In my previous Personal is Political blog, I briefly discussed the community around my father’s convenience store business and the opportunities for connections with others it has brought into my life. But just how deeply does community matter or influence a small business?

As I am sure you can imagine, the answer to this is a great deal. Although I am certain that you understand the overall scope of how important community can be, I want to pick it apart the way I did when trying to understand its influence. To bring it to a deeper level, let’s compare my father’s small business to a chain corporation business such as Wawa or Sheets. In almost every single business model, the main goal is to attract customers and get them to purchase your goods. Corporations like those, have millions of dollars worth of inventory and resources to help promote and run such large facilities. While I have no problem with these businesses, as I must admit I am a frequent Wawa goer myself, it becomes a problem for small businesses when these larger chains decide to add to their “monopolies” in places that are within just a few miles, maybe even blocks from locally owned businesses. I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that something like this can take a toll on one’s business, financial situation, and family.

Considering my father is only one person, with nowhere close to the same amount of funding and resources for his business as compared to bigger corporations, it becomes a battle that he can not fight alone. Within the past 5 years, we watched as traffic built up on Main Street and waited with worry as a Royal Farms convenience/gas store was built within about a 10-minute walk from my father’s small business. My family and I witnessed the upper hand these corporations had, but also the importance of connections and community. It became up to the local within the community of whether to continue to shop small businesses, or feed into the already wealthy corporations. Although there was still clear evidence of some lost business, it was those within the community who had stayed loyal and enjoyed the connections they made with my father and other workers that helped keep our spirit and business alive. I can confidently say that the loyalty, bonds, love, and connections that my father has made with those regular customers within the community are truly what keep his business up and running even to this day.

Every time I visit my father’s store, I too am greeted by customers who may recognize me but only remember me from when I was little, or may ask if I am the owners daughter since he always talks about me and people tend to say I look just like him. Sometimes I will overhear my father bickering with a customer and then sharing a laugh, since most consider him a friend as he does with them. I have even seen just how much the community care about my father and the business that has been up for decades. Every single time my father had a health scare or people thought he may be selling the business, those within the community would come to help or show support. I personal do not think many people will find these kinda of connections within bigger corporation businesses. Communities are what drive small businesses, inspire more innovation, and create deeper connections. I encourage you to try your best to shop small businesses within your community. And if you ever get the chance, don’t forget to spark some conversation with the owner, because chances are they are some really cool people and you never know, your connection could last a lifetime!

The United States. It’s a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and identities. It’s the only country in the world with such a large amount of diverse individuals interacting with one another. Immigrants from all across the world try to find their way to the states in their hunt for the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On paper, the United States is a country where people get to experience and learn about all different kinds of cultures while practicing and teaching others their own. In reality, however, this is not necessarily the case.

I am the daughter of an immigrant father who came from Pakistan in pursuit of the American Dream. I was fortunate enough to grow up eating ultra-flavorful and spicy, chicken, goat, lamb, or beef with rice dishes almost every night. I got to hear my father speak Urdu (one of the main languages spoken by Pakistanis), hear Muslim prayers from his phone, and witness what praying in his culture is like. Over the years I learned more and more about the Muslim religion. I learned how they only eat halal foods, do not eat pork, and can’t pray in front of a calendar that has animals on it. While all of these facts are still important to know, I have come to realize that they are very base level and I did not learn nearly enough information to help educate others and share my culture to its fullest extent. Now that I am older, I find myself frequently thinking about how I wish my father forced me to learn Urdu and more about the religion and culture. I know the culture will always be a part of who I am, but due to the lack of knowledge, it almost feels like a disconnect within my identity sometimes. I now have vowed to myself that I will learn more on my own, as I want to be able to proudly share and express the other side of my cultural identity.

Due to living in the United States my entire life, having an American mother, going to predominately white schools, and never being forced to learn Urdu or more about Pakistani culture, I can admit that I have almost fully assimilated into the American culture. It is not just me, however, as over the years I have seen both my father and older sister, who both felt very deeply about their culture and religion, start to disconnect or stray away from certain cultural values in favor of the “American way”. Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society’s majority group. In other worlds, they assimilate the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group whether fully or partially while leaving parts of their original culture behind. But why is this a civic issue exactly?

Image of the idea of what cultural assimilation looks like (how people assimilate to the majority)

Civic issues are ones that involve community concerns and/or citizenship inclusion or exclusion, in which the problem negatively affect the citizens within said community. Cultural assimilation directly concerns one’s community arguably in a negative way. Those who view it as a negative say it can contribute to a loss of cultural identity and history, have psychological effects on immigrants, cause increase discrimination and violence, and damage to minorities self-esteem and confidence. On the other end, those who support cultural assimilation claim that it decreases conflict, contributes to a more cohesive society, and provides and improves social and economic opportunities for minority individuals.

In this blog I will continue to dive deeper into the different sides of cultural assimilation as a civic issue, while also analyzing data I find to help share more neutral factual information. I will also add more of my own insight as someone who has experienced first hand to see if what I believe matches up with reality. I will also extend on ways in which we could change/add policy to either help stop assimilation or let it be. Now I wonder, how do you feel about cultural assimilation?

Cultural Assimilation Information

More Information

“I bet you get free stuff all the time” is something I have always heard once I share with people that my dad owns a convenience store, called Norristown Food Mart. I must admit, that this statement is true and I am beyond thankful for it. I will always remember those hot summer afternoons when my mom and younger me would drive up to the store, windows down, and music just loud enough that when we pulled into the parking spot we could still hear everyone that was sitting outside waiting to greet us. I, of course, would instantly run past the red barn-like swinging door to get behind the counter and start serving myself a fresh cup of mango water ice. All of the workers and regular customers would greet me as they came in, and sometimes I even got to scan items and scoop other kids’ water ice for them. I was always willing to help and I thoroughly enjoyed helping out around the store when I went to visit. But only after I finished eating the refreshing water ice, of course. What can I say, the younger me had priorities. Although most of my experiences at my dad’s store were pleasant, I was too young and naive to understand that it was not always sunshine and rainbows there.

My dad’s small business

As I got older, I began to understand more of the process and hard work that goes into owning a small business and the scary or serious events that took place there. I witnessed, first hand, how every single weekend my mom would devote her time off to go find the best deals of products to sell in the store so we could make the most profit. Or how my dad would work late nights and early mornings when he couldn’t get people to work, or even how he would come home and have to watch the store through the security cameras that were connected to his phone. Not to mention the countless times my parents told me of how they caught people stealing in the act or how the store windows got broken in at night because people were trying to get in.

I have seen the dedication, stress, frustration, and anxiety that owning a small business can have on an individual. I have also experienced how it affects a family both financially and mentally. I will admit, my family is beyond blessed enough to have everything we need. However, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been times were my family and I have had to worry about financials due to things like business being slow. Although I have seen the mental toll that this business has had on my dad, I also at times see how much it means to him and the positives he takes from it.

My dad has worked in and owned the business for a huge majority of his life, and is still doing it to this day. I have seen the positive impact the community members have had on him and how they appreciate him for everything he and his business has to offer them. Owning a small business has made my dad a sort of celebrity in this town. Lucky for me the town his store is located in, happens to be the place I was born. Although I have since moved out of the town, it is still only within a 25 minute drive from me and I still frequently visit when I get a chance. I will forever hold his store and the town in a special place in my heart no matter how far away I am from home. This just goes to show how much affect a small business can have on one family, and I hope to dive deeper into how it has affected the community around it as well.

Personal is Political= Shop Small Businesses

I chose to do this topic as my PP Blog because I have a strong personal connection to small businesses as my father has owned one for as long as I can remember. I would love to be able to share my insight on this matter as well as dig deeper into the facts and statistics behind why it is important. Small businesses are how some families pay for rent, food, or just survival in general. It’s important to know how much just choosing where to shop can actually change someone’s life.

Civic Issues= Cultural Assimilation in the United States

I chose to do this topic as my CI Blog because I come from a multicultural family in which my father is Pakistani and my mother is American. Ultimately, I was born in the United States, however, besides eating Pakistani foods or listening to my father speak I have never really learned much of the culture myself. I would love to give my insight into the idea behind cultures assimilating to the American culture when they immigrate over, and discuss how some parents/the younger generations of immigrants have stopped teaching/lost some of their original cultural values.

DRAFT: Friendship is something that almost every child cherishes with their whole heart,  whether it is with other kids their age or even imaginary ones. Even to this day, my views of friendship draw similarities to the exaggerated actions associated with childhood friendship. I would willingly slay any problematic dragon they faced and even share my most prized toys with them. 

As I started the third grade, my parents decided to uproot our lives and move to a new area where I knew no one. Luckily, however, I was quickly able to relate to a few of my peers and soon enough I had people asking me to sit with them at lunch and play superheroes with them at recess. As the years went on, one of these friendships stood out not only to me but even to my parents as well. 

What started as laughter, fun, and what I thought to be a positive friendship quickly turned sour as I was soon spending countless recesses and nights at home snuggling closer to my childhood blanket while streams of tears poured down my face. It was as if everything I did was a problem for my one friend. It felt as if I had a huge red and white circle target painted on the center of my face. I essentially became the target of her frustration, anger, or misery, even if other friends in our group acted or said the exact same things.

Much like how I am today, even at the ripe age of 7 years old I found myself being a naive, people pleaser, constantly asking myself what I was doing wrong and what I needed to change within myself to fix this problem. Add on my strong fear of not wanting to lose people, and of course, the thought of removing people from my life never seemed like an impossible option. 

Before I even knew it, what was once a few countless afternoons and nights, turned into a cycle, a routine for almost 6 years straight. An endless back and forth of her saying or doing something that made me upset, and yet me still being the one to apologize because the thought of losing any friend, regardless of how they were treating me was beyond detrimental. 

Then, on a random day in 8th grade, a new student with the same name as me was introduced to our class. At lunch, my friends and I decided to invite her out to a movie with us that coming weekend to get to know her more. However, that night I found out that my problematic friend had created a group chat without me. I instantly felt heartbroken and my immediate thought was that she was trying to replace me. 

It was as if someone reached their hand into the back of my brain and finally flipped the stuck, rusted switch that should have been flicked years ago. I finally decided that it was time to remove this friendship from my life. Although I did have some terrifying second thoughts about how our other friends would react, I just felt it was time that I moved on and reflected on the aspects of my life that were not benefitting me. 

I believe in stepping away from things that are not beneficial to you even if it scares you. Of course, I was terrified to step away from years of friendship, especially with how much I cherish it. However, I have learned that backing away from negative things, even though the change is scary, can truly help one see the positive aspects they should be accepting in their life. 

This I Believe Ideas

1. Change Is Good, Do Not Fear It    
   • I was challenged with moving to a different environment only twice in my life so far, and both have turned out for the positive. My first move was the most influential as when I was in the second grade, I moved from the town I was born in, Norristown, Pennsylvania, to where I currently live, Skippack, Pennsylvania. I was young at the time and very stubborn and persuasive since I did not want to transfer schools halfway through the year and leave my “friends”. I stayed there for that year but eventually transferred for third grade. I didn’t know it at the time, but the “friends” that I had at the Norristown school were never real friends to me. However, once transferred schools, I became instant friends with people that I still talk to very frequently. Although I was scared about the move, I would not have it any other way as I learned not to fear change but embrace it since positives will always come out of it.
2. Strong Community Is Beneficial
   • One of my best friend’s cousins and coincidentally my neighbor was a young adult who, over time, experienced the tragic loss of all of the adult figures that lived with him. Due to his dependence on these figures, he and his brother could not afford the funeral of their grandfather. So, they set up a GoFundMe in the hope of raising enough money to pay for the costs and when they were about $800 away from their goal, the neighbor across the street from them donated the rest of the money. Due to the strength of my community, we were able to let this family grieve without having to worry about financial costs. This is just one way a community can be beneficial and can help change the lives of one individual/family, but when a community is strong it is beneficial to everyone who is a part of it.

Personal is Political Blog Ideas 

1. Shop Small Businesses
   • My dad owns a small business, so I am personally affected when people choose to buy from bigger corporations instead. I would be able to share my family’s and I’s perspectives on this matter and how shopping small can change someone life and even build stronger community.
2. Volunteering at Cradles to Crown/Other Places
   • Story of this takes place when I was younger and I volunteered with my mom and friend to put together different clothing outfits or shop around for items that people needed. Although I was young at the time and having fun, I was still old enough to understand the good in what I was doing, which promoted me to want to help people even more. I would be able to shed light on what I learned through this experience and those I had similar to it.

Civic Issues Blog Ideas 

1. What does multiculturalism imply about assimilation, acculturation, and what happens to the cultural identities of people of other nationalities when they emigrate to the U.S.?
   • This would focus on the idea of cultures assimilating and in some case adapting the American way of life and leaving parts of their original culture behind. This his very close to home for me personally as my father is from Pakistan, however, since I was born in America and my parents never really taught me much culture, I have and I see parts of my dad have accepted certain aspects of the American way of life.
2. Do public schools teach the “Americanized version of history” and avoid teaching the hard truth?
   • This would focus on the idea that most American history classes teach a sensitized version of what our history actually was. People point out that most history classes and textbooks seem to paint American in a more positive and heuristic light than what was actually true. I went to an American public school and after learning more information at college, I was able to see first hand how these history classes brush past a lot of the more gruesome and negative things that were carried out by Americans.