Is there a significant racial divide in Cincinnati?

        Yes, based on the consensus of about 30 teens from Cincinnati-area high schools who debated race issues Tuesday during a live radio simulcast 8-10 p.m. on WVXU (91.7-FM) and WDBZ (1230-AM).

        “I've heard it, and I feel a lot of us have heard racial slurs,” said Ashley Bryant, 16, who attends Walnut Hills High School. “There is a racial divide. It does matter.”

        The program, moderated simultaneously by local radio talk show hosts Jene Galvin and Jay Love, was intended to give youths a chance to voice their opinions on the state of race relations in Cincinnati as the city nears the anniversary of the April riots.

        Ms. Bryant, who is black, was among a racially mixed crowd of high school students from area schools — including Norwood, Seton, Taft, Hughes, Anderson and Withrow high schools — who all said they had witnessed or experienced racism in schools and other places.

        The majority of the students concluded that the root cause of racism is a lack of understanding among people of different ethnic backgrounds.

        “People need to see each other for who they are and not some artificial covering like skin,” said Esther West, a senior at Seton.

        Ms. West, who described herself as “half Mexican and half white,” said she believes people who are limited in their exposure to people of different backgrounds rely on negative stereotypes, which can lead to the kind of racial polarization that has scarred the city's image.

        Rob Downs, 17, who is black and attends Harmony Community School in Price Hill, said the solution is simple: “Get to know somebody different. I believe people don't take the initiative to go out and learn about a different race.”

        If more people tried to get to know one another, violent outbreaks like last year's civil unrest might be avoided, said Colin McCam, 18, who is white.

        “If you get these feelings bottled up inside you, they're going to come out in a violent manner,” the Anderson senior said.

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