Assimilation isn’t a dirty word

In 2013, I boarded a plane at London’s Heathrow Airport, ready for the 11-hour journey to San Francisco to begin a career in software engineering. This moment was the culmination of a yearslong goal to move to the United States.

Why? Because I wanted to live in the U.S., contribute to the U.S., and be a part of the U.S. In other words, I wanted to assimilate.

For hundreds of years, America has been a nation of immigrants, and I became one of them. From the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to the waves of newcomers who crossed oceans and continents in search of freedom, opportunity, and a better life, immigration has been central to the American story. But it’s not enough to celebrate the word “immigration”

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