Cristo Rey Is A No Place For Hate
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Unity Walk For Justice
Joining only nine other schools in the State of Missouri, Cristo Rey Kansas City achieved designation by the Anti-Defamation League as a ®No Place for Hate on May 8. Over this past school year, the student body studied and took action on issues of bigotry and discrimination that affect students, the community and the nation.
The initiative encourages racial and religious tolerance and shows students how to confront bias and prejudice that they encounter among their peers. Participants sign a "Resolution of Respect," with statements such as "I believe that one person can make a difference. No person can be an 'innocent bystander' when it comes to opposing hate." To achieve the designation, participating schools agree to sponsor three anti-bias activities that engage large numbers of the student body.
As a sign of solidarity with the diverse racial, ethnic, economic and faith groups present in our world, the Cristo Rey student body and community partners took to the streets in a Unity Walk for Justice to the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial. On the steps of the memorial, student organizers prayed and shared reflections on topics ranging from care of the earth to economic security for the marginalized, respect for the diverse peoples in the community to relationship violence.
Cristo Rey Kansas City is a private, Catholic, college preparatory high school that incorporates a corporate work study program for culturally diverse students with economic need. With its first graduating class in 2010 and in each year thereafter, 100% of the school's graduates have been accepted to college. Currently, the school serves 388 students - 52% Latino, 41% African-American, 3% Caucasian, 4% Asian and other ethnicities. While Catholic in identity, 53% of the student body is Catholic and 47% are from the diverse faith backgrounds present in the community at large.