by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: November 18, 2009

When America ends it's obsession with race, with classifying people by race, and with doling out the perks in life according to race, then people will not have to remind America that they ARE Americans. The hyphen and the word American are a reminder that all of the classifications and races are as much citizens, with all of the rights and responsibilities that accrue, as Whites, or those of European descent.

The fact is that specific ethnic groups have to reinforce that they are proud of their heritage, culture, and ancestry while reminding everyone that they are also Americans and proud of their heritage and contribution our country. When there is a never ending series of attacks that are based on a person's color and accent, then there is a never ending reminder. When there is a never ending series of attempts to grab the most benefits for one racial or ethnic group, then there is a never ending series of reminders that no one racial or ethnic group built this country or will protect, maintain, and continue to build it.

That hyphen and the word "America" stand for the fact that no one is going to support oppression, discrimination, or denial of rights because they do not come from Europe. And it is only the European based American who is not required to hyphenate, while forcing everyone else to do so.

There will be pride in national or world origin, skin color, culture and history, as the word that comes before the hyphen is a rich word that speaks of great and astounding history, culture, values, norms, ideals and contributions. When Americans insist on classifying, then denying based on what comes before that hyphen, then the hyphen will stay. As long as America continues to be a country with enough noise from deviant and extremist individuals who think that they are the only "true Americans", the hyphens will stay. Until those individuals permanently and irrevocably shut down the harmful rhetoric against others, the hyphens will not only stay, but will be in their faces for the rest of their lives to remind them that they caused their own problem.

And America is not the only country that has these divisions in people who share citizenship. In every country of the world, there are the equivalents of hyphens. There are regional differences in language, history and culture that are sources of pride as well as discrimination. Not all nations were always nations, but were nation states, kingdoms, tribal zones, and little dictatorships. There will always be reminders that immigrants immigrate to everywhere these days. They will retain their connections to their national origin and pass some of them through to the generations that follow, no matter where they settle.

Hyphenated American citizenship is not just there to annoy, it is there to remind.

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