Gender equality, feminism, racism and classism are all issues this generation has grown up with and been immersed in. For the most part, these ideas are mainstream. And while significant achievements toward equality have been made in the public and private spheres, these issues still remain.

Some may argue that these minority groups are fighting a battle that has already been won — women and men alike from all backgrounds, ethnicities and classes have seemingly equal access to education and jobs. Others understand that this is a false sense of equality, yet accept these injustices as the norm. From my experience, inequality in regards to gender, race and class still exists and is still a problem our generation faces.

This inequality might not be as blatant as it was in the past. This past week, I was part of a discussion in a women’s studies class that addressed issues of inequality in education. In an article published in 1978 titled “Taking Women Students Seriously,” essayist and poet Adrienne Rich writes about her experiences as a woman in the classroom and her work with marginalized minority students in inner city schools. Rich supports women’s empowerment and the need for women and other minority groups to be recognized as individuals with talent, passion and intellect.

This idea of self-empowerment is key to understanding her message. For example, Rich said: “In teaching women, we have two choices: to lend our weight in the forces that indoctrinate women to passivity, self-deprecation and a sense of powerlessness … or to consider what we have to work against, as well as with, in ourselves, in our students, in the content of the curriculum, in the structure of the institution, in society at large.”

I never have considered myself to be a passive feminist, but during the class discussion, I realized how easy it is to distance ourselves from these issues. Here are two concrete examples of how gender inequality is still present today. One, women are in the classroom and are allowed to speak their thoughts freely, yet at times their voices are limited by men. It might be unintentional, but sometimes precedence is given to male students and their opinions, furthermore, racist and sexist comments can still be heard in the classroom.

Another issue, one that is not small, is the fear of rape that women face. Please do not scoff at this. I know that Iowa State is a generally safe campus, but I also know a lot of women who are afraid to walk alone at night. Even if the act of rape is not a reality, the fear of rape is enough to stifle women’s potential and their access to equal education.

Rich captures this in the following statement: “The undermining of self, of a woman’s sense of her right to occupy space and walk freely in the world, is deeply relevant to education. … If it is dangerous for me to walk home late on an evening from the library, because I am a woman and can be raped, how self-possessed, how exuberant can I feel as I sit working in that library?”

This article is more than 30 years old, but it reads as if it were published today. It is still relevant and vital to the change that needs to happen if true equality is ever to be achieved.

The most concerning response I am met with in the face of these issues is passive acceptance. On several different occasions when I have spoken with female friends, co-workers and peers I am met with the same defiant, proud attitude that some women are just above catcalls, petty comments and sexual harassment. This is not okay.

I often hear gratitude from women who have men in their lives (i.e. male friends or boyfriends) who wholeheartedly respect them. And this is truly great, I am not trying to undermine this. I myself am thankful to have a great group of male friends and a boyfriend who respect me and do not undermine my gender.

But truthfully, this is not the case for all women and minorities. Many individuals face marginalization, racism, sexism, classism and disrespect. So even if you are not personally facing these obstacles, there are still people who are. And until equality is achieved, we cannot be passive observers of these injustices.

Whether this means becoming an activist or simply speaking up against sexism and racism that you encounter, you can be a part of the change. Value and respect are vital to eradicating inequality in the classroom and in society at large. As students at Iowa State who are actively learning, we cannot tolerate passivity in the face of continued injustice.