Racism is one of the greatest human weaknesses that the common man has yet to eradicate. The United States has seen first hand how racism can contribute to creating an explosive society. Not only can racism be found here in our nation, but in other nations as well, such as China, India, Iran, and Israel. Although many may choose to remain oblivious, racism is in plain sight everywhere.

"I was in dance class and I was the only black girl in the class and they blamed me for stealing a phone because I was black," said senior Darniqua Bogan.

Racism continues to exist and people today are still affected by its presence. This is seen in small businesses throughout our community. While difficult to find people willing to interview for this topic, off the record, they were willing to acknowledge racism in the work place. Some work places secretly dismiss individuals or deny employment due to racial differences. This is wrong, and only brings additional hardships to families, especially with immigrants, struggling to make ends meet. Some teachers agree that racial quotas are not necessarily always a good thing, and just prefer equality for everyone.

Technically the constitution protects citizens from racial discrimination, however it is very difficult to prove this crime was carried out. While difficult to monitor racial practices in smaller businesses, the same cannot be said for larger corporations. Although racial discrimination is in the open, governments and large corporations are trying to promote racial equality by enforcing affirmative action with their business policies.

Affirmative action’s principle goal is to maximize the benefits of racial diversity in all levels of society, from the work place and many large organizations across the nation. Thanks to principles such as "diversity in the work place," both customers and employees can feel welcome, theoretically reducing the amount of racial tension.

Even though affirmative action has greatly discouraged much discrimination in our community, this principle still has its own. An example of affirmative action flaws would be ‘reverse racism;’ this example is given in the Academy Award nominated film, American History X. During a family breakfast, the firefighter father tells his son:

"...But we’re also talking about my job. I’ve got two black guys on my squad now who got their job over a couple of white guys who actually scored higher on the test. Does that make sense? Everything’s "equal" now, but I’ve got two guys watching my back...responsible for my life...who aren’t as good. They only got the job because they were black, not because they were the best."

This can be argued endlessly, making it impossible to satisfy everyone. Nevertheless, affirmative action has shown improvements, and has made society in general, a better place since the Civil Rights Era.

"Affirmative action should be implemented correctly… people using the services should still have the skills set required for the job," said business teacher Karen Gray.

Despite all the different cultures in this country or any other, racism is something that will always exist. We cannot control our subconscious thoughts or the way we initially react to those different from us. The only thing left to do is sacrifice and give all individuals a chance, not because of race but, because of character.