A few weeks ago, I was checking my emails getting ready to go to University when I saw on Facebook that there was a shooter on the loose in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga is a beautiful town on the Tennessee River that has withstood the test of time and tragedy. Since I've been abroad for the past thirteen months, I rushed to my phone and called my mom and told her what was happening and to keep safe. I then messaged my friends to check up on them and see what was going on. Later, I came to read on CNN that the shooter had targeted military bases and had killed five helpless armed forces members. On this day the lives of innocent people were taken in a shameful and terrible act, but also taken was the tolerance of many.

I always considered my hometown to be a tolerant place and still consider it to be; I love Chattanooga and it is my home. After this tragedy occurred my social media was blowing up in statuses both full of sorrow and some full of malice and hate. Emotions were running high and they still are running high. We are mad that our home was attacked and thrust into a deep sadness that we will never forget. In the midst of these feelings and happenings though I saw something that made me mad and frustrated. People that I knew and some that I thankfully do not know were spewing racially and hate motivated comments on someone they didn't even know. The shooter that committed these acts has all the right to be condemned and to be judged, but he should not be judged based on his origin, name, or religion.

In this day and age we have developed a negative tendency to categorize people and label them the way we think best, which is harmful to everyone. It seemed to mean more to some people that the shooter had a Middle Eastern sounding name than the fact that Chattanooga had just become national news because the act of domestic terrorism that took place. Assumptions were made, motivations were guessed, and still it didn't change the fact that helpless people had been murdered. Islamophobia seemed to be running rampant on the comment sections of various news outlets and people were giving their two cents about everything other than actual events that had happened. The racially charged words and comments I choose not to repeat because they are rude, false, and just pure ignorance. This tragedy will always live in our hearts and memories, but what I hope that leaves is the intolerance we have for others and their differences.

I cannot say myself that I have never judged anyone because of his or her outward differences, but I do know better than to condemn someone for something that isn’t worth finding a fault in. I choose to look past these differences and only focus on the hurt that we all face as a community; a community that will have to grieve a long time, but one that will do it together. Though the burden is heavy, we have withstood the tests of time and we will continue to do so by standing together and giving each other hope for a better tomorrow. I look forward to Chattanooga growing continuously beautiful and strong as a place that fosters cultural awareness and tolerance. Let us be Chattanooga Strong.