Do you know what it is like to be stuck in the gray? How during a time when inclusion was unattainable feat? Do any of the following apply to you?

Growing up you were a minority; not solely due to the pigment of your skin, but also due to the classes you took. During middle school and on through higher education, you were the only or one of a few minorities in your classes. This could have been the result of taking accelerated courses or just the racial makeup of your institution.

You became the token minority within your classes. Your opinion was sought out on anything related to race. You were expected to speak on behalf of all minorities; give the other half a first-hand account of what life is like. Your opinion was no longer your own. It was morphed to provide a voice for everyone.

Your teachers and classmates caused you to feel excluded. You were seen as intellectually inferior; incapable of handling meaningful roles (projects and group assignments). You were verbally excluded by both sides. Told the ways in which you were not like them enough to be considered part of the group. Taken apart in your own skin.

You were not accepted nor did you fit in truly with either division that existed in your school. However, the problems that existed in your school shaped who you are today. Consequently, you've now proceeded on one of two paths: you embrace all people, find the good within, or became the person who let others define them. You were either forgiving or resentful, one side of the same coin.

I just hope you decided to grow, to rise above it all. I hope you did not let the circumstances alienate you. Situations like these should not occur. Things done out of fear prohibit progress and change. Schools need to be unified, without divisions or colors. Education is the foundation for moving forward. Nothing should stand in the way of real progress.