There is a crisis at Cal High.

From prejudicial rhetoric used in everyday conversation to hateful remarks scribbled on bathroom stalls, a pattern of racism has surfaced on Cal’s campus in the past few years.

After last week’s incident in which a student modified his Halloween costume he wore to campus on Oct. 31 to appear as a member of the Ku Klux Klan, Cal students need to stand up and combat this hate.

Although the male student turned himself in and was suspended after photos of his horrendous costume circulated on social media, the school and student body need to be proactive to let students know that such actions are unacceptable.

By nodding to white supremacy, the student’s actions were not only hurtful but extremely dangerous in the modern world. 

In 2017, nearly 280 hate crimes were reported on college campuses, most of which racially-motivated, according to FBI statistics.

Racism has been the main motivation for some of the most gruesome massacres and destructions in history. The rise of recent events on campus are consistent with a wave of revived racism has hit public institutions nationwide.

When discriminatory incidents are condoned in public spaces without condemnation, they proliferate and create a cascading effect in spreading racial intolerance among impressionable young people.

Under the Nazi Party in 20th century Germany, the Hitler Youth indoctrinated a generation of kids with antisemitic views and transformed them into puppets of a tyrant. 

A person’s perspective in life is shaped from a young age. 

What will it mean for our future society if young students are exposed to the belief that racism is excusable?

Will history repeat itself?

Racism is a cancer that invades society insidiously yet persistently, until our entire species are tainted by the belief that one race is superior to another.

We can embrace a wider range of perspectives and ideas by being inclusive. Ignorance and closed-mindedness should not become obstacles in our way of advancement.

Let’s target racism from the root and prevent it from growing further by actively combating it on campus.