To The Editor of Hyphen

To Whom It May Concern,

This letter to the editor started out as a tedious class assignment. You remember when you
were in school and your teacher tells you to read and article and send a letter to the editor
or writer telling them how it made you feel. However, after reading the "Life after 9/11" article in the Road Trip Issue, my view on this assignment changed. I am ashamed to admit that after 9/11 it never occurred to me that other minority groups would be harassed by the ignorant bigots in this country. I was so focused on how it would affect the Middle-Eastern Americans, that not one thought was spared for any other minority. It is when I read articles like this that I get a tiny sliver of fear that shots through me. When I read about what people do to their fellow country men, I sometimes fear that the United States will not last. Much like the Romans, the U.S. will shine for a period of time and then be lost into the pages of history due to internal strife. I never understand why people always forgot that an Asian-American is still an American. They are US citizens no different from you or me. Why do people always focus on the "Asian" part of it when situations like 9/11 occur? I hope that my fear for this country is just me being paranoid and over dramatic. I wish for the day when this country, and every country in the world, will be truly united. United in the sense that laws and governments are fair and just to everyone and that people's past and heritages are remembered.

Sincerely,
Kristen Kaufer