monument will replace the rusting Trojan head statue that stands outside our circle gym entrance. It’s very important for our country as a whole to end racism and to end the discrimination of people who are different, since it’s a lot harder to reach the whole world it was my mission to be sure to at least do what I can to influence the students in this area.