Of Kwanzaa, Cinco de Mayo, and Whispering: The Need for Intercultural Education

Abstract

Multicultural education aims to improve understanding among students of different ethnic groups, but it can lessen intergroup conflict only if it is implemented systematically. In multiethnic school settings, the relationships among students of different “minority” groups are problematic; conflicts need to be both understood and addressed if multicultural education is to succeed. In one inner‐city California high school, the celebration of Kwanzaa leads to exclusion and isolation, and the speaking of Spanish in the classroom sparks conflict and resentments.