An 11th grader from Rochester's World of Inquiry School has been recognized for his work to improve race relations in his community.
Unique Fair is one of 24 students nationwide to receive the Princeton Prize in Race Relations.
Fair has written a blog on race related issues and created art work to promote civil rights. He has also taken part in the Student Leadership Congress where students of all backgrounds come together to find solutions to their school's problems. He was a participant in WXXI-TV's Citywise Teen Forum.
Fair says people often get a distorted image of urban youth. "I live in the inner city, and something I notice is that when you reference the youth in the community, sometimes people talk a lot about fights and violence. That's really just a small percentage of the people there. There's so much good that's happening. Unfortunately, there's never a camera there for those events."
Fair says his advice for anyone who wants more harmony in the world is to open your mind. "There are aspects of some person's culture or life that you may have never experienced or even know about. Be willing to go the extra mile to know another person. As you learn about diversity it improves yourself. You get a better understanding of the world around you and get a better understanding of yourself."
As part of his prize, Fair receives $1,000 and a trip to Princeton University where he'll take part in a Race Relations Symposium weekend.
