High school football is big in Texas. I always expected to grow out of it, but now that I'm living back home, my favorite thing to do is to go to my alma mater's pep rallies and football games. And I don't even like football.
Lately, my high school has been getting tons of press coverage on the football team(not just local, but NPR, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS, and BBC! *). And it's not because of the football. It's because of the Haka, and all that it symbolizes within this school:
I remember entering middle school and wondering why my friends' parents were transferring them to other districts. You'll get... shot/pregnant/into drugs/turn gay/dye your hair/in a gang... if you go to Trinity. That's what I heard. Our rival high school made T-shirts that say "I was going to go to Trinity, but then my dad got a job." And to be fair-- yeah, there were kids that went there who got pregnant/shot/into drugs/etc... but then there's... me. And I didn't join any gangs. The point of it is that there are people of all kinds in the world who may do things differently from you, but all you can do is build a community and show each other love anyway.
When I went there, I felt at home. I wrote several editorials for the school newspaper about how much I appreciated our diversity, which is kind of funny to me now because I had no idea how unique my high school was until after I graduated and left to go to a private liberal arts college (white-ville, USA). While I was there, I became aware of and sensitive to racial discrimination. There were so many kids that were adamant about ending racial discrimination, but it felt like we were all walking on eggshells all the time, which in reality I think segregated the community even more. This period in my life just left me depressed and hopeless about ending discrimination.
I came home right before I left for Samoa and went to a pep rally to watch my little brother in the drumline. Being back on campus and watching the kids interact brought back so many memories... and I got a little emotional. Looking around the gym, it seemed like there was so much potential for discrimination, and yet the sense of community there is indescribable. Here's a clip from the pep rally:
So now that I'm back home, I love to go to the games. I don't even like football, I just like the atmosphere. It's so cool for me to see the "Dallas mom" (with her big hair, excessive makeup, etc) get high-fived by the 75 year old Tongan grandmother every time Trinity scores a touch-down.
As I was leaving the pep rally last Friday, I saw mobs of kids congregating in a circle on the mall. In my day, this almost always meant a fight was breaking out. But as I got a better view, I realized that the times, they are a-changin'... :)
Before, I generally felt that racial tensions were heightening, and that any resolution was hopeless. That even on a national level, there are some things that are just irreparable. But this school is a prime example that a little bit of ofa / alofa / aloha can go a long way.
* Here's some news clips- I've said what the haka means to me (as a Euless "insider"/Trinity alum/white girl), but several of these clips illustrate what it has done for the city of Euless/Polynesian families/Trinity HS.
NPR
bbc clip
NY Times
CBS
2 comments:
Thank you Mandy for letting people know what it is like to go to such a diverse school. Being an alumni myself, I find it pleasing to hear that our High School is making a name for it's self. I always enjoyed the school's spirit and what it had to offer for me. Thank you again for posting all of this. I should go back myself and see the infamous Haka myself!
2004 Trinity Alumni Erik Rudnick
Hey Erik- did you get to see it the other night at the game?
PS- OH FO! U KNO! (sorry I had to)
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