Ms.

What is bigotry? The dictionary says it is "stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own". Unfortunately, that doesn't even begin to cover it. The different levels of bigotry range from the mild/unknown to the extreme. There is inborn hatred for one's self and other's like you. Bigotry comes in all shapes and exposes itself in different ways. Some people don't even know that they are prejudicial against a certain "type" of person, while others parade their hatred.

Often in today's society, we think we are cured of all forms of bigotry, that we are a full and wholesome community that is always working to better ourselves and the people around us. That we have no prejudice or discrimination amongst ourselves.

This is not the case. Too often, hate crimes occur because of lack of understanding or fear. Assumptions are made based on the shape of one's eye, the color of skin, gender, and who someone loves. Even the ability to perform what some think of as meaningless tasks.

So what can we do as a community, or even as an individual, to end our discrimination against one another and hopefully influence others to change? One of the first steps is to acknowledge it, therein can one begin to "get over" their prejudice.

There is no "quick fix", no rehab center for getting over prejudice. If we want to become a better and more welcoming community, we have to get over ourselves and finally and fully realize that we are all just human.