‘Murica’s not as colorful as we think
By Srija Srinivasan | Staff Writer
America is always praised for having diversity in race, culture, language and religion among its citizens. Comedian Louis C.K. once commented on the confusion he felt upon reading the newspaper :“It said that 80 percent of the people in New York are minorities…Shouldn’t you not call them minorities when they get to be 80 percent of the population?” Diversity is spreading, and it’s spreading fast. But is it spreading evenly? According to Randal Olson’s data regarding diversity in the United States, Alameda County is the fourth most diverse county in the United States. The US Census for Fremont shows that of the 2010 estimated population of 214,079 citizens, 50.6% was Asian, 26.5% Caucasian, 14.8% Hispanic and 3.3% black or African American. Fremont’s population is incredibly diverse and extremely representative of the entire world. But it isn’t representative of the united states–Olson reported that there were counties in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Nebraska that were 100% Caucasian.
There are multiple advantages to growing up in a city or county as diverse as Fremont. We all have easy access to experiencing other cultures. A lot can be gained from living in such a cosmopolitan place. We learn about the foods, traditions and languages. But the biggest lesson that we all learn from living in this melting pot of cultures, races, and religions is one of tolerance. People from places with a less racially and culturally diverse background don’t automatically learn the beautiful lesson that people are all different. We will all learn how to work together with people of predispositions and lifestyles different from our own. Not only will we learn this with time, but we will learn it from an early age. If we experience other cultures and see people of different ethnicities from an early age, it will seem more natural to us than it would be if we lived in a city with 100% of one race and moved somewhere more diverse later on.
Fremont’s diversity is a hidden gift. Growing up somewhere with such diversity is a privilege. We won’t realize how culturally diverse Fremont is until we move somewhere where one ethnicity dominates the demographics. And while the idea of moving and being the only one of your racial background in your entire town may be intimidating, when diversity spreads, we will show the world what really makes America a nation for everyone and anyone.
