When I arrived at my new school for the first day, I had mixed feelings; some were just while others were completely unnecessary. On the front steps my mother introduced me and my brother to the other twins at the school named Noah and Jacob. We quickly hit it off, with Jacob and I automatically becoming friends and with the same happening with my twin James and Noah. After that the we just hung out until the school bell rang and we went into class. Luckily, Jacob and I were in the same class so he showed me where my classroom was, and then the moment came where I was introduced to the class. It was awkward to say the least with nothing really happening and just me standing up there being looked at by everyone else. Finally, after around 2-3 hours of different classes, it was lunchtime. Noah, Jacob and their friends Jack and Owen invited us to share their table. We all introduced ourselves and just decided to play a game that they had been playing last year called D.n.D or Dungeons and Dragons. The game involved role playing in a fantasy world. We ended up playing this until the end of lunch, with me already trying to win but to no avail. In all, my first experience at my new school was fun because I made good friends right off the bat. Being welcomed to a new school is one of the most important things students need because it helps the student learn easier.

Schools need to be a safe space, they are a place of learning and education for the next generation, they should be peaceful and friendly so the student can spend their time learning and socialising, not thinking about how some of the kids in the school hate them for no reason. Recently in Danville, CA, “A 16-year-old African-American student at Monte Vista High School...went to the bathroom during fifth period on Wednesday and spotted the words "whites" and "colored" scrawled on the wall over the urinal.” Students need a safe learning environment, where they can make friends, study, learn, and help each other. A school should be a place where they can feel secure and away from harm, not be a place in which students are harmed and discriminated against because of the color of their skin. In 2015 at the University of Missouri the football team went on strike due to racist acts the happened on campus and the president's failure to address and fix those acts. Dr. Rebecca Martinez, an assistant professor in the women’s and gender studies said, “The football program here at Mizzou is a central part of the university culture. The collective athletes of color who made the decision to go on strike do so with conviction for social justice for marginalized students on our campus. Given the importance of football here, they are taking a significant stand. They are not thinking of themselves, their play, and their careers at this moment.” These football players were fighting for a safe school environment in which there was no discrimination because of skin color. They risked their careers to make their school a safe place to learn and perform.

Hate crimes have increased since Trump has been elected and people have created a “safety pin” to stand against bigotry. However, some think that this is not enough; in response to the safety pin movement, one man tweeted: “A #safety pin won't work… What is needed is: civil disobedience, non-violent mass protests, strikes, perseverance, audacity.” I agree with this man. You need something more than just a safety pin. Is a safety pin going to stop racism towards other people? No, of course not. No one being discriminated against is going to look around for someone with a safety pin and call on them for help; that's just impractical. A safety pin is not going to change the events that have happened recently like the Muslim ban, however the protests that went on at those airports are exactly what we need. These protests are noticed all across the country and show that we will not stand for racism towards individuals because of their religion or ethnicity. All people should feel welcome, not discriminated against like they’re some kind of animal.

In all everyone needs to be welcomed at school, have a safe space to learn, and to have equal justice for marginalized students, these easy acts will help in the fight against racism and recent hate crimes; these acts will stop racism while a safety pin won’t; these acts will help protect our future generation and help all marginalized and oppressed people feel welcome.