What are some words that come to mind when you hear the terms:
DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT WOMAN REFUGEE MINORITY
I recently put this question to a varied set of people of differing demographics. From age to aptitude and gender to geography, these subjects could not have been more different. Curiously, they all responded with similar answers. I heard words like sad, escape, traveler, newbie, challenging, black, and different. Sure, these were all applicable and accurate word associations, but what got my attention was the commonality in the tenor of their responses. Why were all the answers I received so bleak and so arduous even though the subjects I interviewed so diverse? Why was it that not one of them associated more hopeful and positive words like the ones reflected in the vignette below, when these words are also just as applicable and accurate?
To confirm that my curiosity had merit, I researched foreign born U.S. citizens and their contributions to the United States. In all honesty, despite expecting to find that my hunch was right, I was blown away by the rich tapestry of DIVERSE IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES and MINORITIES who have made significant contributions towards the dynamic evolution of the United States in the global arena.
The visual above is does not even come close to an exhaustive list of the DIVERSE IMMIGRANTS (including REFUGEES and MINORITIES) who have chosen the United States as their home and contributed mightily to its elevation in the world. Associated metrics illustrate the tangible legacy of this bunch and the resulting enrichment of their adopted homeland.
Simply put, the United States might well have remained deficient without the contributions of its IMMIGRANTS and MINORITIES. Yet, with these facts being as tangible and readily available as they are, most of us seem to continue associating only melancholy words when we hear the words IMMIGRANTS, MINORITIES, or REFUGEES. Isn’t it high time we ask ourselves “Why?”. The short answer might be “mental conditioning”, but there is more to learn beyond that phrase. When I put that question to myself, the self-taught optimist in me finds therein, an opportunity for reflection, for expansion, for growth.
Towards that end then, starting with you and I today, the next time we hear these terms – or better yet – if we meet an IMMIGRANT, REFUGEE, or MINORITY, perhaps we will see before us a creator, visionary, or trailblazer who might well move the needle further on the continued enrichment of America. Every visionary and trailblazer must start somewhere. The kind we just reflected on, simply happen to take their first steps a few extra miles away.
