A California school denied a Clovis High School senior the privilege to walk at graduation after rejecting his request to wear a feather in his cap.

Christian Titman saw his feather as a native symbol of accomplishment, as it is in the Pit River Tribe. The Clovis Unified School District, however, saw the feather as a falter in a strict dress code including the prohibition of stoles, leis, rosaries and necklaces, according to an ABC News article.

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) estimated that about 3.3 million high schools students graduated this year.

The idea that even one student was denied their constitutionally protected right of free expression is deplorable, ignorant and merits nothing save infuriation. Titman fought for a simple and ever so elegant form of religious expression, but he should not have had to.

A United States Department of Education report showed that “For the first time ever, white students are the minority, according to USA Today.” The article continued that white students in schools would decrease from 50 percent in 2013 to about 45 percent in 2022.

A decrease in white students links to a greater diversity in education. A greater diversity in education equates to increased ideas, interactions and, most importantly, an understanding of the myriad facets of culture, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as “The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social groups.”

The vilest aspect about the interaction with Titman and the California school district is that the incident is not isolated and injustices like the aforementioned happen every year across the United States.

King 5 News reported that a graduating senior in Lakewood, Washington – Waverly Wilson – was forfeiting her privilege to walk during graduation should she violate rule number seven of the ceremony guidelines: “no decorations or modifications are allowed on cords, caps or gowns.”

In the King 5 article, Wilson said, “’It’s about honoring ancestors, it is about honoring who I am.’”

Wilson thoughts resonate with the entire native community and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who fought for Titman in California.

It is important to note that the United States, although historically slow to change, is getting to the point of acceptance and molding their curriculum to include multicultural education.

Kenneth T. Henson’s book “Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform,” explains that teachers must aid student, regardless of their circumstances. He said: “For example 11 percent of our students are English Language Learners. English language learners require additional classes to prepare them … but that alone won’t meet their needs.”

Essentially, Henson is saying that what we are doing in enough, but just barely enough.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s future, and a diverse and multicultural future at that. Ideally, not only education, but also all cultural interactions will transform to fit the growing diversity of the students around it.