The first step to dealing with an addiction is to admit that you have a problem. America is addicted to erasing the rich heritage of citizens that immigrate to it. Whether it's through the forced anglicizing of names imposed at Ellis Island or through the persistent shaming immigrant children endure in contemporary society, the Western world has always favored immigrants that assimilate to English naming conventions. Thankfully, the internet has allowed millions of immigrants to commiserate and share their trauma pertaining to the forced anglicizing of their names, causing the practice to face public scrutiny for the first time in decades.
In the video linked above from Kevin Jin Kwan Kim, you can get a brief window into how immigrant children deal with having to compartmentalize their heritage to fit into American society. The short film is only a minute long but brilliantly conveys a lifetime of reluctant compromise.
