Last February, the leader of a large state school sent out an e-mail to the entire student body condemning a discriminatory act. A group of students had hosted a party off campus. They called it the “Compton Cookout”, and served fried chicken, watermelon, and Kool-Aid. Their purpose was to mock Black History Month. Their school was the University of California, San Diego.

Later in the week, a student-run television station broadcast a video that used offensive racial language and defended the party. The entire episode sparked outrage on a campus where African-Americans make up less than two percent of the student body.

For a week now, we have been dealing with similar circumstances. Struggling to find some meaningful lesson from the discriminatory actions of a few students, we have examined the level of diversity in every part of this campus. In some places, the incredible progress that has been made is encouraging. In many places, though, the lack of progress is disappointing.

We say these issues are emblematic of larger problems at the University, and they are. However, they are also emblematic of larger issues and challenges in our society. Racial tension and prejudice is not unique to the University of Alabama, Alabama, or the broader South. These issues present a challenge to the entire world. Even in places like California, which are viewed as enclaves of progressivism.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of Germany have both recently declared the failure of multiculturalism in Europe. They weren’t referring to conflict between certain sects of their own population, but between native Brits and Germans and immigrants who often come from Muslim countries.

The United States has a much better record of assimilating immigrants, of bringing people into our famous “melting pot.” While there are obviously some cracks in American society, it is important to not let guilt for the horrendous aspects of our past be our motivation going forward.

Instead, we should be propelled by the promise of our progress. One student yelling a slur at another student should not suddenly awaken us to the need to build a more inclusive campus. Students and administrators at the University should always be working to build a more inclusive campus, because the benefits of diversity justify themselves.

Since Vivian Malone and James Hood first walked into Foster Auditorium, we have continued to move, ever so slowly, in a positive direction. Change hasn’t always been fast enough, but as President Obama likes to say, change doesn’t happen overnight.

Students, like all people, have a tendency to segregate themselves based on race, socioeconomic status, and ability. This tendency is obvious in many social organizations on and off campus. It is found in many country clubs, private schools, and civic organizations.

But modern America is one of the few places in the world where the human tendency towards segregation is actively challenged. Today, we think of the Jim Crow-era South as a sour thumb protruding from human history. But it is the current era that protrudes from human history. We are the anomaly.

We are among the first generations with political and business leaders who actively work to encourage tolerance and bring people of different backgrounds together. We are among the first generations to inherently assume that inclusivity is a good thing.

These assumptions and realizations haven’t trickled out to everyone; there are always outliers. Eventually, though, they will. And as we continue to build on these values, we should take pride in the substantial feats we have already accomplished as a country, a state, and a University.

As we work to build a campus that is more equal and just, we should remember that our campus today is more equal and just than it has ever been. We must never let those who have not been able to realize the promise of diversity in their own lives discourage us from the significant work we have ahead, nor diminish our pride in the progress that we have already accomplished at the Capstone.

Tray Smith is the opinions editor of The Crimson White. His column runs on Mondays.