In the 236-year history of the United States, words like "freedom" and "opportunity" have dominated the descriptions of our nation. The glory of the United States came with the idea that every man, woman and child has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Beneath the rosy picture and promises of unparalleled freedom, however, the United States reeked with undertones of inequality and discrimination. Whether the barrier was race, religion, gender, age, socioeconomic background or sexual orientation, among others, there was a constant assembly of obstacles that were set to restrain those who were considered second-class citizens from realizing their dreams.

It took the efforts of icons such as Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Malcolm X and each of their thousands of followers to change the discriminatory laws that were woven into the legal system.

Although movements for equality did in fact create waves of political and social change, it's easy to say discrimination is not even close to being eradicated in the United States.

Jim Crow, though in a much more subtle manner, does in fact still exist.

For example, more than a decade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, thousands of American Muslims still face the backlash of hatred based on their religion.

The anti-Muslim sentiment had grown so heated that a congressional hearing was conducted last March to address the issue. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been 800 recorded counts of violence, vandalism and arson against those who were believed to be of Muslim, Arab or South Asian descent, according to a March 2011 Reuters article featured in the Huffington Post.

"Racism and prejudice definitely still exists in America," said Collin Huerter, sophomore in political science and international relations. "I think that legislation reinforces stereotypes. That and if you look at the growing class gap, it's evident that there's a cycle of discrimination."

Race and religion aren't the only forms of discrimination. Women are also victims of the systemic cycle of prejudice.

It is an astonishing fact that 38 years after legislation designed to enforce equality in the workplace, the Equal Pay Act is consistently and blatantly violated; according to dosomething.org, women today still only earn 72 cents to every dollar a man earns.

"I think it's continually gotten better over time," said Kari Sommers, sophomore in elementary education. "We do still have a long way to go, but the encouraging thing is that we've come a long way, too."

With all of this said, I think there are some encouraging signs. We have taken legitimate steps to curb the amount of discrimination in the United States. One K-State student says that she doesn't feel discriminated against despite being from a different background than the average American.

"I think it depends on what people are exposed to," said Halima Shehu, sophomore in environmental design. "If people haven't had good experiences with a certain group, I think there will be more discrimination."

Shehu, who is a Nigerian-born American Muslim, also said that she has not experienced significant discrimination in the United States compared to other places that she has lived.

"I feel like the United States discriminates less than other countries," she said. "If I think back to some of my experiences in other countries, it's a lot less prevalent here."

The United States has come a long way from the days of slavery, segregation and legal oppression. This nation, however, still has a lot of work to do.

Embedded into our culture lies the remnants of our rocky past. If we do not strive to achieve the levels of equality that the inhabitants of this nation were promised, we will only continue to sow the seeds of hatred, intolerance and bigotry.

The only way to stop discrimination is to hold ourselves accountable and monitor our attitudes toward others of a different race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation.

Understanding that we are all human beings who all have similar needs and wants is key, and until we come to that realization we will continue to struggle against the endless cycle of discrimination and prejudice.

I do, however, maintain hope in the values of this great nation. The United States, despite the turmoil of the past, has overcome the challenges of building such a diverse society.

Nowhere else in the world has there been such a level of success in integration, and I sincerely believe we will continue the fight against discrimination and prejudice.

Andy Rao is a sophomore in finance and accounting. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.