If you’ve set foot in the academic building within the past couple of weeks (and if you haven’t, please consider doing so for your grades’ sake), then you’ve likely noticed the signs posted near the English wing entrance. These signs with quotes directed at WHS students and faculty aim to illustrate the prejudices within our school. After a few adjustments were made to the presentation of these signs, faculty and student reactions prompted faculty to initiate a forum called “Courageous Conversations.” The goal of this forum was to reflect on student attitudes and to discuss how to propel open dialogue about differences. Starting an open discussion on race, gender identity, sexual orientation and general intolerance of anyone different from the majority felt long overdue but nonetheless promising. However, an important contingent was missing.

During the forum, students and faculty brainstormed potential ways to better discuss differences and microaggressions. One observation that stayed with me, however, was that the majority of students who attended and participated in the forum were the ones affected every day by major and microaggressions. Although I predicted this observation before attending, I still wondered how this attendance pattern formed. While it was a packed room, why were there so few white students in attendance?

While I am aware that “Courageous Conversations” is meant to be all-inclusive, and I don’t want to minimize the animosity that students of various sexual orientations or general identity face, the most visible divide among students is based on race.

I could assume that many students did not feel it was their place or position to discuss the characteristics that divide us. To the majority of WHS students, racism may be interpreted as a problem that does not concern or affect them; therefore, why should they have to discuss everyday prejudice and its implications? Some may think, and I’ll admit that I used to think this as well, that this is Wayland, where racism exists solely within books and history classes and is an abstract phenomenon, one that does not occur in our daily interactions. Perhaps it’s “uncool” to care, and passivity supersedes intervention. Or maybe other students don’t feel as if they’re qualified to speak on such in-depth issues when they are unable to even remotely relate to such personal, intimate problems faced by minority students. These justifications for voluntarily excluding oneself from the discussion of race only encourage the ignorant attitudes that prevent us from acknowledging and confronting prejudice.

This displacement of responsibility is as toxic as racism itself. The initial and most crucial step in addressing differences and prejudices is acknowledging that prejudice occurs in our society and it’s in us; it’s the biases we carry. Racism isn’t a topic exclusive to our history classes because, well, it’s not history yet and unfortunately never will be. Nor does it exclusively affect minorities; it affects everyone. Everyone, minority and majority alike, have unconscious biases — the topic of discrimination is for everyone to reflect on. Humans are socially conditioned to have these prejudices. Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise or claims to have zero prejudice. Although exploring biases is uncomfortable, that susceptibility can only be eased if we are open and treat everyone’s opinion as worthy of reflection.

A valuable and thoughtful dialogue can only take place once we openly and sincerely acknowledge that we do exhibit these microaggressions — that we do categorize people, and that it’s just as relevant for the majority and the minority. If we fail to recognize our biases and are dishonest about how we see our identity, minority or majority alike, we are contributing to a shameful school climate.

Choose to recognize your own potential biases; you’ll move us all one step closer to creating a more socially conscious environment.

What do you think about your personal or Wayland High School’s general approach to race? Start the conversation here.

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.