Final Letter

Dear President of the United States,

Throughout history there have been many economic and racial problems in the United States, and I believe that some actions need to be made immediately to try to solve these problems. As President you should be aware that immigration is a serious dilemma in the United States. Immigration has been here since Christopher Columbus. When Christopher Columbus arrived he didn’t even care about the Native Americans. The Europeans stole their lands because Native Americans were perceived as inferior and weak. This land is the only place where immigrants found freedom to escape economic conflicts and religious persecution. America is supposed to be the land of the free, but throughout history immigrants haven’t been treated equally. Many Americans and immigrants have experienced racist attitudes from other people. For example, slaves brought from Africa during the colonial period were mistreated and enslaved because they were unlike everyone else. During the Civil War, white people weren’t thinking straight and they decided to make themselves superior. In addition, during World War II Japanese Americans were forced into Japanese internment camps because people thought they were dangerous due to their physical appearance. Many Americans believed that the Japanese Americans were plotting with Japan. I believe that putting Japanese Americans into camps was absurd because they were citizens and they had rights too. The old world discriminated against colored people, but the immigrants living in America today want to make changes and want to prevent problems such as racial and social discrimination.

I came to the United States when I was two years old and I was practically raised in America. At a very young age I understood that I was different from other people in this country. My parents didn’t want me to grow up in Mexico because they thought that by migrating to the United States I would have a better education and we would have a better life. My father a very hardworking man came here a year before my mother and I. He wanted to bring us here because there was a better chance of having a good life even if it meant working long hours and earning minimum wage. To them it was worth it because we wouldn’t suffer here. America was the land that supposedly granted peace and liberty. I was raised on a low income and my parents tried to do what was best for me.

When I first went to school I remember my mom telling me to read books and to do my homework before playing with my toys. As a small child she invested in me a sense of self development. She wanted me to learn everything on my own. My mother would occasionally help me but most of the time I would have to complete my assignments alone with no help because she didn’t speak English. There was no one to help me so I did everything on my own.

Being an immigrant is not easy because there are a lot of people that believe immigrants steal American jobs. This is false because the only reason Mexicans come here is to help out their families and provide money. If it wasn’t for immigrants then who would do the dirty jobs? Not rich Americans. Immigration is a source for discrimination because so many people from diverse countries migrate to the United States. There is no reason for Americans to discriminate against immigrants because they only want to escape their economic problems at home or want to give their families better lives. I wasn't fully aware about the immigrant situation and how they were treated until my freshman year of high school. That’s when I started to boil up at racist comments and stereotypes. I remember someone at school telling a mean joke: Why are Mexicans so short? They all live in basement apartments. I know that sometimes people tell racist jokes and think it’s funny because we supposedly live in a post racial society. I find it very offending especially that joke. First of all not all Mexicans are short. I know plenty of tall Mexicans and second, they do not live in basements! I know I don’t and the rest of my family doesn’t either! These types of stereotypical comments linger in my head and I start to wonder if the feelings for my culture come from my heart or if my feelings are made up by my mind.

In the story, Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor, the quote I could relate to was "True culture is in the mind, the mind," he said, and tapped his head, "the mind." "It's in the heart," she said, and in how you do things and how you do things is because of who you are." Julian believes that true culture comes from the mind. He believes this because at a young age his mother had made mistakes while raising him and she had to sacrifice herself to give him what he needed. By watching his mother struggle to keep up with life he learned to make his own assumptions of culture and race. He disagrees with his mother about African Americans and Whites being together, therefore, he did a lot of reflecting about culture today. His “mental bubble” was the only place he felt safe. His thoughts blocked the racist reality of the world. At the beginning of the story his mother was being racist because she was taught African Americans were inferior and today she believes that they were better off as slaves. Since she was raised with this way of thinking her heart automatically tells her that her race is still superior.

Similarly, I observed that my parents believe their culture comes from their heart because they have been raised in their own country and lived there for so long and just like Julian’s mother they had to sacrifice themselves to give me a better future in America. After a few years living in the United States I believe they started to think more about the American culture. So it was a mixture of both. This is where the mind comes in and they start thinking that they can also be Americans because they became integrated in a new culture.

Although my experience is not entirely about skin color I can still relate this quote to my culture and who I am. I believe that true culture is in both the mind and heart. Your culture tells you who you are, not your appearance. When I was little I was taught to keep following my traditions and it's something that was put in my head. My parents taught me everything I needed to know even though I was also being taught to value the American culture. When I was able to tell the differences between economic status and race I entered my own "mental bubble." I started to think that I was inferior because I was an immigrant and then my "mental bubble" helped me block out all the racist things other people had to say. In my mind I am both Mexican and American. My culture comes from the heart because I am very proud of my heritage. Others try to put us down and make us inferior by using stereotypes and I don't care what other people say because in my heart I find my true feelings for my traditions. My heart tells me I'm Mexican because that's who I truly am. I was born in Mexico and if it wasn't for economic problems and my parents wanting to give me a better life in America I wouldn't be here today. In addition, unlike Julian's mother, my parents don't mind the integration of different cultures. Mixing cultures brings us together and helps us understand each other.

Therefore, I challenge you Mr. President, to prevent the mistreatment of immigrants living in this country. As an immigrant I know that many immigrants are thought to be at the bottom of social class and many Americans say they are stealing other citizen’s jobs. The future President of the United Sates shouldn’t agree to build a wall at the Mexican border because it would only be unfair. If they are going to close the Mexican border to prevent an influx of immigrants from the south, then they might as well block the Canadian border and the East and West coasts. Also, they shouldn’t be deported to their countries because most of the immigrant parents have American children. Mr. president I believe that you should come up with some kind of plan to let immigrants who have been here for more than five years to reside in the United States. Why should they be discriminated against? Just because they look different and have a different culture? Just because they don’t have money and aren’t American? You have the power to stop this injustice. Immigrants come here to raise money to send to their families. They come here to have a better life and to give their children an education but as they try to improve their living they also face racial discrimination. This is a problem because they start to question their identity.

After arriving in America a lot of people become puzzled about their identity and what culture they belong to. Flannery O’Connor addresses this issue in her story, "If you'll never learn where you are," he said, "you can at least learn where I am." If other people can't learn about themselves then they can try asking another person. They should be careful and not infer about where they come from because it can be insulting to people. From my experience, when a person first meets me they think I’m American. Yes, I have light skin and light eyes but that doesn't mean I am from here. I found it offending at first but now I understand that it’s my physical appearance that conveys that thought. People should know not to judge a book by its cover. I know where I stand and where I belong. If a person wants to know about my origin, then they should ask me because I get frustrated when people say I'm white. I am of light complexion but that doesn't mean you automatically know I'm American or Italian or from somewhere else. I believe people should be mindful of what they say and think. A person should get to know another individual before making comments about their race or culture.

Mr. President, I believe that racism can never be nonexistent because we don’t live in a post racial society. Racism will always be present because we live in a country with different cultures. It might not be eliminated because certain people are ignorant and don't understand cultural differences but tension between cultures can be reduced. Everyone looks different but we are all human so no one should be suppressed just because of their traditions or complexion. When a person first looks at me, they would probably think I’m Caucasian because of my appearance. Then they would think I was Hispanic, but they wouldn’t classify me as Mexican. It’s okay to be wrong but you shouldn’t judge a person because he or she is different. Therefore, Mr. President, you must create one or many organizations that would try and bring people of diverse cultures together. These new programs would unite the American citizens just like the United Nations bonds with countries internationally. The key to achieving unity is peace, and it is imperative to bring the country together to prevent an uproar between Americans.

Sincerely,
Leslie Pelaez