Dear Editor...

Dear Editor,

As a young girl I always dreamed of coming to America- the "land of the free." I learned all about the culture, listened to all the American music I could get my hands on, and secretly learned the latest American dances from my older brother. Finally my dream came true. When I was 19, my boyfriend was awarded a fully paid scholarship to a San Fransisco university, and then asked me to accompany him to America (right after he proposed!). I went with, sad to leave my family, but excited to live out my dreams.

When I first got to America, it was just as amazing as I expected. We landed in San Fransisco an dI was in my glory. My high, however, did not last too long. on my 3rd day in America, an older woman gave me a death glare and spit at my feet. I tried to brush it off by telling myself that she was just angry b ecause she had to walk around with a walker and I had 2 healthy legs. but after a while, the truth set in- there were a lot of people who were angry towards me just because of my origin.

I normally don't let these people's behavior bother me, because I know that they are just living with their eyes closed. This time, however, it has gone too far. I can take dirty glances, but I will not stand for being fired because of my ethnic origin. That is considered institutionalized racism and that is illegal. And the laws of this country apply for me, because I, too, am an American citizen- something I worked long and hard for. I have just as many rights as those who discriminate against me.

But what I find worst of all, is that this is just one small point on a line of institutionalized racism that extends far back into history and will continue on into the future. This case will just land itself a spot on a classroom timeline right after Japanese internment, the murder of Vincent Chin, and the beating of Rodney King. We need to work together to open the eyes of our country so we can stop this colored hatred. We need to fight to stop this endless timeline of unjust tragedy, and turn America into the true American Dream of prosperity, liberty, and justice.

Sincerely,
Rachel Kim