As Americans we aren’t unfamiliar to stress caused by the topic of politics. Division is nothing new to elections, and this one has been particularly contentious. However, it’s been getting out of hand at WSU.

In guest columns and letters to the editor, College Republicans are accused of being bullies and standing for white supremacy, highlighting many of the reasons why I and many other conservative students will be standing together in the coming weeks for the Trump Wall.

These pieces show a real and growing problem, not just at colleges but American society — ideological bigotry.

I, the son of Mexican immigrants, am no stranger to bigotry. I have been bullied and profiled because of my race, yet the judgement I receive because of my political beliefs, as a proud conservative, has been far more oppressing to me because we conservatives are shown no sympathy.

We’ve kept our beliefs and voices silent to avoid the glares, prejudice, and the slanderous accusations of racism, sexism and all other pejorative labels which make us social outcasts.

We aren’t silent anymore. I leave with a quote from famous WSU alumnus, Edward R. Murrow:

“We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men — not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.”