Each day as I drive through the streets, I cannot help but notice the subtle reminders of how divided the nation has become. Public declarations of racism and xenophobia, “No Japs Here,” “Asians NOT welcome.” I have seen Asian Americans beaten in the streets for no reason other than they are different and unwelcome. Will Americans ever truly be united as one?

This picture may seem like something from fifty years ago, but the message is still relevant today. The American government is based on the principles and precepts of equality and freedom, yet many minorities face discrimination and people are targeted in hate crimes for the way they look.

The graphic novel “They Called Us Enemy,” written by George Takei, shows the violent racism faced by Japanese Americans during World War II. Executive order 9066 ripped innocent families from their homes and placed them in concentration camps simply because of their Japanese descent. The Japanese Americans faced horrible discrimination in a place that was supposed to be inclusive for all. The government did nothing to stop this hate, instead fed into it by labeling all Japanese as the “Alien Enemy.”

America turned its back on Japanese Americans and made the unthinkable decision to imprison them in horrible concentration camps. Although these innocent families tried to make the best of this excessive example of racial profiling, these were moments of pain and discrimination that should never be forgotten; as Americans we can only hope to never make such a mistake again. 

The fight for inclusion and acceptance by American minorities is far from over. When the Coronavirus was detected in the United States, every citizen was in a state of shock and could only focus on keeping their families safe. As time went on and the death toll continued to rise, politicians and society began to look for a scapegoat. Asian Americans were the ones taking the fall for the pandemic, targeted for “bringing Covid to the United States.” It seemed as though America help every Asian American responsible for the pandemic deaths. Asian Americans were and still are being targeted in violent hate crimes, some resulting in serious injury or death. These attacks have made Americans wonder, will there ever be a change?

As Americans, we need to fight for what we believe in and for what is right. We need equality and acceptance for all races, genders, and genres. It is evident that there is a long way to go before we reach that goal, but Americans need to keep moving forward. This hate filled time that has filled all Americans with fear and dismay will forever represent a time when our country was moving backward, but there is still time to make this right. We cannot let history repeat itself!