Travel - Ethiopia - My Americaness

There needs to be some restart button on the American identity because, quite frankly, there is a major lack thereof and always will be unless the bulk wants to agree to do something about it.

Your American-ness is determined by your political affiliation, regional placement, and individual acceptance. Meaning, there are a plethora of different ways to embrace being American. It's not an entirely wrong concept but it does pose certain dilemmas, especially when race and ethnicity are involved. Most immigrant youths in America want so badly to be "American", and this idea, in terms of how they behave, is predicated by where they live and the society they live in - good or bad. If you're a black immigrant in the suburbs that often becomes your identity until further notice, as well as black in the inner city, or black in a rural setting. It determines a lot of how you are accepted into society - and even, your career and personal aspirations. Then you reach a larger scale (most often university) and your "Americaness" is challenged by everyone.

It's a trivial occurrence that many minorities especially those of Eastern European backgrounds are troubled with. You're white, but you're not white enough - it's apparent, you don't sound like them. Likewise, the African immigrant, who wants nothing but to fit in culturally, ethnically, and socially...but, you're not black enough, American enough, or even African enough (due to loss of language, accent, or whatever else identity factors). Then you have the Asian/Middle Eastern diaspora, who seem to continuously have their identity challenged (seemingly never American enough).

I would love to call myself an American, but that's not how the world sees me nor is it something I've truly accepted willingly. There's a deep history of identity woes in this country that has always ostracized immigrants going back to the Irish and Italians to the first wave of Asian migrants, and even further back, the, unwilling, enslaved, trafficked black bodies from West Africa.

Americans aren't more obsessed with identity than most people living in other countries are but as a representative of "multiculturalism", and "diversity", we need to first accept the fact that America has no foundational culture, that is, is inclusive of all people. Additionally, we've been floating around this loose idea that we are all for one and one for all. We aren't - but I believe we can be. I would love to look at someone who looks different from me and say "Hey Brotha/Sista!", but the only people I can do that with are: Most, if not all, Black people, my close friends, and those who have accepted me as one of them and that's most often the two groups I just listen. I would also like my vernacular, my image, nor my affiliates, dictate where I'm from, my education level, my upbringing, and so forth - but that's wishful thinking.

I don't post much but pictures on here, mainly because I've found that engaging with people that disagree with you often leaves certain people feeling inclined to call you a name or propose some idea of you that's unbecoming - also, it's not adding to any personal growth.

Anyway, I hope in your efforts to being American you don't alienate others different from you and you don't lose that part of you linked to your heritage, lineage, etc. America is great, America is grand, but its hands are dirty and the only way to see it's uncleanliness is to look at it and acknowledge it. Not blame, but to acknowledge.