Nichele Rivera
English 12
Prof. McPherson
6/1/15
My Melting Pot
Growing up in America has been one of the most unexpected and surreal experiences. I am only twenty three years old but being from the Big Apple, New York and being raised by single parent, nothing in my life has ever been a walk in the park. I am considered a minority because I am Puerto Rican and African American and it has always been tough for me living in such an urban area. Not having the best financial status is what made thing even harder. My mother had to struggle to make ends meet for me, but we made it and are still making it. I have always seen my neighbors, friends, and family also experience the same hardships as ...view middle of the document...
For as long as I can remember immigrants from all walks of life were either brought to America as slaves or have migrated here seeking a new land. I learned that in the New York City Public School system, and saw that growing up in a town where there were different kinds of nationalities of people living right next door to me. America has always been the melting pot of all nationalities of people and those people have always brought their cultures, languages, cuisines, etc. My grandmother came here from Puerto Rico when she was seventeen years old. She came with a family, who were the friends of her mother and father. When she came here, she came because she wanted a better life and to be making more money than she could make in her own country, and even though Puerto Rico is apart of the United States of America, being born and living there is like your living in entirely different country. She has lived as citizen here for over twenty years, and has yet to master the English language. Her Spanish accent is still so heavy, you would think she just arrived a few months ago. You see, learning to properly speak English will never happen for my grandmother because that is who she is. It is her customs that are deeply rooted in her. The fact that she was able to come here, find a job, marry my grandfather, start a family of six children, and support her whole family until retirement is what makes her a true American too. She melted right into this wonderful country, and did not let the fact that she does not speak the English language well become a barrier for her. She fought to survive despite knowing the language.
America is one of the most diverse places on earth, and anyone can come here from anywhere. It is this huge epicenter of global cultures. Immigrants leave their native countries for many reasons. Financial stability is one main reason, and that is also the reason why some immigrants who come to here are smuggled illegally here. Immigrants are usually the people doing the smuggling too. Recently I learned about human trafficking and it is where organized criminals smuggle immigrants in and out of different countries for, sex, drugs, forced labor, and people even volunteer themselves to gain legal documentation. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry and criminals profit from the exploitation of others. The facts are vulnerable people are trafficked in the commercial sex trade and labor industry every day in America. In 2014, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline received multiple reports of human trafficking cases in each of the 50 states and D.C. Stopthetraffik.org say “Our economies are affected by increasing unemployment and the number of working poor.”
Human trafficking impacts people of all backgrounds. Men and boys are trafficked into hard labor jobs, and labor positions in textile, agriculture and fishing industries. Women and girls are trafficked into the commercial sex industry,...
