Digital publication | Page 56

American Enough? 

{Lily C.}

 A·mer·i·can    

/əˈmerəkən/    

adjective    

1. relating to or characteristic of the United States or its inhabitants.    

noun    

1. a native or citizen of the United States.    

2. the English language as it is used in the United States; American English.

Approximately one in every eight U.S. residents is foreign-born. This means – statistically speaking – three students in a typical classroom of 24 children weren’t born in the United States. Out of the foreign-born population of more than 44.8 million, I am just one girl. But despite the interests, language, and mannerisms I share with my classmates, I’m still looked upon as different – because I’m not "American."

Since the adoption of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. has more than quadrupled. This law abolished the National Origins Formula. The latter had been the basis of U.S. immigration policy since the early 1920s. During the height of the civil rights movement, the public denounced this policy because it was racially discriminatory. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, however, dismissed de facto discrimination against Asians and other non-Northwestern European ethnic groups from U.S. immigration policy.

Just as there is no single immigrant story, there is no single story for the children of immigrants. These kids typically manage to assimilate into society despite the numerous cultural differences in the United States. From my own experience, the

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photograph by Lily C.