Racism. Noun. 1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. 2: racial prejudice or discrimination.

Picture this: You are strolling down the streets of Chicago. You look behind yourself and see a large black male in a hoodie who seems to be following you. Because of what society has made out the black race to be, you start walking faster and feel fear in your stomach. Or this scenario: You are sitting in an airport at your gate awaiting departure. You look beside you and see a family of Muslims wearing their turbans. You start worrying about terrorists. You may not be racist, but society has taught you racism.

Racism is something that I wish didn’t exist. I wish me and my best friend could go out into this world and not have people look at us strangely, because we have different skin colors. I wish another friend of mine wouldn’t have to explain to people that she goes to a university on an academic scholarship, and not on an athletic scholarship. I wish the “N-word" was never spoken. I find these things so degrading. Why can’t people see others for who they are, and not the color of their skin? Why can a young African American not be the valedictorian, because when I graduated the valedictorian was young, successful African-American woman who has accomplished many great things. Racism does not stop at the blacks, however. America racially profiles Muslims as terrorists. We profile Asians as doctors. We even profile white males as highly advantaged.

Society has put people in stereotypical categories. If you are black, you’re probably not going to amount to anything. If you’re white you’re going to be successful. If you’re Hispanic you’re going to be working on the side of the road. If you're Asian you are super intelligent. This is something I hate so much. We as human beings have the ability to make these "social labels" a thing of the past. A person's race does not determine their beliefs, their characteristics; a person's race does not make them underqualified or overqualified for a job; a person's race does not make them who they are. A person should be able to proudly show their race without being told what they are and are not. Society needs to stop labeling how someone lives their life by the color of their skin. I also think it’s a shame that some Christians do not believe in interracial marriage. If we want to pull out facts from the bible, Moses married an Ethiopian. The color of your skin does not and should not define the person you are or can amount to. Your religion should not determine if you are a good person or a terrorist.