The Long-overlooked Racism in the United States

When I am a panelist on stage speaking about the German-U.S. partnership, I have often said that it was a good thing that my parents picked the United States over the United Kingdom or Australia when they decided to emigrate from India. Why? Because my family is proof of the American Dream based on the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But this narrative I have been telling myself and others is cracking, as I recognize my own denial of the scope of institutional racism in the United States, and watch my country abuse the very values that are meant to be at the core of the transatlantic partnership. I do not regret that my parents picked the United States. I still believe that diversity is our strength if Americans uphold the country’s democratic values. Americans have a knack for learning from their mistakes, and the time has come again to pick up where we left off.