Opposing Discrimination and Xenophobia

By Executive Director David Rogers

As presidential candidates spread fear-mongering rhetoric about immigrant communities, a local city councilor in Springfield, Oregon, recently opposed the appointment of a minister to a police advisory committee stating that the committee didn’t need “another minority element.” The minister is Pacific Islander.

We need a very different climate and discourse for addressing issues of race and cultural differences in our country and state. Oregon could be facing several ballot measures in 2016 steeped in anti-immigrant sentiment while offering policies that would harm all Oregonians.

The Asian and Pacific American Association of Oregon (APANO) just published an open letter to Oregonians to address recent hateful and discriminatory comments from political leaders nationally and here at home. It made perfect sense to have the ACLU of Oregon be among the original signers of this letter.

It’s time to remind ourselves that there's no contradiction between a nation where we speak a common language and a nation where many of us remain proud of our ethnic heritage. There's no contradiction between a nation with a shared culture, founded on the idea of freedom, and a nation whose culture reflects the melting pot that is America.

A hundred years ago, we called the mix of people from all over the world the American "melting pot.” Today we call it diversity, but the meaning is the same.

Let’s move past terms like “us” and “them” and recognize our shared fate. Our continued well-being is very much linked to our ability to embrace diversity and maintain our shared freedoms.

The conversation needs to change if we are serious about building a state where everyone can thrive and where our future, together, is bright.

Here is a link to the open letter. If you share my sentiment, I encourage you to sign on at APANO's website.