As an American, I sincerely believe that our country’s magnificent and unique beauty, strength, and influence come from its richness in racial and cultural diversity. And like Mr. Steven Colbert, I find it very difficult to acknowledge that this country has committed some horrible mistakes in the past. Furthermore, as I reflect upon the video, Becoming American, this belief was not always valued as a treasure or gift in the past. Immigrants who brought with them their beloved and treasured cultures in their hearts and minds faced tremendous discrimination, hatefulness and intolerance simply because they were different and unfamiliar strangers. I was particularly moved by the story of Ms. Kristi Yamiguchi, whose family immigrated to the United States from Japan. Her family endured years of discrimination on the islands of Hawaii working on sugar cane plantations, where they faced racism and anti-Japanese sentiment. However, her family had a tremendous desire to become completely American by assimilating into the culture as much as possible. Furthermore, the video, made me think about how my own ancestors might have been treated when they immigrated to the United States from England, Ireland, Germany, and Italy. For the most part, I was able to make connections to the stories of Mr. Steven Colbert and Mrs. Meryl Streep because their ancestors and mine had immigrated to the United States from Europe. It was particularly important to me that the video emphasized that we are all inherently American, but our roots are located somewhere else.
Yes, everyone's roots are somewhere else, but it sometimes seems that the second and third generations forget the struggles and look down on others who are struggling in the same way.
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