FOR DISCUSSION :
1 . In the poem , Gorman writes about America ’ s past as well as her hope for the country ’ s future . As she depicts , things don ’ t change overnight and we need to “ forge our union with purpose ” to close the divide . Can you think of examples in your life that highlight the importance of working with interfaith and intergroup partners for the greater good ?
2 . How has the dialogue in America about race changed in the last few years ?
3 . What should our next steps be in our journey to create a more just and equitable society ?
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status : neither white enough nor black enough , unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity . In the popular imagination , Asian Americans are all high-achieving professionals . But in reality , this is the most economically divided group in the country , a tenuous alliance of people with roots from South Asia to East Asia to the Pacific Islands , from tech millionaires to service industry laborers . How do we speak honestly about the Asian American condition — if such a thing exists ?
CATHY PARK HONG
It has not always been an easy journey
Since the mid-1800s , immigrants and refugees fleeing poverty and oppression in Europe , Asia , and Latin America often traveled to America fortified with little more than hope and tenacity . They were drawn by America ’ s promise .
Let us read together the immortal words of poet Emma Lazarus , which are imprinted upon the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor . A Sephardic Jew born in America in 1849 , Lazarus was the descendant of Jews who were forcibly expelled from Spain in 1492 . She understood more than many the importance of a safe harbor .
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