"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door." by Emma Lazarus.
Of course, the immigrants who entered this country under the Statue of Liberty came through Ellis Island. They too were discriminated against at first, but they came BECAUSE WE INVITED THEM TO COME. Some came to flee from World Wars or atrocities we cannot imagine. Others came because they saw a chance to have a better life-or just LIFE itself. For whatever reason, they came to our country, and became citizens. For the most part, they have all NOW been accepted as Americans. The son of one Irish immigrant even became President of the United States!
Unfortunately, there is a stigma against those coming to America from our Southern borders. We don't have the resources to deport all those who are here illegally and that stupid fence is not the answer. Give them a chance by offering them AMNESTY again. Did it not work before? Some, like those from El Salvador for example, are not only welcomed but given asylum because our government stuck our nose in where it didn't belong. Cuban immigrants also seem to be welcomed because we don't like Fidel. Therefore, anyone trying to flee from Castro must be a friend to America. HISPANICS or LATINOS face discrimination in this country. It doesn't matter NOW if their ancestors have been here for generations, their skin color makes them different and hated.
The African-Americans had NO SAY about coming to America. They were chained in the belly of foul-smelling, filthy slave ships. It's a wonder any of them survived. They weren't even thought of as being human beings-just work animals. We fought a war to free them from slavery, but freedom still hasn't come for them. AFRICAN-AMERICANS or BLACKS face discrimination in this country. It doesn't matter NOW if their ancestors have been here for generations, their skin color makes them different and hated.
NEWS FLASH---We are all people of color! I happen to be kind of a pinkish-tan color.
NEWS FLASH---We all are immigrants. Unless you are a Native American Indian or an Eskimo, you are an immigrant, or were descended from immigrants.
The misguided people who took part in the 9/12 march were people of color! I did not see anyone who WAS NOT of the Caucasian persuasion. "White" people who were duped into taking part in this protest should be ashamed of themselves. Where was Glen Beck when his people were marching? And why was it turned into an anti-Obama protest instead of what he wanted it to be?
It makes me sick to see the ugly head of racism rise up again. I truly believed we had rounded the corner on this issue. Lady Liberty might as well extinguish her lamp completely because while we may, at some point, have taken one step forward, we have now taken four or five steps backwards.