By Sonia Painda, OC Human Relations Intern
Crowds of couples form lines holding flowers and wearing wedding veils.
They wait excitingly with their loved ones to exchange “I do’s”, tenderly embrace one another and rush to have their picture taken to remember their “wedding”.
Love was certainly in the air at Magnolia High School, in a style truly befitting Valentine’s Day, with lines of students eager to “marry” their loved ones regardless of relationship status or gender at the “Love Booth”.
“It’s all about unity and respect. When people love each other they should show it to others,” says Monica Ortiz, 15, a member of Orange County Human Relations’ BRIDGES School Intergroup Relations and Violence Prevention Program.
The event encouraged students to accept and love one another regardless of race, religion and different viewpoints. The “Love Booth” is part of the school’s “Words Hurt and Can Kill” campaign, a program facilitated by BRIDGES and established by OC Human Relations.
The goal of the “That’s W.H.A.CK.” campaign is to build bridges, “not only between the students on campus, but among people out in the community as well,” says Alison Edwards, deputy director of the OC Human Relations.
OC Human Relations is a non‐profit organization whose mission is to foster mutual understanding among people and eliminate prejudice, intolerance and discrimination in order to make Orange County a better place for all people to live. The BRIDGES program empowers members of the campus community to identify, investigate and address the
human relations needs on their campus through trainings and dialogues. Students are encouraged to bridge gaps between those of different cultures, religions and beliefs and to be accepting of those from all different walks of life.
Magnolia students David Hernandez, 16, and Andrea Contreras, 16, get “married” every year at the event because they believe in the message of equality and respect the program is promoting.
“Love is not just about having a boyfriend, but it comes in many other ways and forms,” says Ortiz. She was right about that.
Best friends Cynthia Gonzalez, 16, and Yadira Herrera, 16, “married” each other simply because it, “brings friends closer,” says Herrera.
Also, according to Ortiz, the message of the event was about stopping people from using toxic words and bullying one another, and “try to tell them it is hurtful to others.”
The “Love Booth” is an annual event and has “married” off more than 500 students at MHS according to Sabina Giakoumis, biology teacher at MHS.
Giakoumis has been part of the event for the past 3 years. She believes the event is popular because, “teenagers in general just enjoy knowing that they have people close to them and feel accepted.”
For now, the students at MHS understand that tolerance and love transcends all boundaries. “Race doesn’t matter. Love is love,” says Juan Salinas, 17.
