Nosotros La Gente
In the United States, there has traditionally been two categories of citizens, the American and the Hyphenated American. If we go by what we see in black and white, everyone with a citizenship, either born or nationalized should be considered and treated as an American. Yet, we know that to be untrue. Through our everyday lives the label of “American” is reserved for those with white skin, while people of color are relegated to a subcategory of that. We are the hyphenated citizens, Asian-American, Black-American, Indian-American, Latin-American, and even Native-American. We are labeled the lesser citizen, the non-pure Americans. My project aims to challenge that notion.
The concept of what it means to be an American is complex, and not easy to define. Currently the social political definition of who is a “true American”, is someone who leans far right and who’s purpose it is to serve and protect the “rich” history of America, one full of systemic racism, exploitation, exclusionary practices, and unjust murders.
Yet we are at a turning point in this country, as it has become more and more diverse over the past decade. With people of different races, ethnicities, religions, and cultural backgrounds planting roots and living life alongside one another. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people of color are projected to become the majority within the U.S. by 2045, which makes the necessity for a more inclusive definition of the word American even more necessary.
I believe it’s time to redefine that label, making it more inclusive and representative of us, the majority. We are the backbone of this country, and to be marginalized and disregarded of our citizenship, is treasonous.
People of color struggle to be seen as equal. They assimilate, erase their own personal culture, and forget their own language, just be able to survive here in the united states. But it is time to change.
We belong
We are here
We will be seen
We will be heard
And we will be Valued
We, the Majority, are the new Americans, so lets change the way identify and define who embodies that word.
Although we know that the use of hyphenated identity can be a way to acknowledge and celebrate cultural diversity, there are many scholars that argue that it also reinforce the idea of the "otherness" of non-white cultures. I want to move past that othering.
For more information regarding this project, please explore links below
So I ask, is it still ethical or necessary to hyphenate our citizens? Can we reclaim our voice, and our citizenship by taking back the narrative of who truly embodies the idea of an American?
I want to see a country where I along with my future children can feel welcomed and proud to say that we were born here. That we are American Citizens. We are the future of this country, yet we fight to simply get recognized as simply humans. Lets begin the evolution of the word. Lets change the meaning.