It’s the middle of the night. You just woke up from what seemed like a never-ending dream. After you get up, you reminisce and think about what you saw. “Blacks only” and “Whites only” signs appear in your mind. You see Caucasians in the front of the buses and African Americans in the far back. Although all this seems strange to you, there’s only thing that sticks out. Streams of one race enter the building on the left while streams of another race enter the building on the right. “Segregation,” you whisper, and the dream ends. After seeing this and feeling like you’ve just traveled in time, you realize how grateful you should be that this problem is gone, that you can go to school and be friends with whoever you want. But is it really? Is there still racial tension at schools in America?

Major events have happened in the past years that have dealt with racial inequality. These situations have made us rethink exactly how much the issue of racism has faded away. What we don’t always realize is how our actions are affecting the kids and students in the country. Segregation in schools was banned decades ago. Racism is gradually losing its power in the school systems and the goal is to keep it this way, but citizens in the United States are setting up dangerously violent examples of people in our nation. Incidents like the Charlottesville protests are pushing our progress behind and are preventing us from moving forward.

Situations like Charlottesville make us wonder if there’s racism at our own schools. When interviewed and asked about this, every teacher and student said they do not feel like there is any racial tension at Somerset Academy Canyons. The students and teachers at our school are very diverse. Instead of segregation, some teachers say there is integration, and we work hard to cooperate with one another. This is not to say some students don’t jokingly repeat some racial slurs, but we definitely do not judge others for the tone of their skin.

Although not at Somerset, students in the areas around us and in other states are being affected by the comments of others. Racism does not only exist between whites and blacks, as it is also a big concern for the Hispanic and Jewish population. These are two groups that have been targeted in the past and as well as in the present for many different reasons. Jewish people have suffered hard challenges like the Holocaust in the past, and Latinos are suffering persecution for current political events. As a school, we must be mindful of what we say, and understand that all groups deserve the same respect as others.

Racism does not always have to be direct, as it can also be indirect. Things like going to a car dealership or a restaurant and not being treated the same way as other individuals can be a form of racial prejudice.

Racial tension will always be around; we live in a world where everyone is different, and we all have different views, values, and morals. There are very few things we all completely agree on, and one of these is racism. Though we may not be able to diminish it, we can always try to lessen the issue. Teachers at our school believe that in order to prevent racism, we must promote love, community, and awareness. Not all students are aware of how culturally diverse our community is; we have students and teachers from all parts of the world and from all walks of life. It is important to realize that there are people and places in the world that are completely different from what we are used to, and that’s perfectly normal. Some staff suggested a Culture or Heritage Day to expose young people what is really out in the world. Students proposed that we form groups and clubs where they can talk about racial tension regardless of their point of view. This could lead to two sides coming together and forming an alliance, or at least learning how to cooperate and respect each other.

Based off recent racial conflicts, one question that arouses the minds of students is whether racism will grow or lessen at schools in the upcoming years. Students and teachers agree this all depends on the examples our leaders set for us. If we have positive influences, we have a higher chance of people in our nation making wiser choices and this problem deteriorating. One teacher believes events like what happened in Charlottesville help us reflect and reevaluate our choices; they make us realize the destruction our ideologies can have and help us get rid of them. Unfortunately, there are still some who believe racial tension will grow if our country continues on the path it is on.

Now think back to that dream. This is not a perfect world, and not everyone goes to a racism free school, but each person can change a small part of the world by being respectful to others and accepting the differences of others. By looking through the lens of change, each one can impact the generations to come.