Dear Future President:

It is sad to think that history is repeating itself. Seventy years after the Holocaust ended and fifty years after the Civil Rights Act, discrimination is just as prevalent now as it was then. The victims of racism and hate have changed over the years, but the effect has not. Rather than hatred towards Jews and African Americans, it is now directed towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, Muslims, and anyone who is different from “normal society.”

In the summer of 2016, forty-nine people were gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando. It is said to be the deadliest mass shooting in the United Sates and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11. “We know enough to say this was an act of terror and hate. This is an especially heartbreaking day for our friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender,” said President Obama in his address to the nation from the White House (Ellis, Fantz, Karimi, McLaughlin 2). This all sprouted from one man’s belief that these people do not belong. Forty-nine people are dead and fifty-three were wounded because of one man.

Islamophobia is a real and active feeling today. Data from the Council on American-Islamic Relations indicates that 2016 is on track to be the second-worst year on record when it comes to mosque attacks. Last year, seventy-eight mosques were attacked (Ansari 1). These mosques are holy places to the Muslim people. Can you imagine your church or temple being burned to the ground or broken into and robbed? It is scary to think that there are people out there that want to hurt others and make them abandon their cultural identity.

All that needs to be done is to teach people that being diverse are what makes America special. People are being racist and hateful without thinking about how it would make them feel if it happened to them. America is the land of dreams, and if people cannot feel safe practicing their own religions, how many dreams are left? Everyone can do something to stop discrimination. We can implement policies that prohibit discrimination in the workplace and schools. If these rules are not followed there can be consequences, such as, being fired or suspended. Many people might say that, they are entitled to freedom of speech and their own opinions. It is not that they are not entitled to these rights, but there is a point where we have to draw the line between an opinion and a physical and mental threat to different people.

Sincerely,

Julia Sager

Works Cited

"49 Killed in Florida Nightclub Terror Attack." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/

"Mosque Attacks Rising; Civil Rights Group Cites Islamophobia." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/13/us/mosques-targeted-trnd/