Laquetta Shepard said she never intended to be brave.

She never intended to single-handedly end the Ku Klux Klan rally last weekend.

But in the end, she did.

Since the Klan rally, she has become an inspiration to people not only on the Hill, but across the state.

It’s a lesson we could all stand to learn.

Shepard said when she woke up on Saturday morning, she hadn’t planned on going to the rally.

She ended up going out of curiosity.

When she stepped out of her car, she heard the word “nigger” and began to cry.

The word stung.

She joined the protesters. But it wasn’t enough.

She entered the Ku Klux Klan area and stood among the people who hated her most.

As she stood in the middle of them, they said a prayer for white supremacy.

The rally ended five minutes after she entered their side.

She spoke with her mere presence – silence.

Shepard has shown strength and bravery in the face of ignorance and is an inspiration to all of us.

We often see things we think are wrong, yet we don’t say or do anything. We just let it happen.

Maybe next time, we’ll think about it.

We won’t let the moment pass us by.

Maybe we’ll be more like Shepard.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member board of student editors.