Greatest "Democracy, Diversity, Social Justice" concerns

In pondering the question in regard to the greatest democracy, diversity, and social justice concern in my district, I continue to come back to the idea of students not being exposed to diverse ethnicities. The vast majority of our students are white and have very little experience with other ethnic groups. How can we expose them to different cultures more and help them better understand the world around them? My thought at the younger elementary level is to continue to expose students to a variety of children's literature that allows students to learn more about other cultures and experiences around the country/world. There are many children's books that target many issues and ideas. At the younger level, I am unsure about other ways to expose children to these ideas.

Perhaps a few of you within the learning community can relate, I do see a lot of our families with low socioeconomic status. I see poverty being an issue of concern more and more. We have right around 30% of our students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. I feel that this number is only rising. I heard on the news today that one school in the cities had a 97% population that qualified for free and reduced lunch, that is ridiculous! I am curious to learn more about that school. As we move forward with technology, are these same families able to have opportunities with technology as those families that have higher incomes?

I was able to find the news link that appeared on Kare11 news today. The article mentions that poverty is not only an inner city problem but it is becoming a problem in other places. It appears that schools are not only trying to help children at school, they are also working to educate parents.
http://www.kare11.com/news/article/963785/396/Child-poverty-rates-in-Minnesota-almost-double-in-5-years