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Sample said that it is a gross oversimplification to look at Dorsey and assume the
school is merely defined by racial lines. Like most high schools in America, he said, kids
at Dorsey delineate groups based on interests, looks, music and lifestyle choices. The
classic stereotyped high school cliques—football players, cheerleaders, punks and the
studious types—still exist and thrive with one another.
For some students, finding another sense of common ground is the surest means
of crossing so-called racial barriers. Anibal Serrano, a senior, said that playing football
opened up a door to becoming friends with more African-American students than he
would have otherwise.
“Some of the black friends I have right now, I trust some of them more than the
students that are Hispanic. And I don’t think that would have happened if I hadn’t played
football,” said Serrano.
He recognizes tension between some students along racial lines but, in his
opinion, any effort to create trouble is usually started by “ignorant” students who did not
show up to school to learn in the first place. Others, he said, simply hang out with people
of the same race because that’s who they understand and relate to. It is not racism but a
relationship of assumed similarities because of common cultural heritage. Crossing those
boundaries is something that cannot be forced.
“I think it’s going to happen naturally. Not just in school. You just have to be a
social person, someone you can easily talk to and who respects others beliefs and the way
they grew up”, said Serrano.