North Hills senior quietly stands up for diversity

Whether she is asking a student on the school bus to refrain from using racially offensive language or petitioning students to add an African American studies class at North Hills High School, Imani Patterson often stands up for diversity.

“We don't live in a world where everyone can conform, where everyone's the same. We should strive to recognize our differences and come together,” said Patterson, 18, of West View.

The North Hills senior's commitment to diversity led the North Hills Unity Breakfast Committee to give her the 2015 Spirit of Unity Award and a one-time $1,000 scholarship at the 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast on Jan. 19 at La Roche College. The award recognizes youth in educational programs that promote unity and diversity.

Lisa Sylvester, keynote speaker at the breakfast and a WPXI anchor, cited Patterson as an example of living Martin Luther King's call to service.

“She acts with a ‘quiet leadership,” not needing to be the ‘drum major' who seeks all of the attention and wants to be up-front. But she is there quietly working for change,” Sylvester said in an email.

Deborah Davis, a guidance counselor at North Hills, nominated her for the award.

“Imani is quiet, but she has a quiet strength to her. She's very positive. She has a willingness to make changes and stand up for what she believes in,” Davis said.

The high school's Diversity Council had been inactive for years before Patterson and some other students approached Davis last year about reviving it. The counselor agreed if the students promised to shoulder the load.

The council made a video in which students said “hello” in various languages. The students came to school wearing orange, the color of anti-bullying, for National Unity Day.

During the school bus incident, Patterson — who is the daughter of Terria Gilliam and Terry Patterson — chose to confront the student using the offensive language without provoking the situation. She told the student that the language was rude and embarrassing.

“I've been going to mainly white schools since first grade, but I know that I'm a minority every time I walk down the hall,” she said. “But it's not something that upsets me.”

After Patterson graduates from high school, she said she wants to major in psychology and political science in college.

“I want to be a civil rights lawyer. A lot of things are happening, and I want to be a part of it any way I can,” she said.

Bill Zlatos is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-772-6353 or bzlatos@tribweb.com.