Diversity in Fair Lawn? 

By Antika Singh (Fair Lawn High School Student)

As an Indian American who has attended both the middle school and the high school, I have always felt that there was never enough minority representation in the school system. Coming from a school in New York City, I have found the Fair Lawn schools less diverse than the New York City Public School System. It is very hard to believe that living only 20 minutes from one of the most diverse cities in the world, there is little known knowledge of other cultures. The open mindedness the city has to offer wasn’t in the minds of kids here. 

In middle school, I was often called “dot head” and assumed that my parents worked at 7/11. I found this amusing because many Asians are doctors and very successful professionals; however they picked the most negative stereotypical image. I was also told that my parents probably smelled like curry. Some of my classmates would confront me with these comments. I was very shocked and hurt by the stereotypic phrases. I could never have imagined that these types of words would be mentioned in this school.   

When people talk about diversity, they often don’t know the true meaning of diversity. There are many different types of diversity; however the diversity that best represents the image of the melting pot of America is cultural diversity. Cultural diversity is recognizing that people come from a variety of ethnic, geographic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, which represent the major continents throughout the world. 

Even in the high school, I still find that there is no true appreciation or knowledge about the many different cultures of the world. In my opinion, the school system should promote more diversity. During the time I spent in the city attending school, our awareness about different cultures started from a very early age. We had projects and videos about the many different cultures around the world. Even though my school was not that diverse, given that it was a private school, I never felt that I was different from any of the other students. 

This year is the first year that Fair Lawn High School decided to have a day devoted to diversity called Diversity Day. This day is a good opportunity for students to see aspects of other cultures whether it be dance performances, a variety of foods, or other traditional customs.  

To the naked eye the community of Fair Lawn might seem very diverse. However, in my opinion Fair Lawn is not truly diverse.  For example, Fair Lawn's Memorial Middle School and Paterson’s School 26 are less than half-mile away from each other.  At Memorial, 76 percent of the students are white.  At Paterson's school, 2 percent are white. 

The lack of diversity in Fair Lawn does not solely rest on the fact that it doesn’t have a high minority percentage, but that it does not attract minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians) into living here.  Fair Lawn is not a generally affordable town to live in and the Bergen County towns that have high percentage of minorities such as Hackensack and Englewood, tend to have more low income and affordable housing for a variety of people with different economic backgrounds.