Alright. So, I have lived in this country my whole life. I was born in Kansas, from there we moved to Minnesota, then Kansas again, and then Missouri. In fact, I have not actually been out of this country. I was recently watching the news and the lovely anchor lady started talking about how Muslims needed to either "go home" or become Americans.
What does it mean to be American? I have a friend who does not like bacon. She just doesn’t like it. One afternoon we were sitting with some other friends having lunch, and she mentioned her dislike of the fried meat. Well, let me tell you, that statement started a major uproar. Our friend group started saying things such as, “How could you dislike bacon?” or “Hating bacon is un-American.” So I implore you, what does it mean to be American and what exactly is un-American?
I enjoy football, basketball, fireworks, and chicken fingers as much as the next guy. Oh, and wings. I love hot wings…and Lays® on a turkey sandwich which is classic, don’t argue with me on that one.
Anyway, how does my love for different foods and sports determine my American-ness?
As I was listening to the Fox News journalist and her guest explain how these hyphenated Americans are not true Americans, I became confused. See, people make comments like that all the time without thinking about the meaning of the statement. Hyphenated Americans include African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native-Americans and Latin-Americans. Because the reporters were talking about Muslim-Americans and including us in their long list, I can only assume that includes all religions. This would mean that America is not for Christian-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Buddhist-Americans, or Hindi-Americans.
See. We are everywhere, we are everything and you, my dear, are a hyphenated American.
I understand how heartbreaking it can be to learn that just because I subscribe to a different religion than you, doesn’t make me less American, but alas, it’s true. Sure I wear a scarf on my head, and don’t eat pork, but how does that affect my nationality? How does that determine whether or not I should be allowed to live in this country?
Maybe you are afraid. Maybe because someone worlds away who claims to subscribe to the same religion has hurt people, you fear that I could do the same. Though you may have never even met a Muslim, you have decided we are all bad. You have decided you are unsafe living in this country because of ‘my kind,' yet you can still walk peacefully back to your house at the end of the day.
See, I have met your kind. Your kind are people who believe with all of their heart that all Muslims are the same, believe the same things, and want to harm you in any way they can. These types of people are the ones that shout at me as I’m walking through the mall. They roll down their windows while I’m driving and tell me to go home. Your kind is like the man that spit on me while I was waiting in line at Wal-Mart with my little brother.
Turns out, I can’t peacefully walk back to my house at the end of the day.
But I refuse to make the assumption you so desperately lust after. Understand that I am African-American and Caucasian-American and Muslim-American. Understand that I am a heavily hyphenated American. Understand that I am, and will always be, proud of it.
Yours lovingly,
Tiffany Taylor
