Riddle of America, The - Waldorf Research Institute

Party and was the place where Mexican labor activists Emma Tenayuca andManuela Solis de Sanger united many in their quest for social justice. Thepeople of Arizona and New Mexico, with their labor and political strugglesand achievements, inspired many a child to dream of success. These are allpart of the American spectrum. The nation is a matrix of its people—somenewcomers, but all Americans, all contributors to this society.The experiences of immigrant women are part and parcel of socialchange in America. They represent and symbolize change. Immigrantwomen have contributed to the feminization of the labor force and to theoverall changes of conventional mores. Immigrants are important in societynot merely because of the products of their labor. They also recast theway of life to which we are accustomed. They make us reflect and wonder.Immigrants are part of the future of our America, and they are importantbearers of cultural norms treasured by us all.As one revisits the accounts of immigrants, one is struck by the familiarityof their stories. Listen to their powerful voices, those of women,men, and children. Know that in their unique experience lies the root of allhumanity. After all, everyone in these United States including all native tribescame from somewhere else. Realize that all humanity is linked in experienceby displacement and creativity. Immigrants come into new worlds tolearn from people and cultures. We continue to make contributions to ourhost communities, now our communities, in ways we might never know.Who is American today? A professor at California State University,Northridge, whose mother came to the United States in the 1930s to join theranks of the garment industry. A Salvadoran family that fled the ravages ofwar, the eldest daughter making a migratory path. That daughter is currentlya Spanish-language newscaster in the Los Angeles area. Her younger brotherpursues a doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley, hoping tomake contributions to the history of Latinos in the United States. A singlemother of three in the San Gabriel Valley teaching the newest Americans ina federally-funded Head Start program how to create their first pieces of art.Those are Americans, one and all. Keepers of the dreams of their parents,who brought them here or gave birth to them on U.S. soil. They nurture thedreams of people everywhere. These courageous people remind us to keepdreams alive and to carry on with abiding hope.259