In a society that fails to accept diversity, everyday life has its flaws. Through an era of discrimination and segregation, many don’t know if they will see the end of the apartheid. When the month of Feb. arrives, African Americans who have spoken for their rights and that have gone against the vast majority of the government, whites and doubters, are honored and remembered.

Through all of the recent news stories of protests, rallies and marches, citizens have shown their inclination to speak against those that address the issues protesters experience, even though those people haven’t experienced the same obstacles. It’s easier for people to speak negatively to others with a different opinion rather than taking other’s opinions into consideration.

There have been many problems recently that were caused by the stand for racial justice. For example, in 2017, multiple police brutality cases made news stories across the nation. Protests quickly turned to riots and many people were injured. Peace turned into violence and the nation suffered greatly. Several citizens who were aware of the news but weren’t directly affected by the violence voiced their opinions about the matter. The opinions of those outside of the issue, mostly addressed how the protests were wrong.

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past and change the future for anyone suffering through the effects of racial inequality. If the United States, as a whole, can look back to a time where race determined the life that someone would live, everyone could learn just how negative those ideals were and still are.

According to niche.com, Freedom Area School District was given a C- in the category diversity. This means that Freedom isn’t the most diverse district on the grading scale. This number is including the entire district, not one of the three schools. The district should embrace diversity because Freedom isn’t as mixed as other areas. Students need to consider what it would be like to be a different race in a mostly white school.

Since diversity isn’t common in Freedom, this can make it harder for those that are a different race to feel equal to other students. In a learning environment, it’s essential that all pupils feel safe among their peers and believe that they are receiving the same experience as all of the other students. If a student of color feels that they are being excluded from the same learning experience as white students, this can reflect a school – and even a community – poorly.

This month, it’s time that the entire nation puts the past behind them as they celebrate Black History Month.