Some came from as far away as Nebraska and Minnesota to attend a two-day racial discrimination conference at NIU this weekend. But the distance traveled is nothing when one considers the miles of work still to be done to stop all forms of discrimination.

The conference, attended by more than 500 participants from about 50 colleges, was designed to bring together student leaders from college campuses across the Midwest to plan ways to combat racial discrimination and to promote appreciation for racial and cultural diversity.

Discussion not only centered on problems between people of different races, but it also tried to tackle problems associated with discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and handicaps.

The message from those attending the conference is that we as a nation have come a long way in improving race relations since the abolition of slavery. But warning signs that the issue is still very much alive indicate all is not well between races.

Unless the youth of America are taught early that discrimination is a sickness of a class society, changes will be difficult to come by, said speaker Clarence Shelley, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

On the outside, Americans look at the nation’s educational system and see no real problems, Shelley said. But as he did not hesitate to point out, “Education in America frees very few people. Schools understand that students expect the system to remain intact, so they teach them the system.”

“Education in America is not about change. The higher you go, the better the school you can attend, and the chances for status are much better,” he said.

This struggle for status, coupled with the fact that racism is not learned at any educational level, maintain the current system and its inherent problems, Shelley added.

Though the atmosphere of the conference was one of openness, the sheer number of participants made one-on-one communication a bit difficult, some participants said. One man said the event was “60-40; pretty much a waste of time.”

Silas Purnell, director of educational services at Ada S. McKinley Community Services in Chicago, said in a speech that one problem associated with racism is the inability of people confronted with the issue to not separate perceptions from reality.

Purnell claimed the values and ideas instilled in us as youths perpetuate some racist beliefs. He encouraged people to remain strong in support of their convictions, but warned the perception of authority figures as purveyors of racism can be very damaging.

“When one hears of a racist incident, authority figures like administrations and police departments are blamed for a lack of action,” Purnell said. “Racism is perceived as a part of authority. The cat always bites the mouse. You never hear of it happening the other way.”