If we told you we knew a way for you to end racism, would you listen?

We’ll admit it. We don’t have a new, magical cure to ending racism. We’ve been searching for ways to stop such hatred all year, especially in light of the racial tension that has surfaced this semester at Kent State.

Racism is such a massive issue that it is impossible to dissect in a day, a year or a century.

Sometimes racism can be very intimidating and may leave many people feeling as though they can do nothing to change it. It’s important to remember no fight to combat racism is in vain. Ending hatred has to start somewhere.

One particular effort is starting here at Kent State.

This weekend, Kent Anti-Racist Action will host a conference to educate about racism and other forms of bigotry. This national event will bring people from as far as Philadelphia, Houston and Portland, Ore. who want to take part in stopping racism.

Anti-Racist Action hopes to get both the Kent State community and the city of Kent involved with its efforts. The event will include two days of workshops, including lectures about homophobia, women’s liberation, police brutality, immigration and sexual assault.

The conference will close on Oct. 22, the national day for police brutality awareness. Anti-Racist Action will have a rally against racism and a march for police brutality awareness on that day.

Harambee will take part in the rally as hosts of an open mic night focused on fighting racism.

We have spent the school year encouraging students to be aggressive in battling the hatred of this world. We’ve spoken out against bigotry and encouraged students to be proactive in ending it.

Now is your chance to do something.

We hope everyone who can attend this conference will do so. One of the first steps in ending racism is understanding it.

Anti-Racist Action is one of many groups on campus that has worked to bring an open dialogue on race to the Kent area, and they deserve to be heard. They may have some helpful ideas for student activists, especially student groups.

There has been unrest on campus from concerned students and faculty who feel the racial climate at Kent State is worse than ever. Now is the perfect time to do something about it.

It is important to remember that every action against racism doesn’t have to be reactionary.

It’s not enough to care about stopping racism because of Jena Six or because of a vandalized campus sign. This nation has a tendency to get wound up over particular cases of racism, but forget about them weeks later.

A noose can be taken down, and a sign can be replaced. The hatred symbolized by such acts still remains but is often forgotten. It is refreshing to see groups address racism just because of the issue’s importance.

If you attend this conference, you’ll be one less person who is uninformed and one more person who acknowledges the racial problems on this campus and in this nation.

Maybe we didn’t give you a magical cure for racism, but getting involved is a good start.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board, whose members are listed to the left.