The New Marginal People in America

The Recession created a “New Marginal People” in America—the middle-class and military families.  This marginality changed the conversation in this country to now address the social determinants of ill-health such as illiteracy, fatalism, gender bias, racial bias, unemployment, mental illness and poverty.  There is something fundamentally wrong with this country when 1% of the population can determine the quality of life for 99% of the population.

Now that the Iraq War is over and brave men and women are coming home to their families in the middle of this marginality war.  Maybe there is something to be learned from the Japanese experience in America.  In spite of being incarcerated in concentration camps, the second generation of Japanese-Americans affirmed their total and unconditional loyalty to the county that totally and unconditionally abrogated their right of citizenship, and volunteered to join the 442^nd unit, an all-Japanese American Regiment.  That unit was “probably the most decorated in United States military history.”  These citizens earned 18,143 individual decorations, including one Congressional Medal of Honor, forty-seven (47) Distinguished Service Crosses, 350 Silver Stars, 810 Bronze Stars, and more than 3,600 Purple Hearts.  They gave life and limb to prove their loyalty to a nation and people that rejected them.  The same can be said about the all African-American Tuskegee Airmen unit.

We are a multi-ethnic people in America—Asians, Africans, Hispanics, Europeans, Native-Americans, and Pacific Islanders—but Out-Of-Many-One—Americans.  Our souls are split because of the pervasive power of the so-called dominant, central group’s perspective regarding centrality.  This reality causes the marginal to become powerless and invisible people.  We are better than that and what we do about marginality can prove it!