What does it mean to be an American? Is it just a matter of citizenship? If you are not a citizen, I guess you're not allowed to call yourself American. But, what about Chinese and Japanese, Filipino and Korean immigrants who resettled in the United States before the 1965 Immigration Reform Act. They considered the United States as their new homeland, contributing as a major workforce to the building of the county even though the law did not allow them to become a citizen. I believe that they are American enough even without citizenship just because they endured harsh labor condition and wage discrimination to be part of the American history.

I, Too, Sing America

by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody'll dare

Say to me,

"Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.

Besides,

They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.