AS IMMIGRANTS OBTAIN THEIR CITIZENSHIP THEY ARE FACED WITH THIS DILEMMA
As an immigrant myself, I can speak of the difficulties and the rejection one faces if one does not blend in. But that is very different than becoming completely “assimilated” as many would want us to be.
I will tell you why I don’t think that is realistic nor is it possible. To some Americans, those who hold xenophobic, anti-immigrant and racist feelings, it is not possible for any person from another culture or born outside of the U.S. to become American enough for them.
Never mind that some of us even hold college degrees and can speak, read and write the English language better than the majority of Americans, that will not suffice…in their minds we are still intruders, foreigners and evil…it does not make any difference how hard we work, how much we accomplish, we will never be either white enough, or American enough; we will not even qualify as human beings to them.
As a youngster I faced this challenge and I tried my best to rid myself of the accent, often reading for hours into a tape recorder and playing it back, but my accent remained and although not as heavy, I could never “pass” as a native English speaker. Mind you, we were not economic immigrants looking for opportunities, we were political refugees going into an unwanted exile.
I had children and I spoke to them in both languages…it might interest those who are xenophobic to know that my children rejected their Hispanic heritage and at one point didn’t even want to speak Spanish; it is a phenomena that happens a lot. But eventually they too realized that knowing another language was an asset and although they don’t embrace my culture as dearly as I do, they are not ashamed of it either as some of these racists would want them to be.
To some of these people the fact that I was born 90 miles too far to the South is a point they will never let me forget. As for myself, I fail to see why being born on this or the other side of a body of water makes you superior or inferior. That is basically where I stand today. There is no logical reason why these people should have these hateful, bigoted ideas. I condemn them and reject them, it is not something America should be proud of nor should we support something like the Arizona law. These are but feeble attempts to pander to the right-wing racists who are for the most part the base of the Republican Party.
The same is true in my view with the issue of sexual orientation; I don’t see why some of these people think they are better or will be “saved” because and only because they insert a penis into a vagina.
The issue here is not whether meritocracy is alive and well in America…because it has been my experience that as long as I was cleaning floors and serving tables I had absolutely no problems…I was a servant, a lower class human being. My problems really started once I had those precious college degrees and I began to compete in the market place where I met so many glass ceilings. Yet, regardless of all this, I would be willing to give my life for this country.
So, my advice to my Latino brothers and sisters is: don’t sweat it too much, you may want to adapt and to blend in, but don’t abandon your culture, your food, your music, your language because at the end of the day, once you have done all that those racist xenophobes will not accept you anyhow.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ledum D. Ndaanee poses with President Barack Obama holding the "Outstanding American by Choice" award re received from the president during a ceremony at the White House, April 23, 2010.
PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/k18NanLRgJc/Children+Attend+Citizenship+Ceremony+Virginia
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jun/19/refugees-take-citizenship-oath-tampa-ceremony/
http://www.defense.gov/DODCMSShare/NewsStoryPhoto/2010-04/scr_100423-D-0055L-003a.jpg