A Time to Unite
By Melisa E., Freehold, NJ
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In fifth grade I competed in a speech contest and spoke about how diversity is what makes America great. At the time I probably didn’t understand the significance of what I said, but as I grew older, I realized how much one’s appearance and accent matter.
I think I felt this most personally after September 11th, 2001. I remember one of the women at the YMCA program was telling another that people of “my color” were being discriminated against. (I am Indian, and I could easily pass for a Middle Easterner.)
More recently, my cousin remarked that it was unfortunate that Indian actors so often play terrorists on TV. Although she is well-educated and open-minded, even she is not immune to the prejudice that is rife in today’s society.
I resent the way people are categorized by race, gender, appearance, age, political beliefs, religion, residence, etc. I never like to look at such snapshots, but the way things are going, it seems like one day all that’s important about someone will fit on a 3-by-5 index card.
The inequality and stereotypes that run rampant today are especially heinous. It is absolutely unacceptable when political pundits ask questions like “Is Obama black enough?” and expect the answer to be meaningful to the presidential race. Because Barack Obama happens to have an African father and a white mother, he is the object of increased scrutiny. An opponent once repeated the senator’s full name, Barack Hussein Obama, scores of times in a speech in an attempt to convince people that Obama could not be trusted.
Isn’t it sad that Obama’s skin color, name, and the traditional African garb he once wore when visiting his father’s homeland could jeopardize his chances of becoming president?
America is a land of loyal people who pledge their allegiance to the flag every day. No matter where you go, people are “proud to be Americans.” But what will these people do when they try to achieve something but are held back by totally irrelevant factors?
I believe that America’s diversity is its greatest asset. To paraphrase the great J.K. Rowling, we must unite, or crumble from within.
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