The Declaration of Independence says, “all men are created equal.” Are we though? Oprah Winfrey recently faced criticism over a comment she made in 2013 on a BBC interview, saying “there are still generation of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.” As much as I agree with her, I can see where people would find her statement hypocritical.

Some have claimed Oprah is being racist toward “old white men.” White people, like any race, can face prejudice. But it isn’t racism. Racism is the predisposition of another race because the person thinks their own race is superior. Despite any backlash, what Oprah’s saying is actually correct. America was a different place 60 years ago. Race riots occurred and African Americans had their own water fountains. The point is, little kids raised in that era have grown up knowing only what they saw and were taught—only to have children and pass on what they know. The U.S. evolved, but the prejudicial mindset of some did not. Those same people groan about reverse racism and other myths because they don’t understand how it feels to be a woman, with the same job as a man but still paid 79-percent less, or how it feels to be a black man, earning only 71-percent of what white men earn, according to the Economic Policy Institute or how it feels to be Mexican and labeled a “bad hombre” by the President.

Maybe you’re reading this and wondering why a white, 17-year-old girl living in a predominantly white community on an all-white newspaper staff is so apprehensive about a matter that some say shouldn’t even concern me. Well, it’s because all Americans are valued members of society, and they should be treated as such. And it’s not just African Americans that are considered “less than.” It’s all minorities, women and the LGBTQ community. Pretty much, it’s anyone that isn’t a white male. This country was built on diversity. When people of all descents and nationalities came to America it was because they were in search of a new life, jobs or a good place for their kids to grow up in, and it can still be that place.

We have come a long way. By law, we all have equal rights: everyone can marry, everyone can vote, etc. We didn’t have that 60 years ago! As far as equality has come, still not everyone is treated equally or even paid the same for the same positions. Underneath a –surprise—racist, white male president, we need to celebrate our differences. We can’t make America great again, because it was never great in the first place. The history of America is disturbing, filled with the mistreatment of people and terrible laws that prohibited human beings from having basic human rights. We will improve, but only if we allow ourselves to be more open-minded. But we’ll keep Oprah’s plan in our back pocket. As extreme as it is, the only way racism will really end is if racist people cease to exist.