“What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice.” –Albert Einstein
In recent times, the proliferation of xenophobic and divisive comments and actions towards underrepresented groups and immigrants across the United States has reached the front pages of many newspapers and the social media. The racist message compacted in the slogan “go back to your country” offends us all as citizens of the world.
More importantly, this rhetoric is profoundly based on racial and cultural prejudices acquired through the years by individuals in certain sectors of the American society where access to diverse and inclusive environments is absent. It is appalling to witness how powerful politicians embraced this offensive message and generalize incorrectly that people of color do not belong in this country.
Moreover, this divisive message contradicts events in American history where African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and other immigrant cultures actively participated in building this nation. For example, many Americans are unaware that since 1917 by federal law, the people of the territory of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens and a big part of the Hispanic underrepresented communities in the USA.
During the 1950’s, part of my family moved to New York City to work and raised their children in the era of the so-called great American melting pot. I grew up visiting my aunts, uncles and cousins that successfully integrated to the U.S. society and became professionals and leaders in their respective disciplines.
In 1959, my father, Dr. Manuel Maldonado Denis, received a full scholarship to study his Ph.D. in political sciences at the University of Chicago. Later, he became one of the most influential Hispanic intellectuals of his generation. Thus, my family’s journey to the U.S. mainland shaped mine in many ways, and their success encouraged me to pursue graduate studies in the field of neuroscience.
During my years in graduate school and post-doctoral training, being a female Puerto Rican neuroscientist in the U.S. taught me early on how to navigate a complex academic and research system where merit and scientific rigor are paramount if you wanted to achieve professional success. Or, so I was trained to believe.
