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9/11 Event Brings Together UNO, Northwest High School Students to Discuss Tolerance

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OMAHA – As part of next Thursday’s national day of remembrance for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, political science students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) will join with Northwest High School students to discuss how to combat prejudice.

As part of a semester-long service-learning partnership between a UNO “Introduction to Political Science” class, Northwest High School’s student council members and the Anti-Defamation League, Plains States Region (ADL), the student groups will meet with ADL facilitators to discuss the lasting impact acts of violence have on our communities. The students will discuss how they can work together to combat hate and bigotry.

The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 am at the site of the new TypecastRecast public art installation, 12th and Cass Streets.

TypecastRecast is a six-piece public art project that was officially installed in April of 2014. Each of the pieces addresses the issues of bias and discrimination along with the mission of the ADL of combating hate and bigotry and securing justice for all from the perspectives of seven artists, each with different views and experiences of how intolerance has not only affected them, but the city of Omaha as well.

Following a tour of the site, the two groups of students, a majority of who have lived more of their lives after 9/11 than before it, will use the artwork as a catalyst for discussion and activities centered on how to combat prejudice and discrimination.

The project will conclude in late November with both UNO students and Northwest students co-facilitating dialogue between approximately 100 other high school students from the Omaha area on how together we can make Omaha a more inclusive and respectful community.

The collaboration between UNO, Northwest and ADL was coordinated by UNO’s P-16 Initiative. As part of UNO’s Service Learning Academy, the P-16 Initiative facilitates partnerships between three key groups:

- UNO students and their teachers
- Preschool-through-high school students and their teachers
- Community organizations and their members

Through these service-learning partnerships, P-16 brings the classroom into the community through application of education to find solutions to real-life problems.

For additional information or questions, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at unonews@unomaha.edu or 402.554.2129.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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