Published: May 1, 1996

Words That Hurt

Despite a sign that warns of "strong language and experiences," visitors to the "Prejudice Bus" at the Chicago Children's Museum exhibit about discrimination are still taken aback. "Nigger." "Dingo." "Chop Suey." "Fairy." "Retarded." Children's voices repeat these and other epithets over and over on a continuous tape.

"Whoa, they're kind of mean in here," says teacher Klaire Tabaka, who is accompanying a 3rd grade class from the Armstrong School on Chicago's far North Side through the bus.

The Prejudice Bus is not a real school bus at all but a small room with blown-up cardboard photos of children sitting on bus seats. It is just one part of a larger exhibit called "Face to Face: Dealing With Prejudice and Discrimination." And museum officials are quick to point out that there's much more to the exhibit, which sets out to help children understand prejudice and give them the tools they need to handle name-calling...