State Senator Nell Soto (D – Pomona) is commending the parents, guardians and other adults who she says chose to “step up to the plate by accepting some of the blame for the recent race-based problems at Wilma Amina Carter High School and expressing their willingness to be part of the solution.

“For too long, our schools have been asked to shoulder the burden of dealing with so many of society’s problems, many of which begin with or are complicated by conditions at home,” Soto said. “Whether you are hateful or accepting of others is a lesson learned overwhelmingly at home, and a lack of grounding in positive values is what contributes to the kinds of problems we have witnessed at Carter High.”

Overall, Soto said, necessary change can only come about through a team effort, the seeds of which were planted at a community meeting held in the school’s gymnasium on December 16. Hundreds of parents, guardians, school officials, pastors and concerned members of the community came together to speak out against two racially charged fights that took place earlier this month, and they pledged to work together to promote better understanding between children and families of different ethnic backgrounds.