Perhaps Henry Cejudo’s Olympic gold medal in wrestling should be revoked. His parents, after all, did enter the United States illegally. Why should the son of illegal immigrants get to represent the United States?
That sounds absurd but it’s the same line of thinking of anti-immigrant pundits, groups and individuals who regularly exclude, dismiss and reject immigrants, both documented and undocumented, and their children by extension.
We observe this often—the contributions of the vast majority of immigrant families that are relegated to a corner of the immigration debate and unwoven from the threads of U.S. history.
But the reality is that Cejudo embodies the American spirit, one defined by the energy and persistence of generations of immigrants. His determination and dedication, amid personal challenges, to years of rigorous training took him to the pinnacle of athletic achievement.
Tens of thousands of miles away, Latinos who share Cejudo’s heritage and drive, also showed the same determination in the face of obstacles and adversaries, only under different circumstances.
In Staten Island, three business owners had their stores damaged by a man who rammed his vehicle into their doors. Coincidentally or not, all three owners were Mexican while the attacker was described as white.
Perhaps the attacker doesn’t know, or care, that Latina-owned businesses, for example, are driving small business growth in the United States. Or maybe he wants to ignore that its businesses like these that create job opportunities, provide goods and services, and bring in revenue to municipalities.
The owners are not intimidated. “This will not make us fall,’ one declared.
That attitude brings the best to this city and nation. From Staten Island to Beijing, we should applaud immigrants who refuse to buckle under pressure or settle for last place.
