U.S. Is No Melting Pot

I want to begin by saying how much I enjoy and value the Key Peninsula News. So I felt great dismay when I read the recent editorial regarding the discrimination in the Peninsula School District (“Rearview Mirror,” May).

I am married to a first-generation immigrant. Here is what European immigrants have in common: their white skin. As their accents disappear, the “otherness” does too, and soon they are enjoying the fruits of being a mainstreamed white person.

Sadly, those who retain their unique body characteristics and skin tones through generations struggle for equal social inclusion. This also includes people who display an “otherness” characteristic, such as learning differences or sexual alignments. The discrimination is real, and it is ugly.

It will not be solved by the attitude of “Can’t we all just get along?” It will not be solved by a bunch of concerned white people (which I have been in the past) making resolutions and decisions for those who are aggrieved. The students experiencing discrimination, their parents, and other trusted community members must be heard, respected, and encouraged to bring their solutions forward.

The school district’s administration, faculty, and school board members must be willing to hear what they don’t want to hear. They must be willing to work with those who are aggrieved honestly and respectfully.

The final paragraph of the editorial described a utopia in our country that has never existed for a large swath of our population. Our country has never been the great melting pot where kids all got along, and nobody cared about the differences.

To bring truth to this historical myth, people with power must listen to and respect those individuals who experience social discrimination. It is the only way the United States of America can truly become a “Beacon of Light.”