Given the hostile atmosphere encompassing people of color, I have become increasingly worried for my family's livelihood. I am the only one, in my family of five, with a U.S citizenship. A U.S citizenship is taken for granted by so many people and it is a must in this country's social and economic infrastructure. Without it, my family has been through many hardships when it comes to jobs and travel. Especially now, given the recent political climate when it comes to immigration, I question why I am lucky enough to have a U.S citizenship. I never really thought about my place in this world until I was introduced to the various prejudices society has placed on my culture. I thought I was a normal kid, I get good grades in school, and I enjoy
video games. However, once I found out about the hate that comes when people do not like your complexion or your native tongue, I became infuriated. Then I became confused when my complexion was seen as valuable to schools. Many schools preach diversity, maybe equality but never equity. I am always judged based on where I come from, and that is the case for many people. It has just always stumped me that judgment can be a double-edged sword because on one hand it has oppressed cultures for generations but it is what has shaped me as a person. I would not be where I am today as a person were it not for my people’s history, the people with bronze skin, and on sleepless nights that is what I think about. The history of a people whose lands were taken and their blood spilled on the fertile fields they cultivated. It is what keeps me up at night because it is scary to think about history repeating itself. I do not want to see my people ripped from their homes again. The motherland is no longer home, they are foreign to it, because of the systematic uprooting they went through. For those who are still attached to it because of family, it has become next to impossible to see their home away from home. They cannot leave the U.S in fear of never being able to return to their home in the U.S. Is it really a matter of national security and economic recession? Or, is it just years of racism that has clouded the judgment of the American people and that is what keeps me up at night.
In Marcelo M. Suarez- Orozco and Carola Suarez- Orozco’s article “How Immigrants became “other” Marcelo and Carola reference the hardships and struggles of undocumented immigrants while at the same time argue that no human being should be discriminated as an immigrant. There are millions of undocumented people that risk their lives by coming to the United States all to try and make a better life for themselves. These immigrants are categorized and thought upon as terrorist, rapists, and overall a threat to Americans. When in reality they are just as hard working as American citizens. This article presents different cases in which immigrants have struggled to try and improve their life in America. It overall reflects on the things that immigrants go through. Immigrants come to the United States with a purpose and that is to escape poverty. It’s not simply crossing the border and suddenly having a great life. These people lose their families and go years without seeing them all to try and provide for them. They risk getting caught and not surviving trying to make it to the other side. Those that make it often don’t know where to go as they are unfamiliar. They all struggle and every story is different, but to them it’s worth the risk. To work the miserable jobs that Americans won’t. “I did not come to steal from anyone. I put my all in the jobs I take. And I don’t see any of the Americans wanting to do this work” (668). These
Many immigrant and minority narratives concentrate their efforts on the positive side of the American dream. These particular stories narrate a person's struggle and rise through the ranks of the Am6rican hierarchy focusing on the opportunities that seem to abound in this country. While these stories are well and good. they do seem to soft peddle the flip side of this country's attitude toward the immigrant and minority. America is a land of milk and honey and opportunity, but unfortunately most new officiates or unwilling participants in the American culture face an American nightmare that leaves its effects on the individuals, families and cultures for generations to come. America has its own deeply seated prejudices and stereotypes of people from outside its walI5 and these prejudices force some immigrants and minorities either to abandon former cultural ties in order to assimilate or to strap on the baldric of equality that changes their lives forever.
On the first day I was in middle school, the teacher let every student introduce him/herself. I was so excited to let others know me. When it was my turn, I went up and started introducing myself and sharing my stories. Students were interested in and concentrate on what I was saying. However, when I talked about my hobbies, a lot of students were laughing and seem thought I was unreasonable. I said my hobbies were shooting game and making building models. At that time I feel disappoint and sad because I didn’t know what’s wrong with my hobbies and why students laughed at
The American Dream! The vision that gets sold that a life in the US is a wonderful dream! For many undeveloped countries around the world, the United States is seen as the land of the opportunity. The land where hard work will be rewarded and all goals can be achieved. However the real United States is not as wonderful as it seems for an immigrant, specially an illegal immigrant. It is no doubt minorities in the United States are discriminated and somehow targeted. Lets take for example the popular Arizona Senate Bill 1070, better known as SB 1070. The law became so controversial and popular at the same time, multiple states adopted its own version of it. The goal? “Make neighborhoods safe” by deporting all illegal immigrants (Eagly). Mass
I remember the first time I came to America; I was 10 years old. Everything was exciting! From getting into an airplane, to viewing magnificent, huge buildings from a bird’s eye view in the plane. It was truly memorable. After staying few days at my mother’s house, my father and I wanted to see what Dallas looks like. But because my mother was working the whole day, it wasn’t convenient for her to show us the area except only on Sundays. Finally, we went out to the nearby mall with my mother. My father and I were astonished after looking at a variety of stores. But after looking at different stores, we were finally tired and hungry, so we went into McDonald’s. Not being familiar with fast food restaurants, we were curious to try American
Imagine yourself in a life of poverty. No healthcare, earning low wages in poor working conditions. This is the life of an illegal immigrant, surprisingly, in the United States of America. What, exactly, is an immigrant? According to the World Almanac of U.S. Politics 1997, “Not subject to any numerical limitation, immigrants [are] classified as immediate relatives (spouses, parents, or natural children) of U.S. citizens; returning permanent resident aliens; certain former U.S. citizens; and certain long-term U.S. government employees” (Wagman). The fear stemmed from being caught as an illegal immigrant hinders every decision of his livelihood, from education to employment—their whole lives are affected in a negative manner. No one needs to live that way. The solution, however, is not to simply accept every willing immigrant freely, but to give all foreigners a more fair and reasonable chance of becoming a citizen of the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Strict enforcement of a more streamline verification process by the government in supervising legal immigration is needed to continue America’s evolution culturally and economically with the addition of individuals from foreign nations trying to properly enter the United States of America.
I am an immigrant, which I sometimes view as a privilege and other times not so much. It felt wonderful when my relatives were kind to my family because we got our visas to come to the United States. I was born in Bangladesh in a small village in my tiny house. Not the typical story you hear from many of my peers. My birth is very important to me, not because I ever celebrated my birthday. It wasn’t until I came to the United States that I realized that people actually celebrates their birthdays, but I never argued about celebrating because I knew my parents were not aware of birthday parties and because we were always financially unstable. My desire to have a birthday party made me realize that my family was economically inferior.
I am an immigrant well, kind of; I wasn 't born here, but then again I wasn 't raised anywhere else. My parents brought me over when I was a child so they would be the immigrants since they made the decision to come here; I was kind of brought along. The year was 1994, I was 3(three) years old and my family and I had just been offered the opportunity to come to the U.S. my parents took it leaving everything behind. We were one of the lucky ones; our process was clean and simple. My dad worked for a religious organization, the Seventh Day Adventist Union in the Dominican Republic, as a canvasser; he sold books related to health and ministry. I don’t remember anything about those early years, but from that young age my life was impacted by the
Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a “melting pot”, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a “come one, come all” kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants, with the first and most important law passed being the Chinese Exclusion Act. However, the discrimination the Chinese immigrants so harshly received was not rightly justified or deserved. With all of their contributions and accomplishments in opening up the West, they were not so much harming our country but rather helping it.
Citizenship Once said by Charles Handy, "Citizenship is the chance to make a difference to the place where you belong". This quote explains that whether you are legal or not you can make a change. Immigrants make a huge impact in the United States and affects everything and everyone around us. Sadly, the world we live in now, revolves around whether someone is a citizen or not. Citizenship is flawed because of the way certain races are viewed in the United States.
Sophie de Lavanderya March 15, 2024 In-Class Essay: Immigration Beyond Assimilation: The Immigrant Tapestry in America Amidst the narratives of race, ethnicity, and language that define the American socio-culture, the experiences of immigrant groups occupy a compelling space. As the designated destination for the American Dream, the United States remains a melting pot for immigrants' hope, struggles, and transformation. This exchange is profoundly captured in literary works such as “The Meaning of Citizenship” by Woodrow Wilson and “Black Eyed Women,” as well as “On Being a Refugee,” both by Viet Thanh Nguyen. The complex interplay of race, ethnicity, and language fundamentally shapes the reception of immigrant groups in the United States, with various historical periods reflecting differing societal
America has one of the most diverse cultures in the world. In fact, it is impossible to define an American as one race or religion because of our immense diversity. Being an American in such a diverse culture means to be conscientious and respectful of everyone’s rights and opinions. Ronald Reagan felt that equality is something that our nation cannot lose or else we will all fall. He says, “If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.” Immigrants travel to America seeking refuge and safety, and once Lady Liberty greets them from her pedestal, they know they have reached a place free of judgement. Without immigrants, America wouldn’t be what America is today. Even a few of our founding fathers and highly respected government officials were immigrants. Everyone who lives in America unlocks the right to equality. The Great Seal of America, as displayed throughout our country, reads “E pluribus unum”. This translates to “From many, one”. Proving that no matter your race, religion, skin color, or ancestry, we are all one under this mighty nation, protected by
African American people have been oppressed for hundreds of years. Slavery was a significant time period when African/African American individuals endured massive oppression, which refers to the feeling of being deprived of their human rights and dignity (Reed, 2016). Knowing that my ancestors had to conceal their feelings along with their cultural values, makes me feel more entitled to express my ethnic identity as an African American woman. My ethnic identity has increase my sense of belongingness because it gives me the ability to share and live amongst individuals with the same physical appearance and in some cases, the same obstacles. Society has placed its’ social norms on modern day women, which allows men to make more for the same labor, or that stop successful women from achieving their goals by installing the glass ceiling. However, there is a higher increase of risk for African American women, such as decrease in the male head of household, along with urbanization. Which caused African American women to work long hours that resulted in a devastating shift in the family structure (Reed, 2016). Past, present and current experiences of African American women is why my ethnic identity is so important to me, because it is used as a constant reminder of the struggles that I have to overcome for my daughter and the generation after
My heart was pounding as I boarded my flight leaving the Bangkok International Airport. A flight attendant in a grey dress with a red bow draped over her shoulder announced; “Welcome aboard flight AA350 to the United States.” My journey began that day.
But should I? The school day ended and I found myself home alone in my room. I listened to that one song on the radio that I did like, I watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and I bought books with queer main characters online. Music, emotional tv shows about doctors, and queer literature contribute greatly to my personality.