What Does it Mean to Be An American?
Share Copy Link Copy  Hide Transcript Show Transcript  SOLEDAD: IM SOLEDAD OBRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FA. "CT THE AMERICAN FLAG IS A POTENT SYMBOL THAT TRIGGERS STRONG FEELINGS. IT EVOKES EVERYTHING FROM PRE TO PROTEST, DUTY TO DISILLUSIONMENT, ALLEGIANCE TO AGONY. THIS SHOW EXPLORES ALL OF IT AS WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY WHAT IT MEANS TO BANE AMERICAN. OUR NATION IS BECOMING IRREVERSIBLY DIVERSE. OUR SPECIAL CORRPOESNDENT JESSICA GOMEZ SET OFF ON A ROADTRIP ACROSS THE MIDDLEF O THE COUNTRY ON I-70, FROM DENVER TO ST. LOUIS, TO FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THEIR AMERICAN IDENTI.TY >>  JESSICA: WE STARTED OUR JOURNEY IN DENVER, COLORADO, WHERE THE SNOW WAS MELTING UNDER THE SHADOWS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. [CRACK OF A BASEBALL BAT] JESSICA: ALMOST TIME FOR BASEBALL SEAN.SO WE MET LAURA HESHMATI PICKING UP HESOR N AT PRACTE. JESSICA: THEY INVITED US HOME FOR DINNER, WHERE WE LEARNED THIS AMERICAN FAMILY IS MA UPDE OF A MULTITUDE OF CULTUR.ES LAURA HESHMATI: HESHMETIS I PERSIAN LAST NAME. MY HUSBAND IS HALF PERSIAN, HALF MEXICAN. I AM MEXICAN AMERIN.CA >> AMEN. MOM: WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE AN AMERICAN. DAD: THE THOUGHT PROCESS IS WHEN YOU SAY AMERICA IS A MELTING POT, IT ACTUALLY DEVALUES ETH DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT DO MAKE UP AMERI.CA AND THAT THE SALAD BOWL ANALOGY IS BETTER. NAVEED: LIKE, YOU ARE TOA MATO AND YOU ARE A PIECE OF LETTUCE, BUT U YOCAN STILL BE FRIENDS, LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.PJESSIC OUT TO LEARN WHERE OTHERS SEE THEMSELVES IN THIS SALAD BOWL THAT IS AMERICA. ALEJANDRO FLORES-MUNEZ: BY ME STEPPING IN THIS COUNTRY AND WALKING FREELY IN THIS COUNTRY, I AM AMERIN.CA JESSICA: ON THE WAY OUT OF TN,OW WE POPPED IN ON ALEJANODR FLORES-MUNOZ, A GAY, UNDOCUMENTED MEXICAN IMMRA.IG ALEJANDRO. WE PUT IT INSIDE THE TACO. JESSICA: THE DACA RECIPIENT, WHOSE MOTHER BROUGHT HIM TO THE U.S. AS A LITTLE BOY, ISOW N OPENING ONE OF DENVERS FIRST CLOUD KITCHENS FOR ONLINE DELIVERY ONLY. HIS BUSINESS, HE SAYS, MAKESIM H FEEL AMERIN.CA ALEJANDRO FLORES-MUNEZ: I WANT TO NOW BE IN A POSITIOTON SW CASE THAT I AM PAYING TAXES, THAT I AM EMPLOYING PEOPLE, THAT I HAVE A BUSINESS. I DONT THINK WORDS WILL SHOWCASE AS MUCH AS ACTI.ON JESSICA: FROM COLORA TODO KAAS.NS TRISTAN FRUMP: IT USED TO BE AMERICA WAS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY, BUT NOW IT FEELS LIKE IT IS A STRUGE.GL JESSICA: WSTE OPPED IN HAYS, WITH ITS WILD WEST ROOTS, REMO THAN TWO DOZEN CHRISANTI CHURCHES, AND A LOT OF RED, WHITE, AND BLUE. TRISTAN FRUMP: ITS HARD TO GET THE JOB, THE CAREER THAT YOU WANT. BECAUSE ONCE YOU FALL DOWN A WELL, ITS REALLY HARD TO CLIMB T. JESSICA: TRISTAN FRUMP, IN BETWEEN MANUFACTURING JOBS. A ROUGH CHILDHOOD, HE SAYS, GOT IN THE WAY OF HIS AMERICAN DAMRE OF OWNING A CAR REPAIR SHOP. TRISTAN FRUMP: IN MY LIFE, ITS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE TT.HA ITS LIKE YOURE A CERTAIN CLASS OF PERN.SO AND WHEN PEOPLE PUT YOU DOWN,R PUT YOU IN THAT LABEL, ITS REALLY HARD TO IMAGINE HOW YROU LIFE COULD REALLY BE, BECAUSE EVERYONE IS TELLING YOU, YOU CAN T. ITIL KLS YOUR CONFIDENCE. IT KILLS THE DRE.AM ANNOUNCER: WHEN WE COME BACK, OUR ROAD TRIP ACROSS AMERICA CONTINUES. >> F IEEL AS MOST AMERICANS VIEW US AS POORR ODIRTY, OR THEY DONT EVEN KNOW WERE ALIVE. ANNOUNCER: WITH A STOP ON THE PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION RESERVATION. >> WITHOUT THOSE 16,000 CHINESE WORKERS, IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPEN.ED >>  ARROW LEVIER: I FEEL AS MOST AMERICANS VIEW US AS POOR OR DIRTY, OR THEY DONT EVEN KNOW WE ARE STILL ALIVE. JESSICA: ON THE PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION RESERVATN,IO WE HAPPENED UPON THIS YOUNG FAMILY JUST STARTING OUT. ARROW LEVIER: TO ME, BEING AN AM ERICAN IS TO PRACTICE YOUR RELIGION AND LANGUAGE AND CEREMONIES. [SPEAKING HIS NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE] THAT MEANS I AM POTATO.WA MY INDIAN MENA MEANS BIG WOLF, THUNDER CN,LA AND MY COLOR IS BLUE. JESSICA: THEY TELL ME THEYRE LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM HERE ON THE RESERVATI.ON BUT FOR MOM, ROSANNA, ITS COMPLICATED. ROSANNA: AS A WOMAN, I AM KIND OF LIKE NOT EQUAL. AS A NATIVE AMERICAN, I AM NOT EQUA IF I WERE A WHITE WOMAN, I WOULD HAVE IT EASIER. A LOT OF THINGS WOULD BE EASIER. I THINK I WOULD BE HEARD MOR >>  >> IT MEANS BEINHEARG D. IT MEANS BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS YOURSELF AND BE AUTHTIEN JESSICA: ONTO KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AS THE SUN SET OVER THE JAZZ DISTRICT, WE CAUGHTP U WITH SINGER JAMIE ASE.CH [SINGI]NG JESSICA: HER STAGE NAME, J LOVE. JAMIE CHASE: MUSIC IS MY EXPRESSI.ON ITS MY LOVE. ITS MY HEA.RT ITS GODS GIFT. JAMIE CHASE: MUSICALLY, S. BUT IN MY EVERYDAY LIFE, NO. IF I AM IN THE GROCERY STORE, EVERYBODY DOESNT KNOW THAT AMI J LOVE. I DONT LOOK THE SAME. I GOT MY HAT ON. I AM JUST ANOTHER BLACK PERSON. AND I STILL HAVE PEOEPL FOLLOWING ME AROUND IN WALMART. SOMETIMES I AM COOL WITH IT. SOMETIMES I AM NOT NICE ABOUT IT. ! SSJEICA: THE MOTHER OF TWO YOUNG BLACK MEN, SHE WROTE A SONG CALLED "BLACK LIVES MATTER." JAMIE CHASE: RIGHT NOW, AMI FEARFUL EVERY TIME MY KIDS LEAVE OUT THE DOOR. I AM FEARFUL. ' WHERE ARE YOU GOING AND WHO ARE YOU GOING WITH? SOME OF MY WHITE FRIENDS WILL SAY, OH, THIS IS NOT HAPPENING AND ITS NOT THAT BA.' THIS JUST HURTS ME TO THE CO,RE WHEN MY WHITE FRIENDS SAY, YOU OWKN, YOU JUST NEED TO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. YOU JUST TALK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. >>  KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN: THERES NOAT LOT OF COMPROMISE BECAUSE WE DONT SPEND TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE OTHER PERSPECTIV.ES JESSICA: FROM KANSAS CITY TO ST. LOUIS, IN THE SUBURBS, RIREDET NAVY PILOT KEVIN MCLAUGHN.LI KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN: SPENDING1 3 YEARS IN THE MILITARY AND DEPLOYING SIX TIMES, I FEEL MOST AMERICAN WHEN I AM NOT IN ERAMICA AND SEEING HOW OTHER COUNTRIES AND OTHER CULTESUR LI. VE IT REALLY MAKES YOU APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. JESSICA: MCLAUGHLIN, WHO LED THE ' MISSING MAN FORMATION AS PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BU WASSH LAID TO REST, SAYS HIS YEARSN I THE MILITARY TAUGHT HIM THE VALUE OF ALL THAT MAKES UP THIS CNTOURY. KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN: THE WHOLE IS MUCH GREATER THAN THE PIECES THAT PUT IT ALL TOGETH. >> THINGS THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME SOMETIMES, I WOULD SAY, ,OH WELL, THATS JUST AMERICA, YOU KNOW. BUT WHEN YOU SEE YOUR CHILDREN, YOURE LIKE, OH, NO, WEVE GOT TO STOP THIS. JESSICA: OUR FINAL STOP, THIS AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDRENS BOOKSTORE, ALSO OUTSIDE OF ST. LOUIS. JEFFREY AIBLR: I CAN TRAVEL THROUGH TIME, ALL THROUGH A BOOK, AND I CAN SEE MYSELFN I THAT. JESSICA: I.T. THIS IS ONE OF MY VOFARITE BOOKS. IT IS CALLED "THE UNDEFTE"EA THIS IS FOR ETH UNFORGETTABLE. THE ONES WHO OPENED A WORLDF O POSSIBILITIES. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS THE POSSIBILITY GOING FORWARD, THE POSSIBILITY OF HOPE AND POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE. I THINK THE IDEA OF EXPANDING THE NOTION OF FREEDOM AND WHITO APPLIES TO, TO BE THE COLLECTIVE AND NOT JUST THE FEW, THAT THAT IS WHAT CAN GIVE GREATNESS TO THE IDEALS OF WHAT AMERICA SUPPOSEDLY STANDS FOR. THIS IS FOR THE UNDEFEATED. THIS IS FOR YOU, AND FOR Y,OU AND FOR YOU. THIS IFOS R US, THE UNDEFEATED. >>   MATTER OF FACT NEWSLETTER Sign up now for Soledad O'Brien's newsletter. Conversations as diverse as America. Submit Privacy Notice