We Believed in a Melting Pot

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were tragedies, but if there was a silver lining, it was that they brought out the best in people. They reminded us that humans can overcome partisanship and tribal differences to help one another.

For generations, many of us took pride in thinking of the United States as a melting pot. Our parents and our grandparents came from all parts of the world, and they brought with them a potpourri of languages, cultures, habits, and philosophies. We believed that everyone was welcome and had a contribution to make. After a generation or two, you couldn’t differentiate one group of Americans from any other based on their ancestral origins. That, we believed, was the way it should be.