Despite thunderstorms, North River Valley Park was teeming with activity Saturday morning as Ames residents ran, walked and jogged to raise awareness of racial issues that exist in Ames in the first Race Against Racism.

The YWCA, in conjunction with KASI radio, KCCI TV and the Mary Greeley Medical Center, organized the race to help promote the fight against racism by striving for one community. Immediately following the race was an entertainment and awards ceremony including a performance by student organization Gospel Soul Innovators.

“People think of Ames as a diverse city with few problems dealing with racism, but you would be surprised by how many people face discrimination,” said Shrabantee Chattenjee, office coordinator for YWCA. “Even unintentional slurs or random acts against a certain ethnicity can greatly affect the racial climate of Ames in a negative way. We are hoping the race will show people that racism must be actively fought every day.”

Participants donned matching orange T-shirts to promote the design for the YWCA’s newly developed Multicultural Children’s Day Camp, which is scheduled for Spring Break 2006. As the recipient for all of the donations and sponsorships raised by the Race Against Racism, the camp’s goal is to expand awareness of diversity in elementary school children by introducing them to different cultures and people.

The program includes the arts, history, personal interactions and skill-building.

Using their motto, “Molding a Better Tomorrow,” the YWCA hopes to give parents and children an alternative to traditional day care while promoting diversity and helping to develop effective skills to combat youth racism.

“Tolerance is an ongoing process,” said Judy Dolphin, executive director for YWCA. “When there occurs at least one hate crime every day on a college campus, something must be done to stop it.”

Dolphin said society is unaware that every year more than half a million college students are targets of bias-driven slurs or physical assaults.

According to ISU Police campus crime statistics, there were no hate crimes reported on campus in 2004, the most recent year available, although one was reported in 2003. According to Daily staff reports, recent bias-related incidents at Iowa State included racist and homophobic graffiti spray-painted across campus in July, and neo-Nazi leaflets slipped into issues of Ethos magazine as they lay on newsstands Sept. 20.

“We must raise our voices louder than those that spread racism,” Dolphin said.