1. Racism: A Large Scale Problem Fueled by Small Scale People
By: Jacob Gilson
In the past few months, America has witnessed
numerous instances which involve racial discrimination;
however, when you really think about it, what is race?
Why are there only two stereotypical distinctions
between the human race, white and colored? Are we not all
colored? Having grown up with a ‘colored’ sister, racial
discrimination always has and still does impact me. But how
can racism affect a ‘privileged white’ male like myself? My sister and I grew up together in the
same household, with the same parents, eating the same food, and going to the same school. So
why am I labeled as a ‘privileged white’ and why is she labeled as ‘colored’? Perhaps a lack of
knowledge is the real reason behind racial injustice.
So, what is race? Essentially race is defined as difference. Basically, a distinctive race is
a group of people who have different skin color and different beliefs than other people who
reside in different parts of the world. The only reason that people are all different colors is based
off of genetics. The white person has white skin due to climate and the same is said for people
who have a darker skin color. Colder climate which has less sunlight requires less melanin in
skin to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays which results in ‘white’ skin. The opposite is said
for individuals who live closer to the equator and experience more ultraviolet rays.
In La Crosse, Wisconsin, racial discrimination may not be as big of a deal as it may be in,
Chicago, Detroit, or Milwaukee, but as the old saying goes, every giant oak once started as a nut.
Since my freshman year I have learned a large deal about racial discrimination. Although racism
has always bothered me, college really broadened my horizons towards racial injustice. I always
knew what racism was but I never knew how much it is in our daily lives, even here in a small
town like La Crosse. Everyday individuals use derogative terms and phrases which are highly
offensive towards people of color; however, no one seems to put a stop to these offensive terms
and phrases.
Each week here at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse students encounter or partake
in racial stereotypes. Each day we hear racial phrases come out of individual’s mouths but we do
nothing to change what happened. Over the course of this school year we have also been
informed of racial actions which have taken place on campus. Hate crimes have become a
monthly occurrence and it is disheartening as a student to constantly hear about these acts of
discrimination on our campus. I take pride in going to highly regarded school such as UW-La
Crosse, but when I constantly hear about these immature acts of racism I second guess how
wonderful this University is. Yes, this is a global issue but more importantly it is a local issue.
It’s an issue that we have the power to control, and it is an issue only we fuel. It is up to us,
millennials, to decide what kind of a world we want to live in.

2. In order to eliminate racial discrimination we need to eliminate daily racism. We need to
put a stop to the everyday phrases that are stolen from song lyrics or famous movies. We need to
inform the general public on what is and what is not racism. Finally, we need to practice what
we preach. If colored people do not like a phrase, then they should not say it to each other and
praise the phrase. The same is said for people of the ‘white’ color. This just leads other groups
of people to use the phrase in the same derogatory way.
Overall, the war to end racism starts small, it starts in the little towns which make up
America as it is. It starts with you waking up in the morning and having the drive to be the
change that America needs.
Jacob Gilson, Sports Management and Coaching major at the University of Wisconsin La
Crosse.