We Are All America

By Cristian Nungaray Ruvalcaba / Winter 2020

“But today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change” - Martin Luther King, The World House

Freedom, happiness and equality should resonate in our ears as we hear the name of the proclaimed greatest country of the world, America. Its famous welcoming American dream inspires individuals from all over the world to make the journey to the land of the imaginable. The land of opportunities, where nothing is impossible. The land where no one is left behind. Where hard work buys you a ticket for boarding the limitless train of success. There is much to say about this great country, however, different souls tell different stories. Equality is a virtue that we all can agree must define and live in every great country, thus it is right to ask, does equality thrive among our country's Immigrant population?. With the use of my personal experiences through the immigration system, I hope to answer such a question.

I was born in the United States in 1995 and since then I have taken for granted what many, including my mother, have suffered to obtain. For her and many more, I was lucky enough to have been born in a country of opportunities and dreams; where one could achieve anything with hard work and dedication. She is one of many immigrants who entered the country illegally, with hopes of a better life. Escaping from violence and economic hardship in her native land, she decided to do the impossible; climb and walk for several days across mountains and desert. Many citizens of the country will argue that my mother does not belong here and did wrong by trespassing international borders, insisting that she should have applied for “papers” instead. Just like my mother, many are forced to make a decision between staying in their hometown while living in poor conditions or to make the dangerous journey to the land of opportunities while running the risk of dying in the process. The risk of death however vanishes quickly from their mind, for which they have been already dying while living. Those who survive the journey, arrive at the famous three walls surrounding America composed of tall metal pillars almost impossible to climb. Meant to cut open the flesh of the brave, the peaks have sharp pointed ends and barbed wire coiled around it. The walls are tinted in red from the blood spilled from our brothers and sisters seeking for nothing more than a better life. Children from all ages captured at the border are permanently separated from their families and placed captive in cages like animals. Reporter Zolan Kanno while conducting a report for New Yort times states “​Children were going unfed and unwashed, crammed into overcrowded cells with contagious diseases” . ​They are held hostage in a country that goes to war to preach democracy yet it cannot preach it at home. We as a country have taken an oath to protect and propagate to every corner of the globe the principles of democracy. Principles that we as a nation of wise role models believe are the foundation to the survival of a just world.

Let us not forget that since the beginning of the birth of our great democratic country, America has been a land of immigrants. From the first illegal settlement into the “new world” done by the adventurous voyage of pilgrims, to the current family running through the desert in hopes of a better life, we are all America. The successful flourishment of the country is a fruit harvested by millions of immigrant hands working collectively to create what we called today “The greatest country in the world”. Let me ask, how can a country built by the sweat and bodies of those from another land, can be so hostile towards its innovators, its creators? “Go back to your country” echoes in the ears of the so-called “trespassers”, yet America could be their only memory. Some might not be American by birth but they are by heart. Immigrants, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity or immigrant status must face day after day social inequalities, racism, segregation and hostility. We have come to an era where systematic discrimination lives in a society of the blind. How can such aggression towards our people coexist among us, yet we believe in the fundamentals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I find it sickening and depressing that ironically, immigrants just like my mother are only seen as a pair of working hands, and not as a full entity of itself. Their bodies become unfortunate and their existence becomes cheap labor. It is depressing to observe how immigrants of this great country, regardless of citizenship status, are threatened and assaulted in various ways on a daily basis, yet their existence is essential to the growth and development of the country. But let us analyse the how, when and why have we taken this absurd path that has driven the country into an anti-immigrant land.

The topic of immigrant discrimination, in contrary to what many believe being a modern social issue, roots further back in history than what we think. Starting since the first arrival into the new world, the colonizers sought for the need of hands to work their promised land. The first invited immigrants of the new country surprisingly, did not have to apply for legal entrance into the land, instead they were granted sponsored working visas, shiny and heavy, visas in the form of chains. Slavery was brought into the United States and with it the establishment of an abrupt Hierarchy. System in which the immigrant working hands of the nation aside of its vital role, are given the physical and spiritual chains of discrimination and inferiority. This marked the beginning of the social struggle between the “us” the locals and the “them”, the essential outsiders. As the country continued to rapidly grow so did the need for more cheap working hands. Impulsated by the industrial revolution and the economic growth of the nation, more immigrants from all over the globe were invited to the promised land with hopes of a better life, enriched in opportunities and equality. Upon their arrival however, a greed-oriented discriminatory system awaited at the front door, breaking them apart, isolating them from each other with means of indoctrinating the law of the land of “us vs them” the law against equality but social competition, the law of greed over morality. They came face to face to what continues to perish in our modern times, the same hierarchy that enslaved the Africans, the same hierarchy that divided the nation apart, the same hierarchy that invited the masses to build this great country to later antagonize them as the intruders of the nation.

This rooted structure composed of social oppression is what continues today to marginalize the minority community in the United States. Ironically, the word immigrant, regardless of being born in America, is synonymous with being Mexican, Asian, African, Arab ​or those perceived to look foreign born​. So I must ask, How many generations does it take to become American? After how many generations can the minority community be granted the equality that comes with being an American? But how exactly are immigrants being discriminated against? Cecilia Ayon, a UCRiverside scholar in her research focused on marginalized groups states “​Immigrants experience discrimination in work places (e.g., exploitation, immigration raids), housing (e.g., residential segregation), and access to and quality of healthcare​"​. As stated, immigrants face social inequality and discrimination throughout all aspects of social life. They are not just placed in the bottom of the hierarchy but are constantly oppressed to suppress their ability to escalate the social class. But why does The United States, having such a large history of immigrant population, continue to be so hostile toward their working people?. A possible answer comes from ​Political scientist Nicholas Sambanis,​ “ ​Opposition toward immigration can be due to economic reasons because of competition for jobs or due to the perceived cultural threat that immigrants pose to their host country by challenging dominant norms and changing the national identity,". The statement of Sambanis supports my idea that there exists a strong notion of “ us vs them” in which we constantly fear from the outsiders. We as a society in the United States have been indoctrinated into believing that social competition benefits the country by creating a society hungry in personal success, and although it can be beneficial for a few, it also prevents us as a society to work collectively and succeed as a whole. Oppression and discrimination is a byproduct of a society where greed and material wealth is highly valued. Our cheap accessible goods have brought many beneficial things to our country, such as families can enjoy a variety of choices from the food, clothing, and technology industries however we haven't stopped and ask if those manufacturing our goods are given an adequate pay and essential benefits. We are too busy riding the train of material wealth that we have forgotten to care if our brothers and sisters at the manufacturing production line can also afford the same products they manufacture. By not asking these questions we are participants of allowing discrimination to coexist in our society. The immigrant population occupies a large or the majority of the service sector which is the lowest paid and valued in our society. However ironically, they are as essential as any other profession in the workforce. Unfortunately they are antagonized and seen as intruders which have a negative impact in their health, education, work and social life. In a democratic country, equality is a highly valued virtue that should be rejoiced by everyone in the nation regardless of place of origin, gender, or citizen status etc. in general it should be a right for everyone in the nation with no exceptions.

In being able to transform the country into a welcoming land to the masses, we must learn to accept the fact that we are all America. We must love our brothers and sisters from another land and offer them the same opportunities as any other person. We must come in solidarity with our immigrant population and grant them what our democracy preaches, which is fairness, human dignity, human rights and social justice.

We must learn from our differences and appreciate each other's culture and traditions. We as a society of the common good must come together and demand dignity and equality for everyone. Regardless of your race, ethnicity, skin color or gender, equality should be a social right we all must defend as one. It doesn’t benefit one over the other, it destroys the chains of discrimination and oppression that many must carry everyday of their life. That person could be you. It is possible to overcome the fears of the outsiders by seeing ourselves in them. Let's place ourselves in their shoes, see their life from their perspective and not from what we are told. Professor Nial Twohig in his peace called “The World We Want” encapsulated what a society ruled by morality and ethics would offer to society, in particular he states “​We want to live in a society where...we see everybody as brothers and sisters.....people get along and don’t want to hurt each other.” In general such should be norm in which we all love each other more than we love material wealth or power, until than we will live in a society full of unfairness and discrimination. You might ask yourself why you should care about this issue, you might not consider yourself even an immigrant, however this issue affects everyone.

We are all immigrants in this mixing pot, it's our home, my home, your home. Our chances to accept the integration of others into our culture depends on respecting each other's human rights. Martin Luther king is absolutely right when he states” Together we must learn to live as brothers or together we will be forced to perish as fools” (The World house. Pg 197). We as patriots of the nation must ensure our fellow immigrant population receive the care and equality they deserve. We preach democracy to the world, then let us not be surprised when we inspire others to knock on our door to live in our world of opportunities. If we believe to be patriots of this great country then we must protect our fundamentals of human rights over the land. Let us not be divided for which we are all one, we are all America.

Works Cited

Fussell, Elizabeth. “Warmth of the Welcome: Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy.” ​Annual Review of Sociology​, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2014​.

Kanno-youngs, Zolan. “Poor Conditions Persist for Migrant Children Detained at the Border, Democrats Say.”​ The New York Times. 30Aug.2019​.

Szaflarski, Magdalena, and Shawn Bauldry. “The Effects of Perceived Discrimination on Immigrant and Refugee Physical and Mental Health.” ​Advances in Medical Sociology​, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2019​.

Martin Luther King jr. “The World House” WCWP100:Systematic Analysis For Everyday Life, UC San Diego Imprints, pp. 241

Niall Twohig “The World We Want.” ​OB Rag​, 10 Feb. 2020.