19th #AllAmerican Portrait: JJ

First name: JJ*

What does it mean to be American?

Being American means constantly coming to terms with our country’s past and present litany of injustices and figuring out how best to confront them; to constantly be honest with yourself and others around you about the inequalities that exist in this country and our role in perpetuating them; and finally, to always have the courage to stand up for what is right/be a social justice warrior at home and beyond.

18th #AllAmerican Portrait: Sabrina (II)

First name: Sabrina

What does it mean to be American?

Being American is about all coming together with a mindset to be united. I believe it is to be proud of of where you come from and cherishing the diversity we have in this country. It’s about staying together and lifting each other up in any event despite political views. It is to treat everyone with equal respect, an open mind and with a kind heart.

17th #AllAmerican Portrait: Lalit/Choice

First name: Lalit (aka, Choice)

What does it mean to be American?

To be American is to be kind, to be nice, to be all-inclusive. To work as a team towards one goal: to better America–from everyday life to the nation as a whole. To be patriotic as lovers of America, and to be humble even though we know a good part of the world looks up to us, to keep on striving for excellence for future Americans and the impact we have on the world as America.

16th #AllAmerican Portrait: Aisha

First name: Aisha

What does it mean to be American?

For me, to be American means to understand the full context of this country’s founding and history, and to continue to work towards a more perfect union. This nation was founded upon the freedoms of speech, religion, and expression and to be an American means to work to uphold those values for all people.

15th #AllAmerican Portrait: Lillian

First name: Lillian

What does it mean to be American?

Growing up as a Korean American, I have always seen the “American” portion of my identity as a simple explanation to others stating that I was born in the USA. It was not until my twenties that I started realizing there were certain characteristics of myself that I categorized as the “American” side of me. Naturally, I am an introvert, shy, and do not like the lime light very much–traits that are stereotypically categorized as Asian. While I am naturally quiet, I am quite active and vocal when it comes to certain things that I am very passionate about in life–the American side of me. For example, when I became very active in fighting to relocate North Korean refugees, there were a lot of adults that were concerned for my safety and told me to stop and just “stay quiet.” Asians are always the “model Americans,” because we are taught to keep our heads down, blend, not cause attention, and just focus on ourselves. I guess to me, being American is about standing up for others, fighting for our beliefs, and trying to lend a helping hand when we can; using our privileges to help others that are not as privileged as us or in need of help.

14th #AllAmerican Portrait: Trevor

First name: Trevor

What does it mean to be American?

Being an American means to be free. Free to dream and be who and what you want to be. However, it’s a freedom for some that is held together by a thin thread.

13th #AllAmerican Portrait: Anjali

First name: Anjali

What makes America great? 

America is great because we have the right to express ourselves, particularly the right to express dissenting views. I appreciate and utilize this right every single day.

12th #AllAmerican Portrait: Darlene

First name: Darlene

What does it mean to be American?

To be in a country that is accepting of all religion, race, and creed.

11th #AllAmerican Portrait: Raymond

First name: Raymond

What does it mean to be American?

To be an American means to embody the Latin phrase, E Pluribus Unum—out of many, one. America is a place where people from all over the world come together in search of a better life and better opportunities. America is a land known for its diversity in race, ethnicity, beliefs, values, and every other way imaginable. To be an American means to be respectful, tolerant, and accepting of people that are different from us.

10th #AllAmerican Portrait: Lindsay

First name: Lindsay

What does it mean to be American?

Being able to claim American citizenship but having been born and raised elsewhere, I find this a difficult question to answer. I prefer to consider myself (pardon the cliche) a citizen of the world. Technology has made the world smaller and more accessible. Once we’ve finished destroying the earth, we’ll all be in the same boat and no one is going to be saved over another. Instead of civic duty, I think we all have a global duty to be caring, compassionate, open-minded, less greedy, and less focused on our little patch in the sun.