Here are my 2 cents on minorities and America - I grew up in rural Ohio

My father is from India and my mother lived on an estate in Burma where the Japanese invaded in WWII - she saw people getting tortured and killed in front of her at age 7... effected her her whole life

Anyway - they come to America in the mid 1950’s and he went to MIT and got his PHd from Columbia and worked for Nestle R&D his whole career - he was transferred to rural Ohio in the 1960’s... we were the only non white family for 40 miles... and this town had about 30% of the population go to college when I grew up there in the 70’s and 80’s (has patents on refining the process of decaffeined coffee) ... u know what - my father ended up serving 5 terms in City Council starting in the 70’s - I was the youngest of 4 and growing up in Marysville Ohio was one of the joys of my life - my parents were the immigrants who loved America and every year he would raise the flag on The anniversary of the battle of Midway D Day and VE Day and VJ Day...etc - I remember he used to drive us to every American historical site he could fine and when I was 10 at Gettysburg- I will never forget him poking his finger in my chest and saying “don’t let anyone every tell you that you are Indian - you are American - and this is YOUR history....”

Funny thing - in my little rural small farm town in Ohio - I never experienced any racism or prejudice and our famiky was completely embraced by the community- I moved away but we go back every year and my girls “aunts and uncles” from my side are some of these same people and I’ve grown to figure out - it’s because most Americans are good people with open minds and if you pay them respect and show great respect for the country and own the cultures - they will recognize your sincerity and open mind and heart. So as all this craziness is going down this past week - my 11 year old daughter made cheesecake cupcakes for a birthday party we are throwing this weekend for a family friend - she tells her mama “And of course I dyed them Red White and Blue” my wife gives her a dumbfounded look and says “why would you do that”.. and my little girl (Emerson) replies - “it’s D Day mama - we owe so much to those soldiers who took those beaches”... mom looks at me - sees my look of utter pride - rolls here eyes as only mamas can and then says to Emerson “that’s great honey”

I wish there were more stories like this today - but unfortunately those days of life and excitement to be an American and being a part of the great melting pot have been largely destroyed by popular culture and our educational system... The reason I love college football and Ohio State is because my father embraced it when he was relocated to Ohio...

I hope we can rediscover what so much of our culture has rejected and blown to bits - America while not perfect it’s the greatest country in the history of the world and stories like my journey were the norm not the exception...I know we’ve raised our kids to love America by teaching the same history lesson my father would teach me... pay it forward...