Dear President Trump
I am writing on behalf of everyone who has experienced discrimination since your election. I am a 17-year-old Turkish girl, and I’m also an American citizen. I was born here and English is my first language. But that doesn’t stop me from receiving different treatment from “actual” Americans. Two weeks ago I had a heartbreaking experience at LAX, which is one of the reasons why I felt the urge to reach out to you.
I was waiting in line for the second passport check after an exhausting 13-hour flight from Rome. I handed both of my passports to the officer, and he glared at me for a moment when he realized that I was carrying a Turkish passport. All of the other passengers took about 30 seconds to pass through the check, whereas I was there for nearly 10 minutes. He asked me a lot of questions about where, why and with whom I travelled. He didn’t feel satisfied with my answers, so he sent me to the luggage check where they went through my bag. After an hour of searching and asking me questions, they finally let me go. All I could think during this process was, “I’m an American, why am I being searched just because I’m a Muslim?”
I was only held a little bit longer at the passport check as opposed to the thousands of people who face harsher situations. Thousands of people can’t come to the U.S. to visit their families and many people can’t return home. This is what Norlyn is going through. Norlyn is from Philippines, and she has lived in the U.S. her whole life. “Trump is bringing back inequality. My boyfriend’s brother was deported to Mexico. The deportation devastated him and his family. Even I felt the effects.” Norlyn stated.
So, dear President Trump, I am asking you why can white people live peacefully while minorities have to be forced out of countries?
In a recent article published by the New York Times, the main question asked was, “Will people of color be welcomed and respected in Donald Trump’s America?” The two anecdotes I mentioned before clearly convey the treatments people of color get right now, but will the discrimination decrease over time? The article states that minorities say, “No.” Although the article contains different opinions, I decided to learn what people around me thought about this issue. Out of the 20 people I asked, 19 answered, “No” and the other person said “There are a lot of different people in the country. Their attitudes might change, but Trump’s will be the same.”
What drew my attention to the discrimination problem, aside from my personal experiences, was an article titled “Here Are 16 Examples Of Donald Trump Being Racist.” Coming from Turkey, I was used to the president being very careful about what he says and what he writes, so a president making racist statements was a new concept for me. As I read through the article which includes the travel ban, you calling a judge biased because he is a Mexican and your company not renting to black people, I realized that you thought Americans were better than anyone else. Americans never get discriminated and they are superior, right? Well, actually, wrong. Many Americans are also experiencing discrimination due to their incomes and their quality of life. A concept you could probably never fully understand.
According to an article on The Balance, one-quarter of the population makes less than $10 an hour, and most of these low-wage workers receive no health insurance, sick days or pension plans from their employers. I wonder how you can concede minorities getting different treatment, but I don’t understand how you let your “great” people be treated poorly. Oh, it’s probably because you’re really rich, you and the people around you get the treatment you want, and frankly you don’t really care.
Just remember that everyone is created equal no matter their ethnicity, beliefs, income or identity. Before making a decision, ask yourself, “How would I feel if this happened to me?” If your answer is, “I wouldn’t enjoy that” then don’t take action. I hope you will soon realize how much you are hurting people and how much your actions are affecting people’s lives.
Hope I get to experience the qualities of your “great” country again — if I am allowed to enter.
Your friend,
Ela Köksal
