The question of 'Are Public School's More Racist?' seems to be striking a more interesting debate. Especially in the world of social media. I came upon an article recently that was discussing a local area's High School. Niskayuna High School was under fire for students yelling racial slurs at students during a girls' soccer game. The girls were facing Schenectady High School as their opponents.

When I first heard about this story it was through a girl that I have known for several years now. She is a former student at Niskayuna High, and when this story came about she was anything BUT surprised. She stated that Niskayuna is one of those schools that was great education wise, however not so great when it came to things like race.

In fact no sugarcoating at all, she said Niskayuna was very racist when it came to certain things. Believe it or not, she's not incorrect on that. I being an alumni from the Guilderland School District knows all about this too well. Niskayuna is a town located in Schenectady, NY. Its neighborhoods and area almost make it look as if it is not even associated being in the same name with Schenectady. To many, Niskayuna is wealthier, privileged, and more 'safer' environment than Schenectady. Almost the exact same thing with Guilderland. Guilderland is a town in Albany County. Not associating the two where Guilderland is much more suburban and privileged than the city of Albany.

So what do these two places have in common? The fact that their diversity lacks by a lot. When people tend to think of the two they only associate it with rich white people and nothing BUT rich white people. I would say that over the past couple of years there have been more people of color and other diversities that have entered both school districts. However, that still means that there is A LOT more work to be done with diverse students entering the school districts. Because they're both predominantly 'white' areas, it's challenging for anyone to understand what people of color go through on a daily basis unless you're one yourself.

Trying to figure out what to say and how to say it without sounding offensive is also a continuous pattern. In a way, I see why certain students don't have diversity cross their mind. But this is not just from the Niskayuna conversation. This is a conversation that has been talked about for many decades now. There are many that believe that some school districts have many racist factors towards their name. Most faculties on the student body believe that the discussion should only be used for 'another time' or 'a time where they can discuss it later on in the school year'. This is also the translation for 'not happening anytime soon. The views I have on certain school districts views on race is that some of them don't want to have the discussion for the following reasons.

One is that some teachers and staff members just simply don't know where to start. Where do you go about talking about a sensitive topic like race without offending anyone or making anyone feel less of themselves? That's because you have to approach it in a way that is going to go into a more general understanding conversation. Don't just necessarily think that it's always going to start an argument.

By approaching the conversation is a positive outlook, there will be positive results. It does not mean that it is always going to make everyone happy. By just opening up with real dialogue, it's going to head in the right direction.

Another reason is simply because of disagreements. The last thing any teacher or staff member wants to deal with is constant fights between students. Anger, aggression, and rage are never always the answer to many things. However, in the case of some students, that is the only way that they can communicate their feelings. If people are not going to listen to what others have to say, maybe their actions will speak louder. This has been the case many times before.

But this problem isn't just with Niskayuna, this problem is in almost every High School that does not want to approach the problem. It was like it was just yesterday, I remember that in class we were going to be discussing the topic of the 'n' word. I remember my teacher pulled me aside because he did not want the discussing to make me uncomfortable. As the discussion started, I began to feel awkward as it began.

I felt the stares and awkwardness way too much. The same went when we would be discussing slavery. I felt that in a class where I and about 3 or less of us would have to sit and learn about something that doesn't affect half of the room was completely useless for us. There were times where many of us would try to laugh it off. Unfortunately, it could not replace the fact that we felt like complete outsiders. In a school where half of the population was white will never understand how we as individuals would feel and what we go through on a daily basis.

"No offense, but the black kids take things way too personally" was another thing I heard. I remember saying to that individual specifically "Coming from a White American, offense taken". Those are the type of things that aren't to be forgotten. It's frustrating to deal with people who don't have to worry about being asked about certain things on a regular. People from not so fortunate areas were being transferred to my High School, and I remember seeing how miserable they were.

They were around people that not only could not relate to their situation, but also the fact that there was barely anyone around that looked like them. I remember how they would constantly get into fights because of how the students were treating them. Their situations were already hard enough. As much as fighting is not the answer, it is only because that's the only way they know how to communicate. I can't speak for everyone, but in most cases, it's unfortunate how this usually happens.

I do believe that there should be a more open conversation when it comes to race in public schools. Mainly predominantly white ones. You want students to get the best educations right?

You want students to learn valuable lessons right? Then it's time for some staff to realize that it's time for the conversation to begin instead of there always being an end. The whole 'slavery and racism are bad' stories need to come to an end. The truth should be provided no matter what. Yes, I was lucky to have attended a school district where I got the best education. The reality remains that real issues are there. As much as we want to hide from them, they are very real.

It's frustrating to try to get someone to care about a topic that was never a main topic in their lives period. It's not about getting them to care, it's about the conversation within. Having one human understand the next is a conversation we should be open to daily.