Last Sunday, as most of you know, President Obama announced to the United States that we had indeed killed one of the men on our most wanted list. Supporters stood outside the White House to celebrate the defeat of one of our biggest nemesis. 

Sitting in my Sociology class, my professor interrupted his scheduled lecture to discuss the effects this had on us from a sociological standpoint. One line particularly stood out. “We living in San Diego think that we have more common with people living all the way in Maine than in Tijuana.” 

How does this strong sense of national cohesion he stated exist when I KNOW people even people here at UCSD define their differences on the smallest things.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting an African American man named Ezekiel, who, a couple months ago, moved here from North Carolina at the request of his younger brother. His tall figure, booming voice, and dreadlocks set him apart from the majority of the population in this community. I was shocked when he told me that I was one of the only people he had ever talked to since moving here. Working as a bartender at the Pub on campus, he told me NOBODY was willing to say hi, start a conversation, or even attempt to reach out to him in the MONTHS he was here. He asked me how he should approach people here to talk to them. “Back in North Carolina, everyone would just come up to you and talk to you. Not like here.” 

All I could say was, “Californians just have a weird vibe.” Such an incompetent explanation. But what COULD I say? That there was absolutely no reason for our cold behavior towards him? 

The news allows us to see instances of nationalism all across the United States. But in our own communities, do people realize that they are inadvertently segregating Americans as well? Why does skin color, colloquialisms, or even dress code allow us to forget the unity we’ve created as a nation to internally suppress and even shun these individuals? 

Happy Cinco de Mayo :)