Proud to be an American Immigrant

By Rev. Kathryn Schreiber
Pastor of Berkeley Chinese Community UCC

The chorus of Lee Greenwood’s patriotic song, “God Bless the USA,” begins with: “I’m proud to be an American…” And this year, that sentiment lands differently, doesn’t it?

We are proud of our nation and the inspiring stories of our ancestors, but we are also very troubled by decisions and actions made by those we’ve vested with authority; they have failed to represent our values and dreams for our children and their families.

I’ve been remembering a Dorothy C Wong Senior Center field trip to Monterey Bay a few years ago. We visited the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History specifically for a guided tour of their Chinese Fishing Village exhibit. A large photo of a mother and child greeted us, which was a great surprise. Chinese men had been immigrating to America to work the Gold Rush and build railroads since the late 1840’s. In 1851 or 1852, three junks (Chinese fishing boats) set sail from Guangdong Province carrying families to the new state of California. They sailed north up the coast of China, west to North America
via the Aleutian Islands, and south to Point Los Lobos. Historians believe these were the first Chinese families to immigrate to the United States of America. Can you imagine that journey? Watch videos of their descendants and historians telling this important American history: https://www.pgmuseum.org/fishing-village

On this 4th of July, let’s refuel our American pride by honoring our stories of immigration. Let us remember what we or our relatives did to arrive here. Let us remember the challenges faced with immense courage and creativity. Let us remember our people who crossed a great sea in search of a better tomorrow, and once here, built infrastructures and institutions which still benefit millions.

While on Sabbatical Leave later this year, I’ll travel to West Ireland to “stand on the land” of my ancestors. I’m hearing the call to align with their strengths and dreams. I believe all of us are invited to open to generational insights as we Americans perform needful work, again, of building and rebuilding our nation.

Dear Ones, this Independence Day, as we grieve undesired national changes, let us also focus on our “proud to be an American” histories. With God’s help and with goodwill for each other, we will make it through this challenging time. I believe God aches for us to use these difficulties to become a better union, a more mature country filled with siblings from various nations.