In the past year, we’ve had people killed by authority figures because of their skin color.

We’ve seen mass shootings because someone felt women were denying him the sex he felt he deserved.

A triple homicide has been labeled a parking dispute to make it easier to digest than the full story.

All of this and more occurred in the land of the free  —  a land whose origins stemmed from the phrase “… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights …”

These truths are supposed to be self-evident, but we seem to forget them easily. They are ignored  —  sometimes blatantly, sometimes out of ignorance.

What is wrong with us? I know it’s a broad question, with many answers, but I’ve found myself asking this more and more as time passes.

Equality is still little more than a dream, here in the land of the free. It’s so easy to see, from microaggressions to whitewashing history to calling a homicide a “parking dispute” —  racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia and more still run rampant in the U.S.

It’s sickening how we are treating our fellows.

And yet, even though it’s obvious, so many people are turning a blind eye, living in willing ignorance. The success of movies promoting the white-savior overcoming the savage middle easterners says more about our mindset as a nation than I can ever hope to say with words.

When I first sat down to write this article, I had a plan  —  I knew who to blame. It was the media! Of course it was the media! It’s always the media. They are the ones who are telling us all of this, right? They are the ones who are promoting movies like “American Sniper” as hero-stories. This article was going to be an impassioned call to action against the media and for truth.

But as I outlined and planned, my idea fell apart. It isn’t the media’s fault  —  it’s ours, the consumer. We’re the ones who are making this popular. We are the ones who would rather hear the story about the white hero saving the impoverished than police brutality against black men. We are the artists of our own news.

I’m not saying we are each murderers and each donning a white hood, but we are each responsible for how we treat others. We are responsible for calling out intolerance when we see it. We are responsible for actively trying to stamp out ignorance, whether it is our own individually or collectively.

It’s time for people to speak up and speak out. Research what you hear on the news  —  get the facts. Learn about people and cultures different from your own.

Our roots are beautiful things  —  where we came from, our views, how our lives have shaped us individually, we are each stories waiting to be told. But we also have to remember to listen and to respect those stories different from our own. Open ears and open minds can lead to a much more accepting world.

And, yes, I realize this won’t solve all the world’s problems. There is no simple answer  —  but it’s a start. It is a step in the right direction. Many will condemn me for idealism  —  but I’d prefer to be an idealist than a person living in willful ignorance, benefiting from the privilege my skin color grants me in this society.

The beauty of change is that it is always lying in the shadows, waiting for people to bring it out into the light. The opportunity never disappears, it is never missed  —  it is simply ignored by those with the power to use it.

It’s time to start making good on the declaration we made over two hundred years ago. It’s time for those of us with the power to make change happen to make good on our promises.

We don’t have to stay ignorant or intolerant. It is a choice, make sure you’re choosing the right path.

Kjerstine Trooien is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].