This isn’t the first time I’ve written about interracial issues. In October I described the stereotyping and hurtful words that are often directed at my boyfriend and I as an interracial couple.

Alpha Delta Gamma and Alpha Phi Alpha hosted “Coffee and Cream” Feb. 13 to discuss interracial relationships   — the stereotypes, the difficulties and the negative feedback. The event was the first open-floor discussion I’ve covered as a reporter, and I thought it went remarkably well.

One question asked by student Martika Finklea left me wondering, though.

“As people were talking about how this should change, for students both black and white, what are we going to do?”

Honestly, I feel the answer wasn’t thoroughly discussed. It was left at “do your research.”

Later that week, I worked with Staff Writer Mari Williams on a story about Black History Month wherein the professors interviewed encouraged researching cultures and celebrating not only African-American culture, but all cultures all the time.

The fact is, everyone likes history, whether they know it or not.

Are you interested in fashion? You probably have researched the history of Vera Wang, Coco Chanel and Kofi Ansah.

Are you interested in Tumblr? You’re hard-pressed to avoid posts about understanding different cultures through photo projects and personal testimonials.

Are you interested in your job? Every person that you talk to and every memory you make is contributing to history. You’re living history. And the more research you do, the more powerful those memories are going to be.

I encourage you to type in something you’re interested on Wikipedia then click on the blue, underlined words until you’re stuck in a spiral of learning. Know everything you can about what you love, and I can guarantee you the subject has crossed cultures a few times. Learn about those cultures — what went well and what went wrong. Read other people’s intercultural experiences and then apply those changes to your own life.

As the final editorial of the month of February, I think it’s important to note that students should embrace Black History Month. However, they should also embrace Native American history, European history, Asian history and South American history. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to learning about one culture, but rather allow ourselves to be amazed by what we can learn from everyone around us, regardless of skin color or cultural history.

Because knowledge isn’t just power. Knowledge is life.