WE are a Nation of Immigrants
- Eduardo Alvarado
- 1 mar 2018
- 2 Min. de lectura
In case you haven’t noticed, the current Administration and Homeland Security is working to change the narrative on Immigration. Instead of acknowledging and honoring our rich history of immigration in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security has changed its official Mission Statement. Just taking this small step on re-framing the purpose of DHS is offensive. Unless you are Native American, you are probably a descendant of immigrants. Let’s talk about a few important immigrants who make this a “Nation of Immigrants”.
How about a Russian immigrant by the name of Sergey Brin, who attended Stanford University and co-founded Google. That’s right — Google — that none of us can live without every single day - using it for work and for searches about famous and important immigrants!
One of my favorite immigrants would be Joni Mitchell, the Canadian songwriter who is one of the most influential female musicians of the 20th century. Where would we be without her beautiful music? Not as good.
Just to give you another strong, influential and brilliant female immigrant who helped shape our country, remember the Czechoslovakian first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.
My point is that we ARE a nation of immigrants. People from all over the world want to come to the U.S. and experience our freedom and the richness of life here in the U.S. In my work, I often see families who have sacrificed to make a life here and who have worked like crazy to provide for their families and succeed.
Immigrants are our strength, and in my opinion, we need to acknowledge the contributions and embrace the fact that people want to come and build a better life here. It makes sense - economic sense. Stephen Vincent Benet said “Remember that when you say ‘I will have none of this exile and this stranger, for his face is not like my face and his speech is strange,’ you have denied America with that word.”
If you would like to get involved in advocating for better immigration laws, please contact me through AIRRKC on Facebook.
