“In the process of becoming Americans, immigrants have changed the meaning of America.”
Immigrants have made their way into the mainstream and in the process of becoming Americans, they have changed the meaning of what the nation stands for
Last week, I travelled to Dearborn, Michigan, to speak at the 15th annual ‘Images and Perceptions’ Diversity Conference. The focus of my remarks was the challenges we are facing today. Dark forces have been unleashed in American society that are threatening the very meaning of America that Americans have fought to create and that they must now fight to protect.
Before discussing this issue, I want to reflect on how important it is that Arab-American leadership brought together this convening of elected officials, law enforcement, educational institutions, social service agencies and a broad array of ethnic and religious organisations.
Thirty-three years ago, I remember coming to Dearborn under very different circumstances to address a traumatised and vulnerable Arab American community. The leading candidate for mayor had just sent a mail to every household in the city, featuring a bold headline that screamed ‘ABOUT THE ARAB PROBLEM’. The mailing went on to decry the huge influx of Arab immigrants — who at that point were about 20 per cent of Dearborn’s population — claiming that these foreigners were “ruining our darn good way of life”. The community was both hurt and frightened. When I spoke to them on that occasion, I sought to boost their morale by telling them that “you aren’t Dearborn’s problem, you are Dearborn’s promise”.
Like so many other Arab-American communities before them, these Dearbornites worked hard, built their businesses, educated their children, established institutions, and became engaged in the political and social life of their city. In the process, they, in fact, succeeded in becoming Dearborn’s promise. Today, the president of the City Council and a majority of the Council are Arab Americans, as are the State Representatives and a number of local judges. In addition, members of our community serve in leadership roles in law enforcement, education, and a range of civic institutions.
In just three decades Dearborn’s Arab-Americans worked their way from the margins to the mainstream. But, and here is what is so important, they have not forgotten from whence they came nor have they forgotten the discrimination they had to endure. And so, they annually convene this critical conference and are now in a position to provide leadership in promoting the values of diversity and inclusion. It was this issue — the urgency of promoting these values — that was the subject of my remarks to the conference. It is urgent, because I believe that America is at a dangerous crossroads, and at stake is the very self-definition of our country.
Despite the early dominance of the darker forces of bigotry, in each period of American history there have been those who struggled to assert the more inclusive idea of America. Not only African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans, but the diverse communities of immigrants that came and experienced discrimination and exclusion, which included Asians, Irish, Italians, Jews, Eastern Europeans and Arabs. Despite repeated efforts to close the doors to different ethnicities, America remained open and welcoming. And the country is better for it. Immigrants have made their way into the mainstream. In the process of becoming Americans, they have changed the meaning of America.
What would America be today if not for the contributions of the many peoples that have made up this land? What we can rightly ask is what would our food, music, art, style, and humour be if not for the contributions of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the waves of immigrants who came to our shores?
Coarse and divisive
America’s decades-long struggle to defeat racism and secure civil rights, to fight against intolerance towards immigrants, and to promote cultural diversity and respect for women are in grave danger of being reversed. American media discourse has become coarse and divisive, hate crimes are up, and we are now seeing children mimicking these behaviours in schools and in communities. It’s up to all Americans to push back against intolerance and, as they have done for centuries, they must say “no, this is not who we aspire to be, this is not the idea of America we fought to advance”. Americans must push back in their homes, schools, churches, synagogues and mosques, saying: “This will not stand.”
But I am an optimist. I’ve seen us do it before and I know that America’s better angels can triumph once again. But they will not win without ordinary Americans acting as their agents. This is the challenge America faces today. And that is why the ‘Images and Perceptions’ conference is so important. By bringing together community leaders eager to restore civility, respect and tolerance, we are assembling a team of warriors to engage in the battle to save the idea of a welcoming and inclusive America. And I am so very proud to see Arab-Americans at the forefront of this struggle.