I got to the United States in 1997 and I didn't know very much. I still don't know much, but I knew less then. I moved from a city of around 10 million to a town of about 10,000 with a tiny liberal arts college in the middle of cornfields. I was 18, I didn't really know what I wanted my major to be, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. I'm 37 now and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
I have had 3 distinct careers as a working professional - first as a Software Developer, then a non-profit Fundraiser and now in AdTech Sales. There are precious few countries in the world that afford someone the ability to pivot from one career to another relatively easily. That's part of what makes this such a great country to work in. Whatever your next career move, you are always closer than you think.
What is even more remarkable is the ability to make those moves as an immigrant. There has been a lot of ink spilled over a number of high profile immigrant CEO's (Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Indray Nooyi, Pierre Omidyar, Alexander Graham Bell etc.) so I will not belabor the point - but it bears stating - Immigrants have always been and will continue to be an integral part of the American economy and its success.
Being a new immigrant in Iowa in 1997 was amazing. I believe it is one of the best places to be as a new immigrant - the people are fantastic and, being in a small college town, you are forced to dive right into American culture and absorb it all. I consider Iowa my American home state and love it dearly. It wasn't without its hiccups, though. Getting yelled at from passing trucks, often with hilariously inappropriate racial slurs, was a common occurrence. Once, in lieu of keeping my head down and walking quickly, I stopped and looked right into the truck. The truck stopped and 4 large men climbed out, at which point I looked down and walked quickly. These incidents made me nervous, but not discouraged. I was in America after all. The ultimate meritocracy. The land of opportunity. I was not afraid.
Today immigrants find ourselves in a situation that is scary. Newly emboldened xenophobes and racists are yelling at, beating up and intimidating immigrants all across the country. The incendiary rhetoric from those in power, the people advising them, and their legions of fans seem to be pouring out of every drain into the swamp.
Staying silent to vile and offensive missives against immigrants does a tremendous disservice - not just to all those great CEOs listed above, but much more to the young engineer starting out her career somewhere in Pittsburgh, to the student taking an Economics course in the middle of cornfields in Iowa and to the smartest kid in his 8th grade class in Ghana. To them the silence sounds like the slamming shut of a closing door at best or the thunderclap of a hate crime at worst.
As Americans it is our duty to stand up to the violent rhetoric and actions. Anti-immigrant sentiment is antithetical to who we are as a country (despite its existence since the inception of the country). We owe it to everyone who made this country what it is, we owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our kids to not let these small minded voices take over. This is America.
There's work to do, let's get to it.