I spend a lot of my time on Twitter, seeing what my friends are up to and getting confused by the newest meme. I see the headlines about Muslim Bans and racist hate groups. Never did I think that I would see a tweet from a reputable reporter about my own high school, Lakeville South. Comedian Sarah Silverman tweeted about it, "Make no mistake this is what they mean by make America great again". The pictures in question? Bathroom stall vandalized with "F--k N-------" and "Hail the Ku Klux Klan" accompanied by swastikas.

Quite frankly, I am disgusted. I am ashamed of this. I am scared that the person who did this is someone that I know personally. This is unacceptable and horrific. I can only watch as this blows up and people make assumptions about Lakeville and the people who live in it. In the last few days, the true feelings of many of the people I grew up with have been exposed. I still love this school, the memories it has given me and many of the people who still attend the school. However, this cannot be swept under the rug.

To the student who did this and to those who share similar feelings:

I ask that you remember the times that our school has come together in support and love of each other. Through accidental deaths and suicides, our school has come together and loved. That was the impression we gave the communities surrounding us. Headlines used to tell about how we came together in extremely tough situations, like here, after the deaths of two of our own. Now they will read "Racist graffiti found in Lakeville South High School bathroom". There is nothing funny about this. I don't care if this was a joke to you because it is not one that anyone will find funny. If you were trying to be funny, know that this is not a joke, those words carry real power. Real people are affected by the words you say. Don't use the "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" adage. Words do hurt. Yours hurt and so do our president's. There is nothing okay about this situation and I hope you are greatly punished for it, at school and at home. Shame on you for making a fool of yourself and of Lakeville.

When you Google Lakeville South High School, this is the first result.

To the rest of the Lakeville community:

I am sorry that you are being represented this way in a large context. These sentiments do not reflect what our city stands for. I see Lakeville, Minnesota as an accepting community and maybe that makes me naïve. I don't care, I still believe that the people of our town are good and loving and caring. I have witnessed this kindness first hand. However, I hope you see this as a learning experience. If you, like me, were under the impression that racism and anti-semitism were things that happened outside of our community, I hope you can see the truth now. Teach your children, your parents, your friends, your teachers that language like this is absolutely unacceptable. Freedom of speech does not give people the right to vandalize a high school bathroom stall with hate speech. Teach people that thoughts and actions like this are not okay. Educate other community members about the kindness that I know most people in Lakeville possess.

To the rest of the world:

I am sorry. I need everyone to know that Lakeville is not a racist city. This does not mean that there is not racism in this Minnesotan town, but I need you to know that it is not the majority. Also, to avoid the impending witch hunt, the student who did this has been caught and will be punished accordingly. Due to school confidentiality, the name of said student will not be released. I apologize with my entire being on the behalf of my city, a place that I love. We are a community that is just starting to fully realize the idea of privilege and it's showing. Twitter is flooded with high school students attempting to understand this, to defend this and the school. Know that these people are just uninformed, not intolerant. I would also like the world to know that Lakeville South's bathrooms have also been filled with notes of love and encouragement. This incident does not define us, but right now, it is how the world will see us.

This positivity isn't just in response to this incident, it's been present for months. A few months ago, more words of encouragement were shared in the girl's bathroom.

I have been told to not be ashamed of this. That this school is so great. How can a school with racism and anti-Semitism present be great? Simple answer is that it's not. General rules when something like this happens: Don't silence the people who are upset. Don't tell people to not feel a certain way. Don't minimize the affect by saying "well, not ALL people are racist." As if that makes it okay that there are people who are racist. There is a lot of good at LSHS and I wish that the positive posts would get more traction, but they don't. I know what the image of Lakeville South should be: one of love, positivity and empowerment. But that is not the image being portrayed right now.

To the people spreading love:

Keep doing this. Lord knows that the world needs it. Make your positive voices so loud that it drowns out the negativity. Spread it to all parts of the school, sometimes boys need some self-confidence too. This is the part of Lakeville South that I am proud of — it's you guys.

I am not affected by any muslim ban, any homophobic language or discrimination outside of being a woman and cat calls on the streets of Minneapolis (another situation entirely). I know there will be people who ask in judgement, why does this white girl care so much? If you are asking this question, you are part of the problem. We cannot leave the marginalized and oppressed to fend for themselves. I recognize that I am far more privileged than many Americans. I can see that my voice is more easily heard than most. I made a promise to myself after the election that I would use the voice I was given to shed light on things that matter.

This matters.