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(Robeson County)
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By some accounts, Robeson County is the most racially-diverse rural county in the nation (and most certainly the most diverse in NC). It is home to African-Americans, Lumbee Indians, Hispanics, whites and a great bio-diversity. Teachers from across the county spend their summers in a program called Green Map Project , learning about the natural and cultural resources. Students and teachers in Robeson County have been mapping everything from trees to burial grounds, lending a greater appreciation for their own backyards.
Unlike some of the other schools visited in this documentary, challenges of diversity are nothing new in Robeson County, and at Red Springs High School, students use the mapping of the Green Map Project, using it as a springboard to discuss racial make-up and traditions of their community.
The racial make-up in Robeson County puts the county farther along in dealing with racial diversity than anywhere else in NC. Racial tensions may flair, but the economic hardship that comes from rural life provides much common ground.
From the Program
Danny Steadman
Principal
"Before integration, the community I grew up in had a common bus stop, one from the traditional white school, black school and Native American schools. We were segregated during the day, but we'd play ball with each other every night."
Inez McKoy
Food/Consumer Science teacher
"Where there's unity, there's strength. And I see us coming together as a united force."
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