How Far We’ve Come

Alhambra High has been a melting pot of numerous cultures with racial tensions seemingly nonexistent.
However, due to recent controversies in the spring
Executive elections, these tensions had emerged once again. It is the beginning of 2011 and it has been 67 years since the Brown vs. Board of Education case concerning
segregation had been settled upon. Although, it didn’t abolish segregation in schools, it did bring up the issue for
future generations to ponder and realize the absurdity of.
The fact that these tensions exist throughout the
nation is no secret with even President Obama acknowledging it on the Today Show. It’s known that these strains are present in other parts of the country, especially the South. However, considering how far we have come, it seems a bit ridiculous to be segregated based on color.
This was the case in 2008 when a high school in Mississippi still held two proms for students separated by race. With two separate proms, one for African-American students and another for Caucasian students, individuals were forced to separate from their friends on the night that is considered by many to be the social peak of high school.
Unfortunately, racism is still prevalent everywhere,
including schools. Not stepping out of comfort zones may sometimes lead to the labeling and judging of other
cultures as inferior. Although, it may seem like playful
teasing, it can quickly transform into an explosive
issue. Thus, this close mindedness may turn into
stereotyping and rapidly evolve into discrimination.
The recent feedback from both sides of the
Executive controversy has stirred up a quarrel once again. It was never supposed to be a series of silent
racial battles and the exaggerated fuss amplified the issue. “[New candidates for Exec elections] and
Executive never wanted it to turn into some race issue. Some Exec members were actually rooting for us to make it
diverse. People on the outside made it into a race issue,” said junior Andrew Torres, a candidate for the Spring elections.
Moreover, this entire controversy was a learning experience and it must be kept in mind that we make mistakes especially since we’re still high school students. “I believe the situation was handled very poorly by every group that was involved, these groups being students as well as faculty and administration. Furthermore, when I say students I [am referring] to myself and Executive. As leaders of this school we should never have allowed a situation like this [to] evolve into a “controversy”; and as a student of this school I should never have added fuel into this political fire by talking to my friends about the situation. But in the end, I am only a high school student and in my four years in high school I’ve seen a lot of good and bad things. And from these things we just have to do what we are all here to do, and that is to learn. As a part of the student body, let’s just learn from this and move on,” said Director of Boys’ Athletics, Jonathan Lee.
Students shouldn’t judge others based on skin
color, but rather the morals and personality of a person. Most of all, we shouldn’t discriminate with who we associate ourselves with based on racial background.
Once we open up our minds and try to accept cultures that aren’t ours, we’ll live a lot more harmoniously—guaranteed. It’s been far too long since racial
issues have been put to ease and there’s no reason to start them all over again. It’s time to put these issues behind once and for all and converge as one, choosing friends
according to what we learned in grammar school—what we have in common and not by what we look like.

By Features Editor Karolina Zydziak