Cultural Richness in The Melting Pot & The American Way
We might think of the widespread celebration of St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to day drink an inordinate amount of beer, and while that may account for its integration on college campuses, it is also so much more. The observance of St. Patrick’s Day is relative to the density of Irish populations and their history, more popular in cities like Chicago and Boston. The same can be said for Lunar New Year parades in San Francisco and Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles. They are the preservation of respective ingredients in the American melting pot and the actualization of true American culture.
Many regions of the United States have culturally specific neighborhoods indicative of a rich, often torturous history of what brought that specific group to the United States. Many were brought against their will or were fleeing dire circumstances for the prospect of a better life in the land of promise, occurring in tandem with industrialization and development. Most who came willingly were greeted by the Statue of Liberty and its rousing words while en route to Ellis Island for immigration processing.
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!
These words may have been progressive then, but they feel even more so now. Dedicated in 1886, 140 years ago, the New Colossus is more willing and able to acknowledge the origin of the majority of America’s population than the 47th President is today: Immigration.
It should go without saying that the United States is a country of immigrants, built by immigrants, that should therefore continue to be for immigrants. Waves of various groups have played integral roles in building this country from the ground up, a reality made all the more honorable by the growing pains it brought with it. The capturing and enslavement of Africans, the segregation of Chinese immigrants who helped build the Transcontinental railroad, the criminal stereotypes of Italian culture, and the religious persecution and exclusion of Irish immigrants are all significant historical facets that preceded and influenced what America has become today. Nearly every group that has immigrated to the land of “the free” has had to fight for their right to that freedom, let alone liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That history should not be flattened into the stripes of the American flag, but rather, showcased like glittering diamonds in a dark navy sky.
Sometimes, it is. The Irish found their place, shining from years of hard pressure, and are now commemorated and celebrated every year in March when the rivers run green, and cities like Boston and Chicago, teeming with taverns, pass around Guinness and proudly parade in the streets that once denied them opportunity.
The Chinese shine too, with red and gold parades in San Francisco and New York City every January to mark the Lunar New Year. The dancing dragon tradition is an apt inclusion, as it is not only culturally significant in its own right, but the ferocity of the animal feels representative of how respect for Chinese culture in the United States was likewise hard-earned.
Many cultures are indeed celebrated throughout America today. This recognition is embodied through food, a rich cultural signifier apt for sharing, with variation in availability and authenticity dependent on geographical patterns of immigrant history, with some fusion foods littered in between. It is a beautiful thing. But the way these foods are integrated in America also speaks volumes.
Italian and French food are often considered refined, suitable for an occasion worthy of fine dining, dress attire, wine pairings, and a larger bill. Chinese and Thai food, Mexican food, and Indian food are generally considered more casual; often relegated to couch indulgences alone in front of a TV screen. There can, of course, be some variation, especially in progressive and diverse cities, but the general trends stand as they are. And sometimes these exceptions to the rule are simultaneous events with other emerging stereotypes, such as the increasing luxury of sushi à la NOBU and the model immigrant or model minority stereotype for Asian Americans. Some cultural groups are seldom found in restaurants at all, as Native American and non-fusion African cuisine are too hard to come by. Thus, the embodiment of selective prejudice lives on, and white nationalism reigns supreme.
This cultural erasure has long since expanded beyond the kitchen, seeking to pull every ingredient out of the melting pot and deny it was ever there. African folks brought to the United States during the slave trade and Native populations were both forcibly stripped of their culture and forced to assimilate into a white, Christian America. The lack of ethnic representation in food industries, as well as others, is indicative of the breadth of that erasure.
Other cultures have been lost to the melting pot too, though in less violent ways, as many white Americans have few direct ties or knowledge of their family’s heritage. While not necessary for practicing traditions, as the United States is laden with its own, it is nevertheless a loss. A loss by which white Americans lose some perspective and respect for the preservation of foreign culture on American soil.
And now, with the systematic removal of DEI programs and the subsequent diminishing of multicultural centers, learning materials, and other resources in institutions across the United States, we are facing a devastating upheaval of cultural depth and history that will only serve to divide the American population further. Embodied by the ICE raids and systematic changes to immigration laws, the current Administration’s slogan may say “Make America Great Again,” but the honest agenda feels like “Make America White Again.” Despite what some may believe, I would argue that they are mutually exclusive, as would the Statue of Liberty.
Not only was America never white from its inception, as Native populations preceded English settlers, but it was never that great either. The concepts of liberty, justice, and religious freedom are excellent pillars for a nation, but the execution has always fallen short or been appropriated in dehumanizing ways. “All men” have not always had inalienable rights, or been treated as though they were created equal; needless to say, neither have women. And the fight for equality has not always been a fair or unifying one either; rather, it was often an every-man-for-himself free-for-all. And though separation of church and state may be outlined in the First Amendment, the Pledge of Allegiance also describes America as a nation under a Christian God.
That being said, we do not have to throw the cookbook out. The unabashed celebrations of different cultures in the United States are a fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and they should be. The integration of these traditions is an act of patriotism, not just for the countries of origin, but for America itself. To be an immigrant is to be American. To allow foreign identities to slip into the fray, or God forbid, try to force them out, would be a disservice to the concepts that inspired the inception of this nation, and thus an act of treason. There is no caveat on the Statue of Liberty stating that one must abandon their culture and traditions when they step through the golden door. No, the Mother of Exiles all but promises freedom and opportunity to bring one’s expression forth into the light, for those brave enough to follow her home. Staying true to her word is the closest we can come to greatness.
Anna Viden is a senior majoring in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Media Studies.