Recently, the world has been talking about inclusion, equality, justice, tolerance, and eliminating discrimination. But so far, not everyone has embraced these ideas. We lack understanding between communities, groups, and societies. This is illustrated in the book wrote by Ralph Ellison “Invisible Man”, the story of a black man that feels discriminated in a society of white Americans. Even though Ellison wrote this book more than 70 years ago, racism is still a controversial issue, and the term that is the main focus of the story, invisibility, can be applied to several issues, not only race. Immigrants, for example, can feel identified with the term : “Invisibility”. In the United States, immigrants were a minority for many years, but not anymore. Immigrants are now a significant portion of the us population. Immigrants are resilient people that have done and keep doing today many great things for Americans. Their invisibility is diminishing
Feel invisible in the real world, where there's light, where there's no special effects, no fiction, but still there's space to believe in what you cannot see. Present two opposite scenarios: one that gives you hope to believe in something fantastic, a dream. A second scenario that comes from arrogance; refusing to see what's happening in front of your eyes.
The first, is the one most immigrants want to believe, reach for something that they can not really see but they know is possible. The invisibility of immigrants is changing. Today 44.8 millions of them live in the United States. This is 13.7% of the total population.
When it comes to taking action they are on call to help make decisions and change perspectives. In the last presidential election, the vote of immigrants was decisive and the highest in history. There were 23 million eligible voters. This was an event where there was no invisibility anymore. No matter their language, race, beliefs, for the first time we were seen as citizens that can change the future of the country we live in.
Immigrants have been greatly underestimated. The fact that they come from a different country and overcome the challenges like the language, cultural barriers, securing a job and housing, and transportation are proof of resilience. Yet they are made invisible. This disruptive environment puts them in a position where the change and adaptation is the new way.
The opinions about immigrants in the states are divided. The Pew Research Center shows that 66% of Americans say that immigrants strengthen the country “because of their hard work and talents’, and a 42 % say that immigrants "burden the country by taking jobs, housing and health care" (Burman). But the reality is that immigrants make America more prosperous. An illustration of these are companies like WhatsApp, Tj Max, Google, Tesla, Intel, Verizon, Yahoo, Panda Express. All of them exemplify innovation and competitiveness. These companies are fueled by immigrant employees and their ideas.
Immigrants potential should not be invisible. A talented immigrant right now is creating a new business model, participates in research groups, and collaborates with communities that are in need. Not seeing and the potential of an immigrant is a mistake. As Ralph Ellison said in his book “Then too, you are constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision, or again you often doubt if you really exist” (Ellison 3).
People that think that immigrants are the problem of America, that they are taking their jobs, should re-think twice. Many immigrants carry out jibs that are vital to America. They are people that farm, educate their kids, take care of elders, investigate new medicines, create companies and so much more. Immigrants main skill is resilience; we are capable of creating new companies, perform skilled jobs and occupy leader positions, our capacities should not be minimized, rejected, or made invisible just because we are the “others”.
I believe Americans need fresh eyes to accept and welcome immigrants, see our potential and realize how much good we have done for the United States. There are 44 millions of people working next to them thinking of creating a better country, with the same dreams to have a better life. This country is an epicenter of many great things, thanks to its diversity. Americans need more awareness of what it means to be an immigrant, how much decision and resilience is behind someone that came from very far away and not be seen as the “others”, but as people that saw opportunity and decided to take risks in order to pursue a better life.
Sources
Ellison, Ralph. “Invisible Man”. New York. : Vintage International.
1952. 3-11. Print
Budiman, Abbi. “Key Findings about U.S. Immigrants.” Pew Research Center, 20 Aug. 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/20/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/
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