Conflicts are some of the things that are inevitable in life, and we encounter them every day. According to Llopis (2016), people are always encouraged to resolve their conflicts as soon, and they emerge or occur. However, resolving racial conflicts is not an easy task, and many leaders avoid them because they are not only emotive but also emotional. I recently faced the same situation when I was selected as a leader of a discussion group, which mainly comprised of white students and white and a few black learners. One white student racially insulted black members of the group as stupid and not able to meaningfully contribute to the group. I had to come in as a group leader to address the dispute and lead a meaningful discussion.
First, I had to wait for the tension to reduce in the group before I raised the issue. To ease the tension, I led the group members to an informal discussion that involved general issues affecting students in the school. Everybody in the group was eager to discuss some of the major challenges they face in school. People are likely to come together when they face similar challenges or problems ( Choma & McKeown, 2019) . Secondly, I introduced the topic on the effect of racial abuse and discrimination on learners, especially the people of color when the tension had reduced. Interestingly, members of the group agreed that black victims are always the victims of racial abuse. The student who insulted another felt guilty and even apologized for his behaviors. Many young people who engage in racial abuse learn the behaviors from members of the society of what they hear and see from various media platforms ( Simon et al., 2019) . The two critical steps took to resolve the conflict made the group members embrace one another regardless of their race.
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As the leader of the discussion, my aim was not only to resolve the racially-motivated conflict but to but also to ensure that students embrace racial diversity. Therefore, I emphasized the need for students to respect their unique differences. To achieve this objective, I organized another group discussion that was purely meant to discuss racial issues in the schools. Members were allowed to raise their issues freely, even if they were controversial. I learned that racial disputes are major problems that affect learners ( Svetaz et al., 2018) . Unfortunately, many schools ignore the issues just like society at large.
I believe that I showed exemplary leadership skills by resolving one of the emotive issues. Unlike many leaders, I did not ignore the issue, and I was determined to provide a long-term solution. A leader should be able to solve both personal and interpersonal conflicts. Race-related conflicts should be approached with a lot of caution.
References
Choma, B. L., & McKeown, S. (2019). Introduction to intergroup contact and collective action: Integrative perspectives. Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology , 3 (1), 3-10.
Llopis, G. (2016, February 5). 4 Ways Leaders Effectively Manage Employee Conflict. Forbes . Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/11/28/4-ways-leaders- effectively-manage-employee-conflict/#59db5e8c5e15
Simon, S., Shaffer, E., Neel, R., & Shapiro, J. (2019). Exploring Blacks’ Perceptions of Whites’ Racial Prejudice as a Function of Intergroup Behavior and Motivational Mindsets. Social Psychological and Personality Science , 10 (5), 575-585.
Svetaz, M. V., Chulani, V., West, K. J., Voss, R., Kelley, M. A., Raymond-Flesch, M., ... & Barkley, L. (2018). Racism and Its Harmful Effects on Nondominant Racial–Ethnic Youth and Youth-Serving Providers: A Call to Action for Organizational Change: The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health , 63 (2), 257- 261.
