My grandfather was a second generation immigrant whose parents barely could speak english. He got 2 college scholarships and chose the most economical one, not the “prestige one” because he understood this country was about hard work once you got an opportunity, so take on little debt. He put on a uniform and kissed his wife and child goodbye to fight fascism. He became a builder with his new father in law and then struck out on his own. He built communities for jews in places they were not welcome.
When he finally had money to build a house for himself without debt he made sure there was a flagpole and always flew the flag. He would hire people after incarceration because he knew opportunities should be provided to those who truly wanted to build a good life. He gave back to his country in a myriad of ways. But he understood that this nation of immigrants was about building a future together. One day I hope that people stop slamming shut doors out of fear and intolerance. Diversity truly is what built us.
Thank you for this clear and urgent defense of one of the most foundational promises of American democracy. Birthright citizenship is not merely a legal doctrine—it’s a moral commitment to inclusion and equality. Stripping it away threatens to unravel the very fabric of a nation built on shared ideals, not shared bloodlines. This assault is rooted in racism and driven by the Heritage Foundation—and its chosen face, Trump—whose agenda condemns diversity, equality, and inclusion at every turn.
Great story! I grew up in Jersey City, full of immigrant families from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Puerto Rico etc. Lots of working class folks. We all played together and rooted for the Yankees, Dodgers or Giants (then all NY teams). We were all Americans from New Jersey!! There was no discussion about this, no questioning. Many of us "kids" grew up to make important contributions to our fields. Some continued as electricians, plumbers, bus drivers. Others became lawyers, Wall Street players MDs or PhDs. We were all Americans originally from New Jersey!!
My little act of disobedience: When chatting with one of the many immigrants from all around the world now in the Boston area (Uber, landscapers, restaurants, lab technicians, …), I usually find a way to say “Thank you for coming to this country. We need as many good people as we can get.” They are usually green card holders on their way to citizenship.
My wife’s act of disobedience: She volunteers to tutor these people in English as a second language classes. Many are preparing for their citizenship exam.
Anand, I and all Americans who have grown up in this country feel as the ‘biker’ gentleman does - ‘you are our people.’ We have experienced the gift of coming to know people who immigrated here from a range of countries, sharing their cultural practices with us, expanding our ideas of the multiple ways to live beautiful lives, enriching us. I, too, know that the French traditionally have not treasured others who were not native born, an orientation that has limited the kinds of experiences that our ‘melting pot’ affords us everyday in America. Writing your story has highlighted that the birth citizenship is not a minor issue, but rather one central to our culture, critical to maintaining one of the distinctive aspects of our culture that has invited people from around the world to join our ‘family.’ Thank you.
I wish it were true—that “all Americans who have grown up in this country feel as the ‘biker gentleman does-‘you are our people’. I appreciate that you and some others feel that way, but I experience your statement as a denial of this country’s history and its ongoing present. This is the very thing Felon in Chief and his crew want to erase from education, museums etc and it is the very thing that must be faced and owned for this nation to heal.
I cried reading this. I once asked my husband what he thinks it means to be patriotic. His answer? He mused about being a child watching people at his synagogue in Ohio taking the pledge to become American citizens in their broken English and foreign accents. His grandmother was one of those people. That made him feel truly American. And patriotic.
Very moving story and deeply relevant. It has always been my understanding that America is a country, no doubt flawed in many ways, but where it mattered, large, diverse, and generous. It is terrifying to see so much hate, meanness, and cruelty coming from our government in contrast to what I believed. My mother’s side of the family came to this country before the Revolution, my father was second generation, the son of two immigrants from England. We are all immigrants, somewhere in our pasts, recent or otherwise, we came from somewhere else. But no matter when we arrived, we became a part of what it means to be American. And that is the beauty of America, we are not beholden to tribalism, we not bound by the terrible blood feuds that have marked human interaction for millennia, we are free in ways that counter so much of human history. And this is what Trump, Vance, Miller and the rest of them want to reverse. It’s all about power and control. They hate the very idea of America.
Everytime I know SCOTUS is considering another current Regime concocted hate and racist based question…. I feel the dread deep in my Heart, here in Texas. See what I did there? Humor.. darker the better…has always been a go to in my “Let’s Stay Sane Another Day Girl” toolbox. Learned and honed in my First generation American Irish Catholic Mother, and Second generation German Irish Prussian Jewish Father’s home growing up. Here’s to continued Becoming, and Meaning Making and Learning from each other’s stories.
Really generous share. I too wish to live in a country that is a true melting pot of cultures. And to me that means embracing where people come from, exposing each other to new customs, languages, rites, food and, yes, even languages. What a gorgeous life that could be. What a rich experience. That’s what I’m fighting for, like the biker dude.
This is absolutely searing. It made me cry and made me angry. Beautifully heartfelt, the opposite of Trump’s “inelegance”
I seized on that word, too. And, every bit of this writing is the opposite, poetically elegant🙏🏽🙏🏽
My grandfather was a second generation immigrant whose parents barely could speak english. He got 2 college scholarships and chose the most economical one, not the “prestige one” because he understood this country was about hard work once you got an opportunity, so take on little debt. He put on a uniform and kissed his wife and child goodbye to fight fascism. He became a builder with his new father in law and then struck out on his own. He built communities for jews in places they were not welcome.
When he finally had money to build a house for himself without debt he made sure there was a flagpole and always flew the flag. He would hire people after incarceration because he knew opportunities should be provided to those who truly wanted to build a good life. He gave back to his country in a myriad of ways. But he understood that this nation of immigrants was about building a future together. One day I hope that people stop slamming shut doors out of fear and intolerance. Diversity truly is what built us.
Thank you for this clear and urgent defense of one of the most foundational promises of American democracy. Birthright citizenship is not merely a legal doctrine—it’s a moral commitment to inclusion and equality. Stripping it away threatens to unravel the very fabric of a nation built on shared ideals, not shared bloodlines. This assault is rooted in racism and driven by the Heritage Foundation—and its chosen face, Trump—whose agenda condemns diversity, equality, and inclusion at every turn.
Great story! I grew up in Jersey City, full of immigrant families from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Puerto Rico etc. Lots of working class folks. We all played together and rooted for the Yankees, Dodgers or Giants (then all NY teams). We were all Americans from New Jersey!! There was no discussion about this, no questioning. Many of us "kids" grew up to make important contributions to our fields. Some continued as electricians, plumbers, bus drivers. Others became lawyers, Wall Street players MDs or PhDs. We were all Americans originally from New Jersey!!
My little act of disobedience: When chatting with one of the many immigrants from all around the world now in the Boston area (Uber, landscapers, restaurants, lab technicians, …), I usually find a way to say “Thank you for coming to this country. We need as many good people as we can get.” They are usually green card holders on their way to citizenship.
My wife’s act of disobedience: She volunteers to tutor these people in English as a second language classes. Many are preparing for their citizenship exam.
If these people managed to get here, they belong.
Thank You for helping people who risked coming to our country .
Anand, I and all Americans who have grown up in this country feel as the ‘biker’ gentleman does - ‘you are our people.’ We have experienced the gift of coming to know people who immigrated here from a range of countries, sharing their cultural practices with us, expanding our ideas of the multiple ways to live beautiful lives, enriching us. I, too, know that the French traditionally have not treasured others who were not native born, an orientation that has limited the kinds of experiences that our ‘melting pot’ affords us everyday in America. Writing your story has highlighted that the birth citizenship is not a minor issue, but rather one central to our culture, critical to maintaining one of the distinctive aspects of our culture that has invited people from around the world to join our ‘family.’ Thank you.
I wish it were true—that “all Americans who have grown up in this country feel as the ‘biker gentleman does-‘you are our people’. I appreciate that you and some others feel that way, but I experience your statement as a denial of this country’s history and its ongoing present. This is the very thing Felon in Chief and his crew want to erase from education, museums etc and it is the very thing that must be faced and owned for this nation to heal.
God bless the biker dude. He gets what it is to be American .
First of all I love the photo!! Thank you Anand.
Thank you for your elegant writing about what it is to be an American “becoming, becoming, becoming”, all of it!
I think all of us ‘Americans’ are birthright citizens. Only our indigenous peoples are the true citizens, if we go by the president’s use of the word.
( I won’t even mention how they are treated)
Always, thank you for your voice.
Thanks for sharing your story Anand! You are our people and I truly believe that the biker dude will prevail as well!
I cried reading this. I once asked my husband what he thinks it means to be patriotic. His answer? He mused about being a child watching people at his synagogue in Ohio taking the pledge to become American citizens in their broken English and foreign accents. His grandmother was one of those people. That made him feel truly American. And patriotic.
Very moving story and deeply relevant. It has always been my understanding that America is a country, no doubt flawed in many ways, but where it mattered, large, diverse, and generous. It is terrifying to see so much hate, meanness, and cruelty coming from our government in contrast to what I believed. My mother’s side of the family came to this country before the Revolution, my father was second generation, the son of two immigrants from England. We are all immigrants, somewhere in our pasts, recent or otherwise, we came from somewhere else. But no matter when we arrived, we became a part of what it means to be American. And that is the beauty of America, we are not beholden to tribalism, we not bound by the terrible blood feuds that have marked human interaction for millennia, we are free in ways that counter so much of human history. And this is what Trump, Vance, Miller and the rest of them want to reverse. It’s all about power and control. They hate the very idea of America.
So beautiful. I hope it will be true.
Everytime I know SCOTUS is considering another current Regime concocted hate and racist based question…. I feel the dread deep in my Heart, here in Texas. See what I did there? Humor.. darker the better…has always been a go to in my “Let’s Stay Sane Another Day Girl” toolbox. Learned and honed in my First generation American Irish Catholic Mother, and Second generation German Irish Prussian Jewish Father’s home growing up. Here’s to continued Becoming, and Meaning Making and Learning from each other’s stories.
Really generous share. I too wish to live in a country that is a true melting pot of cultures. And to me that means embracing where people come from, exposing each other to new customs, languages, rites, food and, yes, even languages. What a gorgeous life that could be. What a rich experience. That’s what I’m fighting for, like the biker dude.
So beautifully stated...thanks for this.
Birthright citizenship also corrected the Dred Scott decision. Freed black slaves became citizens.