Rhino: America's Melting Pot

I recently watched a documentary of the trials of Ameri-Asians living in Vietnam. Thousands of young adults of mixed heritage have grown up experiencing poverty and discrimination in their own country. They are known as "children of the dust" Not being accepted by the Vietnamese has caused a lot of these individuals to emigrate to Europe and America, however many still live in Vietnam. While not entirely their fault, when the Communist took over in 1975, many young women abandoned these children fearing retribution from the government and communities.
The documentary really made an impression on me as my daughter and son are Ameri-Asian also.
However they are very lucky to have been raised under different circumstances. With the support of my wife and I they are growing up into fine adults (I hope.) When I first got married I knew that even though we were in America, we needed to live in a diverse community were they would be accepted and free of discrimination. Northern Virginia was the perfect locale to raise my "mixed" family. It had a sufficient cluster community of Vietnamese Americans to support my wife's needs. She was able to shop for Asian foods, purchase vietnamese videos for her entertainment and make and maintain friendships within her community. It was beneficial for my children also because they were exposed to both cultures and grew up aware of their heritage. Northern Virginia is so diverse with people from all over the world, making their homes here, my family didn't stand out as an oddity they blended into the American melting pot and were free of overt discrimination. My children have more opportunities and better education here than if we had chosen a more rural location in America to build our family.
I was recently made aware of this when a friend of my wife visited our home from a small town outside Syracuse, NY. She is of mixed heritage, her father being a French Officer in Vietnam before the Americans took over. But what really struck me was, how unhappy she was living in "white" community isolated from the very infrastructure my wife used. In a small community she has had trouble finding employment and the "american dream" has been more of a nightmare.
I thank God my family has been more fortunate than others, my heart goes out to the Diaspora and the plight of all Ameri-Asians.