Diversity. Minority. Discrimination. Racism.

How many times have we heard these words? What is the definition of them? Who usually becomes a victim of discrimination? Why do people discriminate? Today I will focus one part of it.

America is such a diverse place to live. It is a country that is formed by different nationalities. Other than the Native Americans, it is the land of immigrants. At one time or another, we all came from other countries. For this one reason, we should not have discrimination, but do we?

I am a white male in my early fifties and have personal experience of it. Close to 20 years ago, I came to the United States with my family, running away from the Soviet regime. I was looking for freedom. To me the definition of “freedom” was “America.” I wanted a better life for my family.

When we came here, life was not so easy. Adapting to a new culture and having people accept us into their community was difficult. Neither I nor my children spoke English, and as a father I could not support my family. Although it was very frustrating, I had no choice but to humble myself and accept welfare. I studied the language intensely so I could start looking for a job, and in six months I was able to communicate well enough to find one.

Was I being discriminated against at that time? Sure, but before I even came here, I was ready to accept it. I came with five children, my oldest was 10 and youngest was 3. The older children needed to go to school and were not prepared for what was going to greet them. It is extremely important for children to be accepted by the other students and to have friends. It is also important to look and dress similar to their peers.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. Children who immigrate from another country are always victims of discrimination. The cultural differences, the lack of “cool” clothing, and inability to explain and defend themselves puts them in harsh situations. Because they do not speak English and cannot tell their side of the story, during any confrontation they are always put at fault, not only by the students but by teachers as well. This causes them to do anything to be accepted, and very often, they end up in a criminal gang. Some may say “Oh, that was back in those days.” But I will tell you that we have new people joining our community every day and they are facing the same, if not worse.

Then we wonder why our jails are full of youth, and a lot of them are immigrants. Why do we let these immigrants in? Why do they keep coming? Well, let’s think about it. No country can survive long when the population is going down. There is only one solution: Have more children per family or more young immigrants. The cycle starts over again…Minority…discrimination…racism.

Anatoly Kalchik is a Federal Way resident. Send comments to editor@fedwaymirror.com.