Random Thoughts: Why the Issue of Diversity is Important

Some of you may be questioning why the issue of diversity, especially regarding the black minority, is one that bothers me. I an Indian-American middle-class student who loves chemistry. I am far removed from an issue like this, but that does not mean it's one that should not or does not effect me. And it definitely does not mean that I shouldn't care. But why do I care? That is the question that I sought out to answer today, not just for readers but also for myself.

Ever since I first learned of the story of America in Kindergarten, we were taught that all people are given an equal chance to succeed regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, or parents.  At the College Opportunity Summit in 2014, President Obama lectured students; "Now, as a nation, we don't promise equal outcomes, but we were founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That's an essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up." Yet, this is not the same ideals that we are keeping firm to in our community.

Blacks are extremely underrepresented at Pine View, which decreases their opportunity to succeed. If we aim to give all people an equal opportunity for success, then why do we turn a blind eye to the issue that disadvantages the black community. This is upsetting because it shows that the dream that I was taught America gives does not apply equally to all.

This is the reason that I care. I want to make the dream that a black kid in Sarasota County has the same chance to succeed as any other kid. Although I understand that equal opportunity does not mean equal outcome, that does not mean that nothing should be done.

I was debating about this issue with on of the kids in my class today when he brought up the point that Sarasota is segregated and this is the way it just is. There is nothing we can do about it, and therefore there is no point in trying. So where do you start with an issue like this, something that is a fact of life made up in most people's minds. Data is the answer that I've reached. The answer I've come to is lots and lots of data. Over the next few months I will get as much data I can possibly obtain from public records to studies to find what it is truly bugging me. Why can't gifted education be provided with as much equal opportunity as America aims for?

Anyway, off of that tangent, it's also possible that I care simply because I know the challenge that accompanies a task like this, and I love a good challenge. This is just a random thought that I wanted to address today, and I want to begin doing more random thought articles like this. Stay tuned!