Diversity

The United States of America is, at it's heart, a nation of immigrants. While Native Americans do live here, the vast majority of the population came here, at some time or another, from a different place. They came to make better lives for themselves. Whether they were escaping religious persecution, famine, or simply just looking for better lives for themselves, they came.
This led to a great diversity in our country. We are in fact, known for our great diversity. Look around at Americans and you see all colors, beliefs, personalities, in this regard we certainly aren't limited.
But we also come with a dark past. As a people we have committed hideous crimes. We massacred the natives of this beautiful land, enslaved African Americans, persecuted, in a kind or cruel irony, many different peoples for various reasons. And yet, we have made progress as well.
This progress shows in our schools where children of all races and beliefs playing together without worry. It shows in our tolerance of others when we listen, however grudgingly, to opinions and beliefs that differ from our own. It shows in our politics, in our rights and our new President Elect.
The 44th president of the United States of America, a country that clung to slavery long after many had abandoned it, will be a black man. He, like many others, has brought reminded us of a very important fact. That true tolerance, true acceptance, true diversity, doesn't come from celebrating our differences. Human beings as a rule, do not understand people by finding the differences in each other. We connect by finding that which is the same. Love of other people comes from knowing why they feel how they feel. It comes from seeing what we have in common that makes the other people human as well, no matter how they see things. The truly great thing about our country isn't how far we've come, it's how far we will be able to go.