Minorities Aim To Defeat ‘Victim Syndrome’

A group of Latino youths from Seattle gave a group of Spokane Native Americans some advice Thursday: Forget racial stereotypes and believe in yourself.

In an effort to break the “victim syndrome” among minorities and to encourage leadership, the half dozen Latino youths gave a loud, in-your-face message of “active pacifism” at Spokane’s Bancroft School.

Active pacifism, the group’s members said, is a confident, but non-violent lifestyle.

The group brought the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and poetry to challenge the Spokane youths to break stereotypes.

Annamarie Valdivia, 18, said minorities have a common struggle and should not direct hatred toward each other.

“Non-violence is a way of life,” said Valdivia. “It is learning to live from your shattered dreams.”

The group is touring Eastern Washington as part of a summer-long leadership workshop at Seattle’s El Centro de la Raza. The cultural activities center is the headquarters for the area’s Latino civil rights movement.

Tour coordinator Amy Hosig, 25, said the workshop encourages minority youths to discard visions of material possessions and focus on “the inner self” - including poetry, love, and self-control.

The tour also encourages leadership among minority youths, helping them break free from the stereotypes imposed on them.

The group’s members said their high-decibel poetry best expresses their message.

Amos Arquette, 16, seemed to get the group’s message.

Arquette, in Spokane to undergo alcohol treatment at a Native American center, spoke about a need to focus on a happy, productive future.

After the program, 10-year-old Dylan Lodge said, “I learned I could be somebody when I grew up.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo