Cassandra Bledsoe This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Tolerance.org: Teaching Tolerance: Mix It Up Day Comes Early in Cleveland

   www.tolerance.org/teach/curren - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/20/2004   Last Visited: 1/8/2006

   Cassandra Bledsoe, Cleveland's project director of hate crimes, organized the activities that included an introduction, an ice breaker and a discussion session with students.
   
   During the ice breaker, students were asked to share what they knew about lemons. Next the students were handed lemons to examine and asked once again to share what they knew about them.
   
   "At first, students gave the typical answers ý yellow, sour, round. But then after examining the lemons, their answers discussed more specific characteristics, like bumpiness, brown spots and stems," said Bledsoe.
   
   "That was a way to get the kids talking about how we do the same thing with people. We wanted to show them how easy it is to group things and people into categories without paying attention to individuals."
   
   Bledsoe says students were excited to have city leadership join and lead them in talking about the issues they face each day.
   
   "It's important to have leadership go back in and give to students, sharing some of the things they've learned," said Bledsoe.
   
   "It's also important to help students cross social boundaries at an early age so that they can understand that they have more in common than they don't have."
   
   Bledsoe already is working to coordinate citywide participation in next month's official Mix It Up Day.
   
   City administrators, she says, are eager to go back into the schools to help facilitate the program. And students are eager for another opportunity to participate.
   
   "The students were very willing and open and they really wanted people to come back and talk to them in-depth," Bledsoe said.

2. 2. Tolerance.org: Teaching Tolerance: Mix It Up Day Comes Early in Cleveland

   web2.tolerance.org/teach/curre - [Cached]

   Published on: 10/9/2003   Last Visited: 9/4/2006

   Cassandra Bledsoe, Cleveland's project director of hate crimes, organized the activities that included an introduction, an ice breaker and a discussion session with students.
   
   During the ice breaker, students were asked to share what they knew about lemons. Next the students were handed lemons to examine and asked once again to share what they knew about them.
   
   "At first, students gave the typical answers - yellow, sour, round. But then after examining the lemons, their answers discussed more specific characteristics, like bumpiness, brown spots and stems," said Bledsoe.
   
   "That was a way to get the kids talking about how we do the same thing with people. We wanted to show them how easy it is to group things and people into categories without paying attention to individuals."
   
   Bledsoe says students were excited to have city leadership join and lead them in talking about the issues they face each day.
   
   "It's important to have leadership go back in and give to students, sharing some of the things they've learned," said Bledsoe.
   
   "It's also important to help students cross social boundaries at an early age so that they can understand that they have more in common than they don't have."
   
   Bledsoe already is working to coordinate citywide participation in next month's official Mix It Up Day.
   
   City administrators, she says, are eager to go back into the schools to help facilitate the program. And students are eager for another opportunity to participate.
   
   "The students were very willing and open and they really wanted people to come back and talk to them in-depth," Bledsoe said.

3. 3. OPEN Society: Resources

   www.opensoc.org/resources/cd.h - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 5/3/2006

   Cassandra Bledsoe, City of Cleveland Project Manager, Hate Crimes Court Watch DivisionJoe Martin, Executive Director, Diversity Inc.