Look around you.

Everywhere you look you see people of different cultures, races, languages, and lifestyles.

I've grown up bilingual, my first language was Spanish and my second English. I've also grown up in the Southeastern part of the country where racism is very much still alive. Why is it that in a country that is all for freedom and equality, I can't walk around without getting stares?

Is it really that big of a deal to speak more than one language? Does it really affect the way you live? Is it really such a problem to speak to my mother in the only language she knows? I've never understood the issue people have with speaking more than one language. In fact, it made me feel special. It was a part of me, something not many people could do and it set me apart from the average person, and I loved that. But, the fact that it sets me apart from others, makes me hate it.

When I was 8 years old, I had to stand there beside my mother in a grocery store and watch as an older woman yelled at her for speaking Spanish to her children. Back then, I couldn't understand why it was such a problem to not speak English. I stood there vulnerable, crying into my mother's arms as my graceful mother stood there, letting the woman talk her down and making us feel small.

"This is America and in America, we speak English!"

"Learn to speak English or go back to where you came from!"

As I reflected on the incident years later, I grew to understand the situation even more and I became angry with myself. Angry with the fact that I let this woman talk to my mother in such a disgusting way, angry with the others that were around us for not doing anything, angry at the world, for letting people with such mindsets walk freely.

This is America. A country home to many, not just one. A land of opportunity. A country full of many languages and cultures. A country that many dream about and a country my people suffer in.

This is America. A country where we must accept others no matter what their skin color or what language they speak. A land where we are all equal.

This is America, and we have some work to do.