Diversity. Minority. Discrimination. Racism.

America is a great country that has opened her doors to many. We are a land of immigrants and a proud nation that stands out like a beacon of hope to the rest of the world. The prosperity and opportunities that this country has to offer is unlike any other nation. This is the reason that I chose to relocate my family and call this place home.

Coming from the former Soviet Union, where my family was being persecuted simply for being Christian, being denied higher education, my father sentenced to prison for his faith, and a childhood where I was constantly ridiculed by my peers for being inferior as a result of my faith, was the underlying reason of why I chose the United States.

America is a nation that is founded on the bedrock principles of freedom of speech, religion and press. I am proud today to call myself an American. That being said, we too have our work cut out for us. Like any people, we are not perfect and have plenty of flaws. As we progress as a nation, we need to work on our inequities and bridge the gaps in our various diverse communities.

We have made great strides toward equality, but bigotry, racism and ethno-centrism still very much exist. I also believe that this is a land of immigrants, and the contributions of immigrants has enriched our nation and made it the melting pot that it is today.

People from all over the world dream of coming to the United States to make a better life for themselves and their family.

I sometimes ask myself what America would be like without immigrants.

Without immigration, we wouldn’t be where we are today economically, culturally or scientifically. We have the world’s greatest minds come together with ideas and innovation.

Federal Way wouldn’t be the place it is today without immigration. With our various cultural groups including Latino, Korean and Slavic communities, we are able to enjoy diversity, and still come together as Americans.

Driving down Pacific Highway and noticing various Korean, Russian and Latino businesses makes me proud as an immigrant. It just goes to show that the successes of these groups are contributing to our economy.

Immigrants are creating success for themselves as well as being productive members of this society. Without immigrants we wouldn’t have leaders like California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, or on a local level, Federal Way City Council member Mike Park, State Sen. Paull Shin and State Rep. Joyce MacDonald.

We enjoy a different perspective on government because of immigrants and the experiences that they bring to the table.

Many times, we as people are often scared or cautious about being exposed to anything new, and often times, the fear of the unknown causes us to act differently. That is why it all leads back to diversity… minority… discrimination… racism…

Anatoly Kalchik is a Federal Way resident. Send comments to editor@fedwaymirror.com.