About five months already into the year, and our nation is still as divided as ever. Beginning with the storming of the Capitol building on January 6th, the United States has been under constant attack from within by its own people. This past month alone has seen an astonishingly large number of mass shootings, motivated mainly by race or ethnic differences. In all honesty, I am so sick and tired of seeing DIFFERENCES be the motivating factor in hurting others. How long will it take us to realize we are all AMERICANS. At the end of the day we live in the same nation, work alongside one another, and most importantly want to feel safe and secure. Politics have drastically changed to the point where I, a political science major, am sickened to put on the news and hear about how those representing the American people have acted in the most un-American way. I am all for freedom of speech and the freedom to believe in what you please. But endorsing violence against colleagues or fueling hatred between political parties is absolutely unacceptable. We must do better not only for ourselves, but for our children too. It is sad to admit, but this past year my friends and I have discussed on numerous occasions how frankly scared we are to bring children into this absurdly broken world. 

The reality is that despite being born a Latina, my paler complexion means I don’t have to worry about the same things my younger siblings do. I hardly ever have to worry about police interaction or being racially profiled, however this is a real threat to my brother who has a much darker skin pigmentation than I. And if by chance my own children are handed this dark complexion by genetics, I will worry if a simple traffic stop could lead to an escalated confrontation. 

I often hear that the United States is a “melting pot,” but a teacher in high school provided me with a different perspective that has me disagreeing with this phrase. She said, “the United States has and will continue to be a mixed salad.” When I first heard that I was astonished, but upon further consideration, I realized she couldn’t be more right. We are not a country filled with people that lose what makes them unique upon entrance. In fact, we are the opposite. Immigrants are what makes the United States the United States. In a mixed salad, the vegetables stay what they are. The carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers don’t all of a sudden change themselves to become one vegetable. Their unique textures, tastes, scents, and shapes, come together to make what we call a salad. That is exactly what makes our nation so great. We don’t try to erase each other’s differences and backgrounds. Instead, we embrace them completely. Ethnic enclaves such as Little Italy or China Town are evidence of us not only respecting but appreciating the diversity in our country. 

Through seeing my own grandparents and great aunt struggle with assimilating in the US, I know that we can do better as a nation in providing a smoother transition for immigrants. Because they were fairly young when emigrating from Colombia, it was slightly easier to learn English and become accustomed to American ideals and traditions. I also know that having children and now grandchildren to help with translations or to understand things has certainly aided them as they’ve gotten older and forgotten the language a bit. However, it’s important to think about the immigrants who never had any family members here to help with their own assimilation. At the end of the day, English is the dominant language in the United States, meaning in order to really thrive here, one must master or at the very least, learn the language. Something that didn’t surprise me was that “about 26 percent of Americans who said they frequently or sometimes come into contact with immigrants who speak little or no English say that it bothers them” (Pew Research Center). While on the lower end of percentages, this statistic only proves that many Americans expect immigrants to either be familiar with already or learn English upon entry to the US. 

What I find to be truly ironic are the politicians that ardently deny any evidence of racism or systemic oppression occurring in our country. Specifically, it is leaders like Lindsey Graham, who promote the false narrative that America has no racists, that hinder any hope of healing. The first step in fixing a problem is actually acknowledging it exists! Whether one wants to admit it or not, Black Americans ARE being outright killed by police. We can’t keep hoping the last death will be the last, instead there needs to be immediate change made. Why are innocents being blatantly targeted for their differences in a nation that is built upon the differences of its people? There is no authentic “American” culture. Our culture is built brick by brick on the backs of people coming to America seeking a better life for themselves and/or their families. By blending, mixing, and incorporating the cultural aspects that many have brought with them from their native countries, we have beautifully created a shared American identity: something not defined by a specific ethnicity or race, but defined by a shared dream and love for the nation. 

 

Pew Research Center, “Shifting Public Views on Legal Immigration into the U.S.,” June 28, 2018.

Cole, Devan. “Graham Denies Systemic Racism Exists in US and Says ‘America’s Not a Racist Country’.” CNN, Cable News Network, 25 Apr. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/04/25/politics/lindsey-graham-systemic-racism-america/index.html.