Diversity may be a delicate issue in areas like Alabama, but some in Auburn are attempting to stir up the conversation with a younger generation.
Six teenagers of Opelika and Auburn high schools met with local artist Doc Waller in Auburn's Student Center Sunday to discuss diversity and unity.
"Unity is just coming together as a people," said Mariah Sankey, junior at Opelika High School. "It doesn't have to be different races or ethnicities. It's just people, humans, the race. You don't have to share the same interests, you don't have to go to the same school, the same church. It's just coming and bonding together as one."
Waller attended Auburn for a little over a year before joining the U.S. Air Force. "I majored in not going to class," Waller said. "I fell in love with the arts when I was in the military, and then when I got out of the military, that's when I started my professional career."
Waller has had a successful acting career and is the owner of the new nonprofit arts organization in downtown Auburn.
"I'm here today actually because diversity was going to be the topic, and I was going to try to help facilitate the conversation," said Shakeer Abdullah, director of the Multicultural Center on campus.
Waller said the goal of this East Alabama Teen Summit meeting was to encourage the teenagers to think differently on subjects that aren't always considered politically correct to discuss.
"It's very rare now-adays that a young adult will light his or her own fire," Waller said. "I think that that's just because peer pressure is probably stronger and more potent now than it's ever been. Becoming your own person and having your own identity in some circles when it comes to the youth is like crucifying yourself." Waller said he believes reality TV shows like "The Real World" play a major role in shaping the identity of young adults.
"It's just a bunch of these little different characteristics walking around," Waller said. "Not people, just shells of characteristics. And that's why you always have the angry black guy, the gay guy, the guy who parties, the girl who'll get in the hot tub the first night; it's every single season."
Waller said these equations of personality are shaping how teenagers think.
"You have to be able to look at this stuff and realize, pull what's beneficial from it and just throw everything else away," Waller said. "Youth can't do that right now. They take everything in, and they sponge even the bad stuff, and it's just like, wow."
Brandon Wolfe, member of the Access and Community board at Auburn University, began the East Alabama Teen Summit, inspired by the former BET series, to "tap into the minds of young adults in the area," Waller said.
The diversity summit was the fourth in the series.
The series began with a summit on the current state of hip-hop, and approximately 45 teenagers from the area attended, Waller said.
The next summit covered community service, followed by a summit on business and individual net worth.
The program will end with a party in April.
"If we can start to frame their thought process to think independently inside a group, having them speak out among everyone and really say something that's on their mind, not based on everyone else's opinion, that's a strengthening tool," Waller said. "That was our goal with this."
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