Dear Future President,

Welcome to the White House. It is so exciting to be a part of this new era that will ultimately go down in American history. Like the presidents that have come before you, your mark will be forever left on this country and that is something that I find so immense in the grand scheme of things. You are coming into office at a time when we as a country have never experienced some of the things we are facing. Information is at the tips of our fingers and can be obtained at almost lightning-fast speeds which is an aspect generally exclusive to this generation, but much of what this country is undergoing has been woven into the fabric of America since its beginning.

Mrs. President there is no doubt that you know exactly what you are doing. Your whole life has been preparation for when you take the highest seat in all of American government which is something not many people can say they have done. Although we are all ready for you to refine the good, what we need is for you to improve on the bad. One of the largest issue right now in this country is immigration. Mrs. President, so much has changed since the days of Ellis Island: for one, the means of transportation have evolved immensely. More immigrants come to this country than one-hundred years ago, which means it has become more of a prevalent topic. One thing hasn’t changed about the topic of immigrant though: their treatment in this country. Since the early days of immigration in the 1800s, American citizens have had a particularly negative bias towards immigrants. Laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act were passed in 1882 against Chinese immigrants coming to this country to find work and escape poverty. Many other groups emigrated during that time such as Irish and Mexican migrant workers and experienced similar prejudice. The term “history repeats itself” couldn’t be more prevalent today regarding immigrants and how they’ve been viewed in this country. What must be done is we need to realize how dangerous it is to label an entire group of peaceful and hardworking as being “rapists” or murderers. People from other countries sacrifice so much to chase their idea of the “American Dream”.

When my family came from Guyana, South America, they experienced countless acts of discrimination. For the first few years after their departure, they were denied jobs and were treated as though they weren’t deserving of respect. My mother even had to re-do her last two years of high school even after having completed in her country which was a major setback for her. She and my other family members left Guyana because of the threat of war, as well as to have a chance at equal education, and to escape the severities of an oppressive government. Many immigrants today face this reality: whether it is that they are stuck in a corrupt governmental system, denied educational opportunities, or lack of fair wages and a plethora of other reasons. Mrs. President, we know that you know what immigrants face in this country, but I ask that you do your best to make sure immigration is welcomed rather than scorned in a nation that was founded on the journey of rebellious Puritans who migrated from Europe. Keeping in mind the proper respect for those who come to this country to gain their citizenship, we should also remember to respect those who truly call this their land of origin. Native Americans in this country are among the most mistreated, underfunded and underappreciated group of people within the United States. Native peoples have undergone countless forms of genocide and displacement starting with the first settlers in 1607 and continue to experience governmental neglect four-hundred years later. Laws such as the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears were passed in order to mistreat and degrade Native peoples, and even more recently with the North Dakota pipeline. Focusing on the rights and needs of our own people will provide stability and a strong foundation for how we should be protecting the rights of those who come to this country.

Lastly Mrs. President, I want thank you for devoting your life to serving the American people. The next four years fill me with hope because of what you are capable of doing for this nation. You are leading so that my generation will be able to uphold the standard that this country sets for others. There is no doubt that you will be a great fit for the presidency.

Sincerely,

Arielle Moore