Tomorrow marks the United Nations’ International Tolerance Day, an occasion dedicated to “strengthening tolerance and fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.”

At a time when we often criticize the internet for creating divisions and distrust, International Tolerance Day is a good example of how it can be used to positively connect people. Last year, several YouTube stars from all over the world sent in short films to the United Nations covering issues like hate speech, xenophobia and extremism in order to spread tolerance. American musician L-FRESH The LION said in an interview with UN News that ending intolerance was like “eliminating one of humanity’s dark spots.” He and other YouTube content creators were able to inspire their millions of followers to globally promote respect and diversity.

However, especially at this school, important international days like this often go unnoticed. Even to me, Nov. 16 is just an ordinary day spent catching up on schoolwork and bracing myself for next week’s muddled schedule.

Nevertheless, International Tolerance Day should be embraced at CHS and incorporated into our Culture of Care to promote respect and understanding. It would be especially influential to people our age by teaching them the consequences of intolerance, like discrimination and hate crimes.

This school has definitely done a good job of accepting all students who come from different backgrounds and cultures. Although people are less outwardly racist and no one is necessarily committing hate crimes, I definitely see a lot of students spreading gossip through criticism and judgment. In a school of thousands of children, there’s a lot of social stratification and many divisions based on interests and hobbies. At times, these divisions can limit our perspectives and cause us to be ignorant of other people’s beliefs and decisions. This school could impart International Tolerance Day more as a “No Judgment Day” so we’re all a little kinder and more open -minded toward one another.

The United Nations has its own outreach programs where it organizes assemblies and activities in schools to educate students on the importance of tolerance, but I think in this case, a little goes a long way. Observing this day, even if it were briefly mentioned over the announcements or discussed in classrooms, would help people become more conscious of their actions and how they can become more accepting of all people.

International Tolerance Day doesn’t have to just stop there. If implemented properly, we could be one step closer to practicing acceptance and understanding every day. That way, the next time we begin to judge someone for getting a low score on a test or wearing a questionable outfit, we can just be tolerant.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Sowmya Chundi at [email protected]