WHY AMERICA IS GREAT and WHY IT ISN’T

rd.com June 2014
rd.com June 2014

Deeply troubled by the reports of violence against the Jews in Europe, Gil Kraus decided to rescue children from the clutches of Nazi Germany, his posh home and successful law practice in Philadelphia treasures he could let go. Even with two kids, 13 and 9—and perhaps because of them—he was willing to confront danger for families suffering terror. Won over to his vision, his wife Eleanor prepared affidavits from people who signed on to help support the kids financially. When she was kept from joining him on the voyage to Europe, Gil convinced their friend and children’s pediatrician Dr. Robert Schless to take her place. The men found themselves in Austria which, swept into the Third Reich, saw Jews by the tens of thousands in a panic to flee. At Gil’s urging, Eleanor caught the next ship out across the Atlantic.

rd.com June 2014
rd.com June 2014

Austrian Jews streamed to give their children up to the couple, fully aware they might never see their precious ones again. Eleanor wrote: “Yet it was as if we had drawn up in a lifeboat in a most turbulent sea. Each parent seemed to say, Here, yes, freely, gladly, take my child to a safer shore.” The most agonizing part was choosing whom to save. Dr. Schless advised caution, as any sick child would be refused at the doors of Immigration, and the children needed to be mature enough to endure the separation from their parents. Hoping for 50 visas from the American embassy in Berlin, the Krauses along with Dr. Schless finalized their selection of the kids, ages five to fourteen. “Their eyes were fixed on the faces of their children, Eleanor remembered of the parents later. Their mouths were smiling. But their eyes were red a fnd strained. No one waved. It was the most heartbreaking show of dignity and bravery I had ever witnessed. Almost a third got visas and later reunited with their children.” (Reader’s Digest excerpt of Steven Pressman’s 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany.)

50 Children by Pressman
50 Children by Pressman

About half the children are still alive, now elderly. With the support of counselors and medical staff, and some with their parents, the young emigrants seized the lifeline of a new language and culture. Fear gave way to hope, hope answered by achievement. When these teachers, doctors, writers, business executives found love, they became parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. Their lives, in other words, meant the lives of many others. This, despite the stringent refugee quota and unconcealed antiSemitism in the U.S. State Department, thanks to the startling sacrifices of three Americans to whom their own lives meant more than personal comfort and safety.

Fast-forward 25 years, the law that would determine my own place in the world before I was born:

This measure that we will sign today will really make us truer to ourselves both as a country and as a people. It will strengthen us in a hundred unseen ways. This system [that] violated the basic principle of American democracy the—principle that values and rewards each man on the basis of his merit as a man…is abolished…We can now believe that it will never again shadow the gate to the American Nation with the twin barriers of prejudice and privilege…The dedication of America to our traditions as an asylum for the oppressed is going to be upheld. (Lyndon B. Johnson, as he signed the The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 that opened America’s doors to Asia, Africa, Latin America.)

Fast-forward 50 years. The man who campaigns to build a wall and protect the nation’s borders wins the presidency.

The exuberant response to the election results among some families I know brought about a revelation for me. Though they have been polite, some even kind, I had not noticed the white bubble that floats them from activity to activity, a way of life I find unnatural in diverse Southern California. But then again, I thought, aren’t these Caucasian families entitled to keep the company they wish? I was reminded of the way Korean-Americans manage to find their own in every large city. And there are the Chinese and Indian and every other ethnic group. Take a mélange of people, and we don’t disperse like marbles you shake in the jar. No, multiculturalism doesn’t work that way. The marbles organize themselves, often by color: NYC’s Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Italy. Sure, we build cross-cultural friendships. The marbles mix. But cultures will always build their own communities. This is one way those who interface the white mainstream as outsiders maintain their blood identity. So it jarred me to see white people enjoying life in their happy sac. It meant they were content to keep outsiders…outside.

But I get it. If I had grown up on Wisconsin cheese, if my grandparents and great-greats were all white, I wouldn’t be necessarily racist for not flinching at threats against immigrants. After all, these are other people. Not the ones you have Bible Study with, the ones your kids have sleepovers with, not the friends you gather over a latte. They are characters in the margins of your life, the check-out girl at Walmart you don’t really look at, the day laborers you drive past in the rain, extras moving as on a reel. They are center stage only on TV and the news.

Passport Photo, 1977: The Little Wayfarer Sets Out
Passport Photo, 1977: The Little Wayfarer Sets Out

And when you watch us Asian-Americans kick butt in school, take the stage with our awards.

Except the mentality of Other was the long sleepy response of the masses to word of Hitler’s brutality overseas. After all, America had problems of its own. And to this day, claiming American citizenship remains a privilege and a problem. Let’s start in our backyard, the detritus we never cleaned up. In all the talk about race, we rarely hear about the Native Indians anymore, and that’s because they are going extinct from war, disease, emigration, and eradication of their culture. The Navajo reservation in Arizona my church has visited remains worse off in crime and poverty statistics than those of our inner cities. The country that built itself on the bleeding backs of slaves grew on the sweet milk of bigotry and contempt for anyone who was not white. This included all “Asiatics” like the Chinese who laid the rails to unite the states of America. The largest mass lynching in U.S. history was not of blacks but the Chinese in the massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles. We also remember the Japanese-Americans, uprooted and packed away in camps during the Second War.

Let me put down the textbook and pick up my journal. Both my father and younger brother have been mugged at knifepoint and my mother spit on at the deli we owned in Queens, New York. On the other coast in 1992, my aunt watched the flames engulf her store in the LA Riots, the work of black arsons. America picked its way through the racial degradation and rose to its feet as a single country, not by skyscrapers but by the brick and mortar of dry cleaners, shops, restaurants, the acquiescence of immigrants who did whatever it took because hard work was not an option. The dirt and concrete just fertile soil for dreams, their Korean sons and daughters, for one, conquered the best schools. Harvard Law. Stanford School of Business. Columbia. M.I.T. If Trump had been President in 1965, he would not have welcomed the little girl with pigtails from Seoul, Korea—though he hails from immigrants just the same. In any case, I don’t apologize for having come. Somebody has to watchdog the English grammar in this country. I have taught children of all class and color how to write, and write well, figure numbers with ease, give speeches, write poetry, seek beauty. My Asian-American friends have bettered hospitals, furthered academia, moved Wall Street, planted churches, fed the homeless. Our commitment to excellence, intelligence, the drive with which we have emulated our parents served not only our secrets dreams but our country. This work ethic and hope in freedom have forged America, generation after generation, filled and cemented the fissures of mistrust between disparate cultures as we did business together, advanced the economy together with the currency of respect. This, Mr. President, is how we have helped make America great.

And friends, free market to me doesn’t mean billionaires or corporate executives first. It means customer first. I come to the table every time expecting the type of service and dedication my parents and I put in whenever, wherever we were up at bat. And if you don’t come through, I open my purse elsewhere and you will learn to do better. Free market means choice and choice means you had a chance. It’s not always front and center but in this country, the holy grail of opportunity awaits the thirsty and the earnest. Resourcefulness always finds room, a corner it can turn. And if you can’t move the boulder somebody put in your way, you can raise that strong, beautiful voice you claimed at birth. I honestly believe those feeling trapped can look up and find open sky. At least they could, once.

I am not saying we have to answer every country’s knock and plea. A group is only as strong as its weakest members, at least how well the other parts can compensate for them. And yes, turning the country into an international homeless shelter creates some serious socioeconomic complications. But to lock the pearly gates and do an about-face while humanity perishes behind our back hardly makes for world leadership. Don’t make it a zero-sum game, and don’t spew hateful rhetoric in the name of patriotism. History asks America to renew its vows to liberty and justice, which we now look about to abdicate.

There they stand, the good, bad, and the ugly, the many faces of the most powerful nation in the world. The heterogeneous richness, opportunity, support, competition, hypocrisy, oppression. This April marks for me and my parents 40 years in this country. English may be my second language, but this land will always be my home. Because it’s simple. I am America.

260 thoughts on “WHY AMERICA IS GREAT and WHY IT ISN’T”

  3. I am visiting my mom in L.A. right now. She often repeats a story about my dad and his young cousin when their family was fleeing Nazi Germany. I don’t think she has all the places and times right, but the upshot of the story is similar to the beginning of this post. When my grandma came to pick up my dad from wherever he was (whatever it was called) before they both left for England, Mom says his cousin asked her “Aunt Liz, why can’t you take me, too?” She of course didn’t really know how to answer that question so Thea, who is the namesake of my youngest daughter, was lost and probably perished wherever she was (whatever it was called)

  5. I cried as I read this because it is the story of this country and its cruel treatment of the other. We think we are exceptional. We may be in a way that is different than what is usually meant. I try to understand what creates a man like Donald Trump who has no compassion for his fellow humans. Is this what greed and money does to people? Stories like this need to be shared so we will remember and defeat people like this petty, unfeeling tyrant.

    1. Thanks so much for your thoughts, Sally. I almost mentioned walking into the Trump Tower as a high schooler in the Big Apple, admiring the gorgeous fall of water over the walls, the golden shine everywhere. And I wonder if he ever, ever visited Chinatown and the other pockets that made up the building blocks of his city, the stepping stones of the rich.

  6. This is a moving and powerful post. Last summer, when Sadiq Khan was elected as the mayor of London, he said: “London has today chosen hope over fear and unity over division”. He added that: “Fear does not make us safer, it only makes us weaker, and the politics of fear is simply not welcome in our city”. These words resonated with me and I believe they are relevant on a global scale, now more than ever.

  7. I appreciate your perspective, thank you for sharing. But I don’t think the lines are all so clearly drawn. I am German. My grandfather, who lived with his German grandmother (who didn’t speak a word of English) fought in WWII for the US Navy. I am also part Cherokee, although my religious beliefs are not Native American, that is a proud fact of my ancestry. There are “cheeseheads” who don’t agree with the wall, and there are people of color who are for it. We all have our upbringings, ethnic traditions, different levels of education, personal experiences, etc. that shape our points of view. We are America.

    1. Glad you shared this, Sadie. I wanted to mention the Japanese- and Black Americans who fought against the Axis in WWII but didn’t want to run this any longer than it was. I absolutely agree with you on all counts. This was just one response to the tenor of the country set by the new president who himself has seemed to smother voices that compete with his own.

  8. This is a touching and poignant commentary on our country and times. I hope we figure out how to live, work and play together more kindly. DT may have helped bring these issues to the forefront so we can look at the shadows of our psyches and bring more light and love to the world. Or we can keep lining up on sides, fighting and arguing with each other. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Thanks Diana, and I for one am glad you call yourself American, even with her messy mix of good and bad. I’m beginning to wonder if I might prefer to live elsewhere.

    1. He certainly has brought them to the fore, hasn’t he? And it’s a shame you are not the only one who has questioned his residency. I was just baffled at the things out of DT’s mouth that so many Americans were willing to overlook. Had they come from Obama, he would’ve been crucified.

      1. Neither candidate was very appealing to me. I believe we need to reform our political system or create something new that truly represents the people and not the elite, powerful and rich.

  9. There’s plenty of poor, economically enslaved white people out there that everybody seems to ignore. Ronald Reagan pulled the rug out from under the middle class when he gutted the GI bill and came up with trickle down economics. The GI bill was the best engine for creating a middle class America came up with. My grandfather, father, and myself used the GI bill to learn trades, but we don’t have that, and poor people have no way out. I’m Irish with a little Blackfoot thrown in. I have ancestors who fought in every war from the revolution to Vietnam, sometimes against each other. I served from 1971-1980. When I enlisted, we were losing 250-300 a week. There was a draft back then, but they only drafted the poor white trash and blacks–that’s the way it seemed anyway–because if you had money for collage, you could get a deferment. Or if your family had connections you could get a medical deferment for just about anything–like Rush Limbaugh, who got a medical deferment because he had a cyst on his ass–after he flunked out of collage and lost his student deferment. I guess my point is, don’t lump everybody into this white privilege catch all. We had blacks, whites, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and yes, Koreans in my outfit. We all got along. And the Republic of Korea Marines were the baddest boys in the valley. Anyway, welcome aboard dragon lady of grammar. I’m glad you’re here.

    1. So glad for your three cents, R. No, no intention at all to lump everyone white with white privilege. My observations about them were just one angle, and upon a select (comfortable, upper mid-class) population. And yes, how you all got along in your outfit is America, is democracy. Wow, I never even thought about the Korean Marines. Really?!!

      1. I think most would accept your family. Just remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. That’s what you are hearing now. The people who are shouting the loudest.You seldom hear from average Americans–they’re usually unavailable for comment because they’re at work.

      2. Oh, I know what the squeaky wheel means. That’s why I’ve gone around squeaking all my life. Yes, I know the avg American is fed up. Not to detract from them, but the immigrants were never vocal bc the people are not vocal in their country “back home”. Meaning, the silence is in the culture. And you have no time to make noise if you’re working 80 hrs a week. So yes, from my own viewpt, I totally get the frustrations of the hard-working mid-class white American.

  11. I am frightened by what I see, D. I can’t resist looking at the headlines each day. It is like an unfolding tragedy. DT’s vision of America is scary and many of his actions are even scarier: build walls, return to torture, reduce support for International cooperation… the list goes on and on and on. It is a form of insanity driven by one man’s deep insecurities and towering ego. Yes America needs change, always. But we need to move forward, not backwards toward some atavistic (non-existent) past where our country becomes a white enclave bristling with nuclear weapons. Your thoughtful piece was beautifully written. It is hard to be more American than you are. It is the vision of people of all creeds, ethnicities, and different national origins working together to make the US and the world a better place to live that makes America great, which is something that Trump simply does not get. –Curt

    1. Really appreciate this, Curt. We draw lines – sort people – by color, but if I embody America, you couldn’t be of a more different species than DT (not to make you sound so animal, LOL). All the more reason your book and the stories you pass on of your knowledge and experience with other cultures are so critical, esp at this point in history.

      1. Our words are powerful, Diana. All of us, and I am seeing many in our blogging world, need to keep speaking out, chipping away, winning hearts and minds, and presenting an alternative. –Curt

  12. This is an excellent piece and I pray it finds its way into a national publication.

    I’m proud to know you, Diana. As a first gen American, you shared your take on the immigrant experience so eloquently. Admittedly, our experiences differ, yet there’s such a commonality that speaks to human nature and the greatness of this country. My family came here legally, out of respect for themselves and the opportunities promised to those who play a part. Would they be welcome today? …

    I’m proud to know you as a fellow New Yorker. Its the best crash course in ethnic/race relations I know of in this country. Tons of people coming from every where, crammed into tight spaces, having to figure out how to associate with each other while carving out their own familiar niche. It’s not perfect, but its worked fairly well for decades. Unless you have the affluence to move to the upper floor of a high rise to live “above it all.” I guess that’s the only way you can be a New Yorker and not appreciate the beautiful texture all kinds of immigrants add to this country.

    While we haven’t met face to face and as particular as I am about using this word…I’m proud to call you friend. XOXO Vanessa

    1. What a great tribute to America and a major chamber of her heart, the Big Apple, V. You put it all so well, and point out something important. That yes, one ticket of affluence is the ride to the upper floors above the messy colorful puzzle pieces trying to find themselves. I appreciate that you can see yourself and your family in this piece, though it came from the angle of the Asian-American experience. That familiarity says it all. I appreciate the love and respect.

      Xxx
      D.

  13. I think you are right. Much depends on how we grow up and who we grow up with. My kids go to an international school – their friends have always come from all corners of the world. For them race is not a concept they care about at all. For them “different origin” means exciting dishes that are being brought to share on International Day. They embrace different cultural backgrounds as easily as they embrace different favourite colours. For them it is all exciting and cool – but does not matter half as much as the next game of football they are playing together. I often admire this ease. – As for myself, after living as “expat” for almost 15 years now, I have to say I feel more at home with my international friends than with most people from my own country. Some might accuse me of not having any proper roots. Maybe they are air roots. 😉

  14. Wonderful post Diana – do you mind if I reblog? Your mother was/is beautiful. In my family it’s the more recent immigrants (my Norwegian grandmother) who are the most anti-immigrant. My family members who are descendants of the Puritans are more open minded. Odd, hey? It’s the old “I’ve got mine” mentality I think. Okay – well, thanks for this! (One of my other blog buddies said that Trump’s press conferences were like rhino’s farts – I can’t top that!)

  15. Very well said and IMPORTANT. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about your family, and the gracious spirit in which all of you survived and thrived here in spite of prejudice and ignorance. Indeed, the president’s ancestors did arrive here from another country (as John Oliver so vividly explained last year on his show). That’s one of those inconvenient details for him, I suppose. The challenge we’ll have over the next four years (or however long he decides to stay in Washington) is grappling with someone whose intellectual curiosity is contained to a phone screen.

    On a tangential note, this week’s Doonesbury flashback since Monday is especially good if you’re in need of a laugh. Great post. – Marty

  17. Wonderful post, Diana. Words and ideas are powerful, especially when they lift up alternative ways of being and doing. Normalizing what is not normal–by not talking about it–would be a tragedy. I enjoyed your piece and the conversation above. It’s the kind of writing and dialogue that energizes me and makes me feel not so alone in this barren yet real DT wilderness. Thanks so much!
    Elouise

  18. Lord have mercy this is such a meaningful, profound and, poignant post. I read it slowly-word for word. All that you have written is so true. Politics enters here and I will write here that I am liberal and progressive and now at 80 years of age, I have a deep fear for the US. From what I read, there is nothing that sounds good about the new leader of “the free world.” It is all ego and greed. I determined that years ago when he tried to discredit Obama with false birthier claims.

    The US is made up of many nationalities and I for one would not exist if my mother had not immigrated from Germany after WW1. Even though I am white I know the feeling of exclusion because my parents were new to a farming community of imbedded Germans who were long established. My parents were share croppers and I was singled out in first grade and bullied by other little kids. My surname was French and all the other kids had German names. So there is prejudice in all aspects of life- even among six and seven year old children.

    America is a melting pot and that is what made this country great. People with original ideas and hard workers who were grateful to live in a free country. Immigrants who came here for opportunity and people gifted with superior intelligence.

    And it is mind boggling to continue witnessing the inhumane treatment of Native American Indians. It is one massive disgrace and when and how will it stop? But I’m wandering off the tracks here. So much to thing about and most folks like me don’t know what to do or what to expect. All I can think is, dear God save this country from destruction.

    Yvonne

    1. Such a pity, what you faced as a little girl, Yvonne. I swear – if we all looked alike – we’d divide ourselves by right- and left-handedness! People will find sOmething to claim superiority over. It really is frightening, the kind of world our children are inheriting. Thank you for sharing your history.

      Xxx
      D.

      1. Dear Diana, I included my little story to sort of make it an analogy or comparison to what other immigrants or people that are different, experience. The bullying I received was nothing compared to what minorities have received in the past and what is still happening today. It is deplorable and incomprehensible of things that are still happening in our so called modern and very advanced society. Apparently we are not all that “advanced” since many are still subjected to so much hatred and bigotry. Yvonne xxx

  20. It is true, people find the least thing to claim an edge over others. And the very people who suported the tweeter in chief will be his undoing… great post!

  22. Very powerful post Diana and I appreciate you again teaching me about another important piece of history and the heroism of the Krause’s and their friend Dr. Schless. Neat as well to hear a bit about your past and your family’s journey as hardworking immigrants in America.

    I’m convinced Trump’s bluster on immigration is more obnoxious bark than bite. The system, I think you’ll agree, is in desperate need of reform and the national security issues are not small. IF it’s done right we can actually widen the doors for the good and productive people who are currently kept waiting indefinitely citizenship. That’s a big IF I will admit.

    Lots to chew on with this post, I appreciate being made to think. 😉

    Oh loved the picture of the Wayfarer in 1977. Not much of a smiler back then eh?

    1. Well, you made her smile now. Ha ha ha. That may have been a glimpse of the Mafia look people’ll get crossing the older Wayfarer.

      See, THIS is how it should be, this dialogue across differing perspectives. Yes, I was sharing just one element, the immigrants’ journey to add to the perspective one already has, and YES YES YES we absolutely need to strengthen national security. If DT is nothing else, he is resourceful – to have made the $$$$$ he has – and I know America is more resourceful than that, than to make it all-or-nothing. The doing it right is the tricky part, obviously, and it asks people to be sensitive, which not everyone wants to be. I appreciate your time on this and the feedback, T. Shows character.

      1. Completely agree that sensitivity is so needed and unfortunately too many want no part of that. Things are very iffy right now and in constant flux. Pray for a good outcome.

        Oh, and I know better than to cross the Wayfarer…;)

  23. Good point about the sacrifices made by Americans leaving the United States to help children escape Nazi Germany. So many needlessly died because one man craved power and influence. As I have learned “When interests clash, prejudice pays, for some people,” (David G. Meyers), which is what is stoking the present fires. Great article.

      1. Agree, but when you think about it, surplus capital implies an inherent concentration of unlimited funds, which people need to live and fight. Where, for example, eight men have as much money as half the world, you just can’t argue with this. Even when we eat them and start fresh, it took 2 years and 40,000 lives until the Reign of Terror finally ended. But, why must we repeat this cycle? It seems it is in our (their) natures.

  24. I once worked with an Indian.
    He didn’t speak much but there was something about his eyes that told me he had a lot to say.
    One day while working together he opened up and told me what they think about America.
    He brought tears to my eyes and made me feel connected to him.
    That’s how you make America great again by helping us connect not dividing us by building a wall.
    Thanks for sharing this much needed history.

  25. What a lot of thought provoking comments – after studying the settling of America I developed a sadness for the Indian tribes who had been treated so badly and was amazed when someone I travelled with in America who had nothing but disgust for the Indians on their reservations.

  27. Very interesting piece and I like the contrasts you presented. Our collective situation is complicated. I think immigrants quickly assess what they think is the pecking order of people in the U.S. I’ve personally heard Asians say that whites are first, Asians second, Blacks third, and Latinos and near fourth. Everyone stereotypes and figures out where they fit in this society.

    1. Hmm. In all my years here, I’ve never heard it like that. I am a child of the lower class but have known, in the educated upper-mid circles, people of all stripes. Even if such distinctions exist anywhere, I really believe in the possibility for mobility.

  30. Such a moving piece Diana. The country needs more like you to speak up and remind the powers that be what America really stands for. I am Canadian and feel your words as deep as any other American. United we stand. ❤

  31. D, it’s been a rough few weeks as a registered voter in America. The frustrations of being stuck in the middle of both sides, wanting everyone to be sensitive to each situation, but craving change because nothing is working isn’t for the weak. My brain gave up on Thursday.
    Can I just come to your house for cake? I’ll bring the vodka.
    Hope you are well, my friend.

  32. This whole awful nationalism thing, this thing which is in the USA but also in Europe, this creature has raised its head again … our family is very mixed and I’m proud of that … it’s interesting … and as the physical anthropologists said some decades ago, there actually is no such thing as ‘race’ – even though we may look different, we are not divided into ‘races’ except by belief and by looking at the outsides – skin colour, shape of features … that, and our variety of cultures … It’s a power struggle, and it’s about fear … and it feels like the world turned upside down and many governments have gone mad, in a very bad way … and it’s like we ‘aren’t allowed to complain’ …at least we can stand together, people from all over, who are disappointed and horrified by events …

  33. My Mom was the product of two different countries. Her Mom came with her divorced grandma from Germany. Her Dad came with his parents from Sweden and when he graduated from H.S. he moved to NYC. Granted outwardly, they may have fit into the so-called “white bubbles” you mentioned. But my grandmother spoke a version of Germanic English which meant post WWII era, much concern about her heritage. My grandfather was from Sweden, but his family were ones who promoted education. His sister became a teacher and my grandpa became an engineer. Their favorite stories included different people from other cultures and ethnicities.
    In my own parents life, they always taught us to give back. We only received two or three toys at Christmas, while neighbors received much. Our parents would give money to families they ran into in our community and church family. Finally, just to add another important point: as parents we owe it to the world, to teach love, patience and acceptance of ALL people and become a truly beautiful “melting pot!” 🙂

  34. One of the greatest enemies of Germany was the apathy of the people–if it’s not happening to me, then it doesn’t matter. That is very similar to the apathy expressed through the election process. The majority of Americans simply did not vote. I suppose they believed that their comfortable lives would continue without impact, without consequence for spurning this great privilege of democracy…And already, within barely a week, these non-voters begin to see the ill-fated consequences of their inaction. Too late will they truly realize how high the cost of their apathy, and how damaging to our ideals as a free country.

    1. You nailed it on its apathetic head. I wasn’t sure why the women marched AFTER the inauguration. Sure, some were said to have voted – and I’m so glad for the protesters – but the timing didn’t make the best sense to me.

  35. Wow! I just read your lengthy but powerfully expressed story – Then I saw you had over 70+ comments (which I haven’t read yet) and thought who needs to hear from an illiterate photographer.
    But since you “liked” one of my photos, I thought “What the heck!” So thank-you brave Wayfarer!, and I will need to return to spend an hour reviewing the comments.

  39. Doesn’t our greatness come from how we allow each other to cover our blind spots? Are the issues of race not really the fear of being found inadequate, that somehow who we are isn’t good enough, but we wouldn’t dare to admit that we nee the other to be whole? We need the passion of one race, the intelligence of another, the bigger build and muscles of another to build a strong community. (How accurate are stereotypes, anyway?)
    I’m Canadian. My perspective may be a little “out there.”

  40. Thank you for your insights. Your words peel back the surface and show a face of America that is important to see at this moment. I am a white woman whose family has been here for a century or more. I feel what you say but haven’t experienced it personally. Keep speaking for the greater good of America. ❤

    1. And, in light of your feedback, I have to add that that’s certainly all right that stories like mine are beyond your experience. It is where life has taken you. I just appreciate the heart open to others and their perspective because none of is native to this land.

  41. Amen…sister. God tells us to be kind to and care for widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor.
    I will never understand the mentality of make America great again by not helping those in need. It goes against all things Christian; and yet, Christians by the church full are buying into what Trump is selling ( I have a whole family that voted for Trump). God help us.
    I apologize to all who have been, and are being, offended because of their country of origin by any American. American became great because we accepted those in need…we can only remain great if we go back to our roots.
    thanks for speaking up!

    1. I agree with Tricia on this board that national security is a legitimate concern. But clearly many of us have reason enough to feel there’s more flying under that banner. Thanks so much for the feedback and support.

  45. I’ve known from my first readings here and my first interchanges with you that we are long-lost relatives. Let no one tell me that my sisters and brothers from other mothers are not welcome in a place and assure me that I’m still welcome—without those I love, respect, and lean on every day, I am not at home. Thanks for this as always thoughtful and provocative piece, Diana. You are an exemplary American. And world citizen. And one feisty, fabulous sister!
    xoxo,
    Kathryn

    1. Chuckle. You left us a beautiful post, my sister. If you are ever in want of a post idea, you can put out this anthem of yours – although I don’t see that happening with your unending run of creativity.

  46. Reblogged this on thebookofjude and commented:
    I have been grappling with sadness and hope that things will work themselves out under the US government . A fellow blogger seems to have expressed many of my thoughts for me. Though I am not American nor can I profess to know what it is like to be an immigrant I really appreciate her words :

      1. I am Canadian, living in Canada but with friends all over the world. Interesting times for sure. Unfortunately history does repeat itself though so it is all our responsibility to keep watch 🙂

  47. So much going on in our beloved country today and thank you for articulating a lot of it. I sometimes get so angry at loved ones who don’t seem bothered because it doesn’t indirectly affect them but also I understand why they feel the way they do. I’m just glad there are just more of us than them — I hope, at least, esp if the popular vote is any indication.

    1. I am no liberal but have been most disturbed by the misrepresentation of the Christian faith and the blatant disrespect from the most powerful man in America. Imagine Obama having spewed those things against white people or women. He would’ve been crucified before the words were all out. And as you mentioned so thoughtfully, yes, we can’t make it categorically this or that. National security is a serious priority. I just know America – and DT – are most resourceful than that, that we don’t have to drop the ax in the guise of patriotism, claiming it’s either-or.

  48. Diana, A wonderful discourse on your experience and how it has shaped your view and love of our country. Mine, as a natural born American, comes from my Italian Grandparents and my father who tell the joy of seeing the Statue of Liberty as they first entered the port of New York. They went through the process at Ellis Island where my father’s name, among the names millions of other immigrants from various countries, is now there enshrined. He was proud to become an American citizen, while passing down to us his Italian customs, yet he embraced the laws of the land through its constitution. The land that he one day would be laid to rest in.
    Some came for the promise of prosperity. Others to flee oppression. Either way they were strangers who came to knock as America’s door. Not as too many have been encouraged in recent years, through no fault of their own, to by-pass the knock at the door and enter America by break-in.
    If we do not respect our national sovereign rights then why should anyone. And without the laws that protect that sovereignty, then chaos reigns supreme. And who then can benefit? Neither the host nation, nor the peoples seeking asylum.
    Our laws always have given preference to those under persecution. And right now that should be granted to the Christians from those terrorist occupied territories. For their lives have been forfeited by the thousands. Those same territories have no viable American intelligence authority there present for proper vetting. And to avoid feeding an enemy’s “Trojan Horse” game plan, we do need to temper our compassion with law. For compassion without law is sentimentality and law without compassion tends to cruelty. Each side must take off its ideological blinders to see clearly a common sense solution that both addresses those in need of our help and keeps our citizens secure and safe.
    History has proved one certainty: “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
    -Alan
    Our thoughts and prayers go out to our Canadian neighbor who has lost lives of those worshiping in a Quebec Mosque yesterday, by, it seems, Radical extremists.
    Also, an American Navy Seal lost his life in a successful campaign in Yemen. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our thanks for his service and sacrifice to our country.

    No life is lost in vain when done so in the worship of God or the service of country.

    1. “compassion without law is sentimentality” Absolutely, Alan. As I’ve agreed with bloggers on this board, we need to shore up our own reserve and protect the homeland to be able to serve and provide for anyone else. I was addressing the spirit in which this is done and questionable agenda in the name of patriotism. That is just so sad about what happened in Canada and Yemen. And many other lives being obliterated the world over. Thank you for sharing so thoughtfully.

  49. Great post. I love the marble metaphor. I’m second generation American and still often feel like an outsider as in, “if only I were blonde.” America still has so much to learn. Unfortunately, while she does, the world reels from our democracy experiment going horribly south. I myself am praying for mass enlightenment. 😘
    p.s. Your mother is a beauty. She radiates light.

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