Dear America,

We have turned a blind eye to racism. Everyone is busy with their own life, living in their own bubble and paying no heed to the real world outside. We all believe this world is perfect, yet there is injustice happening everywhere.

Many places in America are still drenched with racism even in the 21st century. Our world has come a long way since two World Wars, a Cold War, the Nazi regimen and the Civil Rights Movement. However, the foundation our country was built upon has changed drastically.

During the colonial period, many Europeans sailed to America for the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, petition and so much more. They sailed for basic rights, which later became known as the Bill of Rights, or the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution. Over the past 241 years since America's independence, our country has dramatically developed in both good ways and bad ways.

Unfortunately, what was known as the land of the free is slowly transforming into the land of despair as the freedom and rights the colonizers once sought here is slowly depreciating.

Although racism is allegedly illegal in the United States, it often occurs subtly. When I went to meet my cousin* in Texas this summer, my mind opened to a few stunning revelations.

Before this visit, I hadn't realized how gifted I was to live in a mostly racism-free area.

Where my cousin lives, there is a humongous Caucasian population with a minor Asian population. Caucasians make up 80 percent of the population while only 1.5 percent consists of Asians. This monumental difference in race further fuels the fire. There are three key stories of injustice I digested during my stay in Texas.

First, the concussion. My cousin is extremely talented and super athletic. She is on the school soccer team and is the captain of their basketball team. However, being the only Indian makes the path to success a little tougher. One time, when she was playing soccer, the opponent (who was racist and hated her) knocked the air out of her. She fell straight to the ground and banged her head on a tiny rock giving her a concussion. Her vision blurred, and for a few moments, all she witnessed was interminable darkness. Instantly, her father ran to her to make sure she was feeling well. The coach let told her to sit out but she declined the offer. Her mind was fixed and telling her one thing: keep playing and win the game.

She told herself a quote that I still remember to this day: "I was taught to rise up, not to fall down."

Sadly, the referee and the opposing team were all biased and said that she was faking an act to stop the game. At the end of the match, this proved to the referee that the honest people always rise up as she helped score the winning goal for her team.

Second, the stereotype. Living as a minority can be arduous as people will stereotype them. During school one day, she was minding her own business and having fun with her friends. Then, her arch-nemesis walks over and mocks her. She says some pretty mean stuff, but one of her statements stand out; she told my cousin to back out of sports. According to her, Indians shouldn't be playing sports. Instead, Indians should only be shoving their heads in books and singing their weird prayers. This person not only insulted my cousin but made fun of Indian culture! What is the American school system to fix people and problems like this which occur often? Absolutely nothing, apparently, because even some of the teachers in her school act just like the racist students. It's almost as if their brains have been encased in a nutshell their entire lives.

Third, the removal. With Donald Trump elected as president, racism has been unleashed like a bull that had been kept behind bars. With his crazy immigration rules and travel bans, its almost as if Trump supports racism — and so do his followers.

During her class, one of the students asked her, "Hey (anonymous), when are you gonna get deported? Doesn't seem like you are going to last long in this country!"

If kids are reacting like this to immigrants, and they are the next generation of leaders, where does our country's future lie?

Is it resting in the hands of millions of racists?

Events such as these are happening all over the country, not just Texas. Some incidents are even more extreme with death being the result of hate crime, which was risen significantly since Donald Trump's presidency. Specifically, hate crime has risen more than a staggering 20 percent!

To name a few, accidental shootings where Caucasian police officers kill unarmed black people and Indians being the target of multiple shootings. One shooting involved Harnish Patel, a business man of the Lancaster store in South Carolina, who was killed moments after he closed his store. There was another shooting where in Kansas, an innocent Indian tech worker was shot at a bar for no other reason than hate. The killer even said, "Get out of my country."

If we have been taught to be generous, then why do we hoard?

If we have been taught to be honest, then why do we lie?

If we have been taught to help, then why do we steal?

If we have been taught to love, then why do we hate?

If we have been taught to care, then why do we kill?

In the modern transforming world, we should be holding hands and work together, not building walls (a promise Trump could not keep) and destroying relations.

*Name of cousin has been omitted for privacy reasons*