United State's Melting Pot: Who Can We Choose to Be?

The United States is often referred to as the “Great Melting Pot.” A nation of blended cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and races, it reflects the backgrounds of those who have landed on its shores from places diverse and far off. Genetically, Americans live up to that “Great Melting Pot” reputation. Most Americans will rarely answer simply or briefly when questions about their ancestry. Most often, their reply will include a variety of ethnicities. Up until the 19th Century, most Americans could describe themselves by one, or perhaps two, ethnic backgrounds. However, our pedigrees have become so varied, that possibly no easily-discernable ethnic majority exists. With such a jumble of bloodlines, an American has any number of ethnicities or races to which it may wish to align. This presents a unique opportunity—or dilemma—for the 21st Century. For a choice to be valid society must be willing to recognize it.

In her essay “The ‘F’ Word,” Firoozeh Dumas writes about her struggles to gain acceptance into American society when even her name seems to be an insurmountable stumbling block to English-trained tongues—not to mention her strongly Iranian heritage, which causes problems in a time when Americans harbor great distrust of anyone from the Middle East. Dumas encounters little difficulty, she says, adjusting to American society, but she feels the isolation from the mainstream which her name engenders. She decides, therefore, to simplify her life at age 12 and chooses for herself the American-sounding name of “Julie.” From that moment on, her life simplified. People remember her name, and she avoids much of the anti-Iranian sentiment, which might otherwise have come her way. When she enters college, she opts to go back to using her real name, which works fine until she graduates from college with honors but still cannot get a job. Dumas speaks about her attempt to resolve this issue when she writes, “After three months of rejections, I added “Julie” to my resume. Call it coincidence, but the job offers started coming in” (62). By altering her name, ‘Julie’ is able to alter people’s perception of her heritage.

In Russell Thornton’s “What the Census Doesn’t Count,” he writes, “The 2000 census remains silent on whether the people around a given person consider him or her to be white, Asian American, or something else altogether. And that relative suspension of social judgment is the 2000 census’s greatest innovation; it recognizes who you think you are as an important piece of information” (66). Thornton claims that race is a “social notion, not a biological reality” (65), and yet he points out that “the races society has created are real to many people and have important psychological and social implications for individuals” (65). He goes on to state that up until the 1900’s, the census had no provisions for mixed races. From 1900 to 1960, the census finally had a mixed race allowance and that was for a mulatto category. During those years, if a difficult classification were in question, the census takers were directed to ask members of a person’s community about what race that person was thought to be. This methodology of census-taking demonstrates that race, at that time, was what society thought you were, not who you thought you were. The census has been self-reporting as far as race goes since 1960, though Thornton points out that, though we may now choose who we are, society might well choose differently, and that is as much a reality as our own self image.

My Mother was born in Helena, Montana in the mid 1930’s and grew up in the rough mining town of Butte, Montana. Her early experiences were peppered with tales of what it was like to grow up as a white Native American in a town and a time which frowned first upon having a mix heritage, and second, being a Native American. My mom’s sisters shared the same ancestry but they “looked” white. They did not have my mother’s dark skin, high cheek-bones, and straight black hair. Though Butte is a small community, and my mother’s family was well known throughout, her sisters received distinctly different treatment for their blue eyes and light brown, wavy hair. When she was 15 years old, my mother and her family moved to Bellingham, Washington, and my mother decided that she would start a new chapter in her life. She cut her hair short, curled it, and made a point of claiming her French heritage. She found social acceptance in her new high school, and for the first time in her life, she was not only included, but also sought out. She was the same person, but her community perceived her differently.

The United States has genetically blended many cultures and ethnic backgrounds to form one united country, and the diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds that form its population continue to allow a unique flavoring to the culture. The next logical step is for Americans to successfully blend races and ethnicities by recognizing both their right to exist in peace and their responsibility to do so. This revelation may result from the continuing genetic homogenization of the American people and the residual breakdown of social stereotypes to which this homogenization leads. My mother’s story and the essays of Dumas and Thornton show that society still has the final word on both race-determination, however, as well as an individual’s acceptance into societal ranks. Nonetheless, hope still exists that Americans will embrace the simple recognition that race is a social opinion and not a biological one. Until then we can legally pick our race but, to live it we need to convince the community around us.