The Real Problem Underlying Representative King’s Criticism of Emma Gonzalez

On Sunday, March 25, the campaign of Iowa Congressman Steve King shared a meme that criticized Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez for expressing her heritage with a Cuban flag patch during her speech at Sunday’s March for Our Lives.

Yes, it is insensitive and absurd that a 68-year-old man is immaturely mocking an actual high school student who survived and continues to cope with a significant trauma. Yes, I don’t know how he is still able to walk or use his arms, as accusing Emma of disrespectfully paying homage to a Cuban dictator and somehow ignoring the struggles her parents escaped by expressing her pride in her culture is quite the stretch. However, the real issue exemplified by his criticism is the xenophobia immigrants and children of immigrants experience when expressing their heritage in American society.

There is a widely held belief that once immigrants enter the US, they have to shed all of their cultural ties to immediately and seamlessly assimilate into American society. People get all hot and bothered when someone speaks a language other than English. It’s taboo for an immigrant residing in America to root for a team other than America during the Olympics or World Cup, even if it’s their country of origin. I’ve even seen people get mad when people identify as Venezuelan-American, Chinese-American, Moroccan-American, or anything other than just “American.” This perception that immigrants must denounce their culture before receiving any sort of documented status, let alone citizenship, is heavily supported by our immigration system. In order to be eligible for any sort of relief, immigrants must reinforce harmful stereotypes about race and class, overemphasize problems and dangers existing in their countries of origin, and appeal to the court’s obsessive sense of nationalism. If a person or their family escaped such a horrible, traumatic experience and found refuge in an amazing land of opportunity, why wouldn’t they want to completely assimilate into American culture? Why would they take pride in the flag of their country of origin if the government is so oppressive? Because a country’s culture, including its flag, represent so much more than its political system.

I am an American citizen, born and raised. I celebrate the Fourth of July every year. I will scarf down a burger and fries faster than anyone you know, and I dare you to challenge me. I vote every election cycle. As a law student, I have taken and will continue to take advantage of the incredible educational opportunities available to me in the US. As a passionate advocate of the fundamental rights for all, I dream of using my law degree to fight for equality and protect everyone’s Fifth Amendment due process rights. This country is my home, and it means a lot to me, even though it’s not perfect and even if I’m not happy with every decision it makes.

Equally, I am the proud daughter of Latin American immigrants. My parents raised me with both Colombian and Dominican values and traditions. My parents fostered an appreciation for my heritage that goes further than just eating arepas, listening to Merengue, and celebrating my quinceañera. My heritage is my history and my connection to my family. My heritage is an homage to my parents and ancestors. My heritage — with its accompanying traditions, customs, and values — illustrates the struggles, triumphs, and beauty experienced by those who came before me. My heritage shares a story of perseverance, strength, community, and compassion. Most importantly, my heritage serves as an essential part of my identity. However, my heritage, regardless of how blatantly and proudly I display it, does not make me any less American. In fact, I shouldn’t have even felt compelled to prove my “American”-ness in the preceding paragraph because it isn’t necessary.

If I wear, display, or carry a Colombian flag, I am honoring my father and paternal ancestors, not the stereotypes: corruption, drug cartels, and violence. Also, if I wear, display, or carry a Dominican flag, I am expressing my connection to my mother and Dominican relatives, not celebrating negative perceptions, like poverty, income disparities, and corruption. I am not disrespecting my parents and their efforts to give me a better life; in fact, I think they’d be proud. The same goes for Emma.

At the end of the day, everyone takes pride in where they come from. Lifelong sports fans don’t ditch their home teams when they move. New Yorkers will move anywhere and smugly complain about how sub-par the pizza is. Midwesterners even say “pop” outside of the Midwest when referring to soda and passionately assert that the correct word is “pop.” While these are trivial examples (that are by no means representative of every New Yorker or Midwesterner), it’s evidence that people tend not to change who they are or where they come from, regardless of their relationship or experience with their hometowns. People like to share their personal and family histories with others, be it through literal anecdotes or through symbolism. Immigrants and children of immigrants maintain cultural ties essentially do the same thing when they proudly represent their heritage.

Reducing Emma’s Cuban flag patch to a political statement or some sort of diss to Cuban people everywhere is so misinformed and overdramatic. She was not honoring or referencing the Castro regime, nor does she seek to strip American citizens of firearms they already possess. Rather, she is an 18-year-old student, survivor of gun violence, and proud Cuban who just wants to see AR-15s, like the one used to murder 17 of her peers and injure several others, off the market, raised minimum age to purchase guns, and reasonable background checks.