Students have dim hopes for ending racism

By Kylon Hicks

Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 | 2 a.m.

What’s on our teenagers’ minds? In its 59th year, the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum is intended to answer just that question. The annual gathering, which this year attracted about 1,000 students, provides an opportunity for public high school juniors and seniors to discuss issues of the day in groups of 40 or so students moderated by a community leader. Each group selected one of its participants to reflect on the experience. This column is written by Kylon Hicks, a senior at Canyon Springs Law & Leadership Academy. Her group’s topic was “America.” Publisher and Editor Brian Greenspun is turning over his “Where I Stand” column to these young adults, who have something to say.

This year I was blessed with the amazing opportunity of attending the Sun Youth Forum, where we talked, asked questions and engaged a bit of heated-yet-healthy debate. Punam Mathur, executive director of the Elaine P. Wynn and Family Foundation, was the moderator in our room and did a great job leading the discussion. With 25 questions on America’s political issues and how to better this nation, the discussion was intriguing and enlightening. Two topics that stirred the most controversy and received little if any consensus were racism and the different visions that youths and parents have for America’s future.

When the question “How hopeful are you that America can be rid of racism?” was raised, hands shot up. A good majority of the room concluded that racism could not be erased. Among the frequent responses were, “It’s too deeply rooted of a problem” and “There’s always going to be a racist,” which we all agreed was true. However, a few of us were sure that with enough time and effort we could save America from perhaps one of its biggest flaws: disliking people solely based on the color of their skin.

One consensus we did come to is that we as today’s youth have a gift: the ability to learn and to accept others for who they are. With the use of social media we could reach the majority of youths. One thing that troubled us was how we would reach adults, including some of parents, whom a few of us admitted were openly racist and homophobic.

Then the question of America’s future was raised. Did our parents imagine this for us? Did our parents have a different vision for America?

Looking at the terrorism and crimes that occur in America due to race and/or sex, religion, sexuality and gender identification, one can safely say this is not what our parents envisioned. So what about youths? What do the rest of today’s young people think about the possibility of ending racism? I conducted a poll.

To receive the opinion of the average young person, I conducted this poll on social media. The question: “How hopeful are you that America can be rid of racism?” The multiple choices were “very,” “there’s a possibility” and “not at all.” After 24 hours and 426 votes, the results were heartbreaking. Seven percent declared they were very hopeful, while 34 percent declared it was a possibility. A mind-blowing majority said they have no faith that America can be rid of racism.

In the preamble to the Constitution, our Founding Fathers swore to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity. We, today’s youth, are your posterity, and 60 percent of us have lost the faith.