I used to wish I had a hometown--somewhere my family and I have lived for more than one generation. None of my ancestors were born and died in the same area for over two hundred years.
We are travelers. Voyagers. For good or ill, we are colonizers, who find a new place and make it home.
America is too young to have a race. We barely have a distinct culture. But what a glorious melting pot we've become!
My great grandmother immigrated from Denmark as a teenager, alone. She became an indentured servant to secure passage to America, and was traded to a different family when they realized she spoke no English. She married the son of a Polish immigrant whose birthplace says "Germany" because Poland didn't exist at the time. Only a few generations divide us, yet in another line, my seventh great-grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. His ancestors had already lived in this area for four generations.
I am a walking contradiction. Some of my ancestors sacrificed everything so that their children could have a better life. Others found family life too hard and walked away. Some of my ancestors were early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), who were persecuted and driven out for their beliefs. My ancestors from another line turned a blind eye--or maybe even joined in. Some of my ancestors are Aleuts from Alaska, while others are the Russians who first subjugated but then joined them. (And no, Aleuts are not vicious otter-killers. Our history is much more complicated. Thanks a lot, Island of the Blue Dolphin).
Our contradictions are our strength.
At my wedding lunch, my grandfather told everyone that I am descended from royalty and from pig thieves. In other words, he told my new in-laws, I am a mutt.
Aren't we all?
Isn't that what America is?
Diversity is not a political buzzword. It's our identity.
