Melisa Esqueda

Grade 12
Pittsburg High School
Mr. Acevedo
The Light or the Darkness?
Segregation isnt something that one is born with. Its the influences in our society that
trigger this. In general, there is a correct path and an incorrect path in life. There are some
individuals that take the initiative to unite people. On the other hand, there are other individuals
that are influenced by the atrocious past and try to keep that history alive. Martin Luther King
Jr.s quote definitely applies to our society because its tearing our nation apart, its impeding
people from living the American dream, and its misinterpreting ethnicities.
Segregation has been increasing overtime to the point where its tearing our nation apart.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump has been nonchalantly talking about how atrocious Latinos
and Muslims are. This influenced some individuals to injure and humiliate these ethnic groups in
order to show his support to him. In fact, he plans to build a tall border in order to impede
immigrants from coming to America. Racism is dividing our nation apart because of how
stubborn they are. This is why ethnic studies are needed in our society in order to prevent racist
people from blossoming. The United States wont be united if Trump becomes president.
Segregation is starting to impede individuals from achieving their goals in this American
soil. America is a diverse country, where individuals of a certain ethnicity share their traditions
with other ethnic individuals. For instance, there was a Muslim that planned to build a Mosque
for Muslims. A White person angrily disagreed with him because he considers Muslims to be
atrocious to this society. They just cause catastrophes. Some people just dont realize that

everyone is different. America is very accepting of ethnic people and some dont realize that the
Native Americans were the first people to live in this country. Theyre peaceful, unlike other
racist people.
The misinterpretation of ethnic groups is dividing our nation. Catastrophic events, such as
9/11 and cartels are changing the perception of groups of ethnicities. Many individuals dislike
Muslims because of these catastrophes. Just because a few individuals have committed atrocious
crimes doesnt mean that everyone commits atrocious crimes. Furthermore, this has lead to
unfairness in society. If an African American person commits a crime, then that person gets
punished big time. If a white person commits a crime, then they are considered to be someone
that is going through rough times.
In final consideration, segregation has been hurting our society because of the influences
in our society. Racism is the main factor that leads to this segregation because it influences
people to be hateful towards certain ethnicities. It is still persisting in our society and it has been
going on since the 1960s. The best solution to eliminate segregation is to let go of the past. The
majority of people in our society are prisoners of the past. Leaving the past will not only
augment peace, but it will unite all of us.