{"id":246,"date":"2020-02-03T23:42:47","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T23:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/solesstories\/?page_id=246"},"modified":"2020-02-04T00:34:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T00:34:44","slug":"racially-invisible","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/solesstories\/racially-invisible\/","title":{"rendered":"Racially Invisible"},"content":{"rendered":"

I identify as Middle Eastern but am forced to select White category as there is no racial\u00a0 box. I do not exist here in America and am encouraged to identify as a race I am not. I am not\u00a0 White. I am Middle Eastern. I came to America in 1990 and have not witnessed change in census for my racial identity. Is this the United States way of telling me and my community that we\u00a0 should remain invisible or conform? My family had to flee Iraq as a result of the Iraq-Iran war and settle in Bahrain. Eventually, my parents, my brother and I made our way to the United States where we settled in San Diego. I am no different than the Iraqi refugees that fled Iraq as a\u00a0 result of the Iraq\/American war. America invaded Iraq and as a result Iraqi\u2019s fled to America for peace and justice. If America is willing to go to war with a foriegn country for positive change shouldn\u2019t they welcome and acknowledge their fleeing refugees? I am a proud Iraq-American and received my naturalization but still feel deemed as a second class citizen. I feel our local and\u00a0 national leaders are not doing a good job with Arab-American\u2019s such as myself feeling visible in the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n