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The Shadow of 9/11: Growing Up in America as a Young Arab American
<i>Macomb Township teen Charlie Kadado grew up in the shadow of Sept. 11. As a young Arab-American, Kadado has had to reconcile his love for America with the discrimination many of his countrymen have shown against his family’s heritage. </i>
Terrorism, the Middle East, 9/11. They are words that have come to flow together after the tragic attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Now as the 10-year anniversary approaches, the words have become part of everyday society. They have become part of discriminatory and intolerant phrases, which have displayed hate and prejudice in humanity.
As a young American Middle Eastern, I was raised to appreciate my heritage, but at the same time, exhibit my American pride. I was American born, American raised, and a proud American. However, after the attacks on Sept. 11, my family and I became confused.
We were confused of our surroundings, confused of media depiction, and confused by the new misconceptions of our race.
Before the attacks, we were proud to be Americans. We were the kind of people who had an American flag in our front yard, the patriotic fireworks on the fourth of July, and the American flag lapel pins on our clothing. After the attacks, however, we earned a new sense of patriotism.
We were not only demonstrating our patriotism, but we began to appreciate our country, appreciate our lives, and appreciate the hard work of the men and women in uniform.
Unfortunately, our patriotism was not welcome by others. Our patriotism was met with discrimination. By turning on the television, walking in the grocery store or greeting our neighbors, we were looked at differently. We weren’t the American patriotic family who lives next door anymore; we became the Arabs who live next door.
I was quite young when the attacks happened, but I still can vaguely remember my father’s face and response to the media coverage of the incident. He was surprised of why it happened and how it happened. Like any other American, he was in awe.
As I grew older and learned more about Sept. 11 in school, I was forced to grow up in a different approach. My elementary school was situated in Farmington Hills, MI, a diverse neighborhood in Oakland County. My classmates were a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Europeans, and many more cultures. Discrimination was never a problem for my school, but the news headlines, interviews, and opinions were hard to avoid.
Without question, the attacks on Sept. 11 had a tremendous impact on the lives of Arab-Americans. Discrimination became an issue that each and every Arab-American had to react and respond to.
In 2001, my father was a community activist in the Oakland County area. As a precinct delegate, leader of political activities and business owner, he was shocked by the effect Sept. 11 had on Arab-Americans. Despite his public service, he still had to face the problems that came along with discrimination.
Sept. 11, 2001 was a day that scarred the entire nation. As citizens of the United States, we were heavily affected by the events as well. As people came together to help those who lost family members, we watched in admiration. That sense of admiration powered our patriotism.
After all, Abraham Lincoln once said: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” We were proud of where we lived, but we were unsure if the place was proud of us. We hoped it was true, but the intolerance
against our race demonstrated the opposite.
Arabs who practiced Islam faced the most prejudice, but as a Christian-Lebanese family, we were still engaged in the discrimination as well. We used our religion as a way to connect ourselves into the American culture and ensure that we would disregard the intolerance.
The 10-year anniversary of 9/11 should be a time to rethink what we say, reestablish how we live, and remember those who died during the terrible attacks. It also should be a time to teach others about what 9/11 meant to the nation.
This generation and the future generations of young people are living in a completely different world. With technology, social networking, and other forms of communication, security has become a major issue. As young people, we must learn to respect our nation and learn about our past.
Teaching young people of 9/11 should also be a time to explain the meaning of discrimination. It is an issue that people should learn at a young age. We must learn that discrimination will get us nowhere. The world will change, people will change, issues will change, but the effects of discrimination will not. It will always be a problem, a problem that is tough to get rid of.
The anniversary of Sept. 11 should be a time to learn of those who died, learn of the strong men and women who keep us safe, and learn of how to protect ourselves in the future.
In the end, the appalling tragedies of 9/11 should never be forgotten. According to George W. Bush, “we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”
Charlie Kadado
Macomb Patch