The first and the second graders of our school participated in an online discussion about the book “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone, which was held by the US Embassy employees and our teacher Sanja Salihović, as a part of a program „One Bosnia & Herzegovina, one book“. This program is organized for high school students as a part of the English subject all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is based on an extremely successful program which is implemented in cities all over USA and, for the first time in 2013, it was successfully implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The moderators of the discussion were cultural attaché Holly Zardus, Brianna Powers, Ivana Busić and Cassandra Divjak.
They addressed various topics such as: racism in the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina, BLM movement, corruption, police brutality, and how young people can have an effect on it.
Mrs. Brianna Powers started the discussion with her own experience in the USA, the place she grew up in, about racism and injustice towards people of a different race. She mentioned the upbringing of African-American children and how the only right they have in front of police is silence. Also, the participants looked through the reasons for racism in the USA and why some people of the Caucasian race see African-Americans as a threat. They discussed racism in Bosnia, and concluded that nationalism and corruption are the biggest problems of this area. They touched on the ethnic differences in Bosnia and Herzegovina and also wondered what those are, how they are recognized, and if those characteristics are according to which people should be classified by and judged. They ended the discussion talking about whether young people can change things in Bosnia and Herzegovina and where they see their future. Students expressed their interest in the program and presented their ideas on solving these global problems. They stated that this book and this discussion encouraged them to think and broaden their horizons, and to look forward to future projects and collaboration.

Hena Šehović, Izeta Redžepi Hodžić, Selma and Lana Šmit