Opinion: Racism in America, and at Lake Tahoe, needs to stop
Editor’s note
This letter was submitted upon approval of the author’s mother. Due to the author’s age, we are not publishing her full name.
What is an immigrant? An immigrant is a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. Many people come here because the country they live in cannot give them the life that the United States can.
But does this make them bad people? My dad is a Mexican immigrant who came here many years ago to better his life. Does that mean he should be labeled as a rapist, drug dealer or a murderer? Because that is the farthest from the truth. My dad is a hardworking man who does everything for his family.
I am Mexican/American and as my two older sisters and I have grown up, we have been asked “Well … What are you? White? Or Mexican?”
Why does this matter? Am I not brown enough to be Mexican? Or White enough to be American? How does the color of my skin define me as a person? Why must I chose one over the other?
The racism I have seen nationally recently is overwhelming and ridiculous. IT NEEDS TO STOP! No one is better than the other, and when it really comes down to it, all of our families have struggles. No one deserves to be treated the way some races have been treated.
No matter who your family voted for, we all need to come together and treat each other with dignity and respect!
Sandra
middle school student, TTUSD
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