Two Sides to Every Story: Part 2

               Our scholarship system, that is set up to aide students with finances for college, is a prime example of this modern racism. According to the Census Bureau in 2010 the number of white Americans who were below the poverty line was 243,013 and the number of black Americans, 38,965. Given the amount of white Americans that fall below the poverty line in this statistic, one would think that a special scholarship would be available to help those who are students with college finances. Now, white students can apply for a general financial aid scholarship, but that is available to all students. After researching on various scholarship websites, I found that the amount of college scholarships, specifically, available for minorities is countless. If you go and search for a scholarship specifically for a white student, you won’t find one. These scholarship stipulations are something that needs to be re-evaluated. Originally when these scholarships were made, it was to ensure that the public knew that schools were making the effort to make their schools more diverse, but the diversity of our schools isn’t so much a problem anymore. In this day and age, getting a college education is something that people strive for. It is an opportunity that should be available to everyone, which is why scholarships are available. If it isn't right for people to single out others, why is it okay to make a scholarship unavailable directly for one race of people, singling them out?

            Several times I have been in class or in the halls and have been verbally and emotionally harassed by black people and the teacher does nothing about it. A time that sticks out the most is when I was walking through the hall and was thrown and yelled at for “intentionally” ignoring the fact that someone, a black student, was right next to me. This student continued to call me names regarding my race. I didn’t respond to it and kept walking. Why? If I had said something back, stood up for myself, I would’ve ended up in trouble, or have been yelled at again by that same person. Even writing this I am scared for what the response will be.
            A huge controversy in our society is the use of the “N” word. I don’t believe that it, or any derogatory term, should be used, ever. What some people don’t understand is that for a white person to be called a “Cracker” or “Vanilla Latte” is just as offensive as any derogatory term used towards black people.
               Racism is something that unfortunately is a part of our culture. Regardless of where you are in this country, there will be a minority, and that minority will be treated even the slightest bit differently than the dominant race of the area. It is something that we should try to eliminate from our everyday life. A modern racism exists towards white Americans today, similar to the racism that black Americans faced in the past. Every person is unique and different in their own way. As a society, we need to break away from this detrimental stigma, created so long ago, and start to see people for their uniqueness, not the color of their skin.