Reminding listeners that "we are more alike than we are unalike," Dr. Angelou speaks with callers from a variety of backgrounds all across the country. Dr. Angelou examines the parallels between all people, regardless of nationality, creed or color—and invites listeners to do the same. In this hour, she is joined by a Menominee Indian father, the granddaughter of a Russian immigrant, and others who share their personal stories and experiences as Americans.
In discussing multiculturalism, Dr. Angelou raises the question of how someone may choose to label him or herself, for example "Native American" or "American Indian." She speaks with Richie, a father proud of his Menominee Indian heritage, who says he sees the issue of identity as a personal decision. "I've learned along my times and all of my travels, I actually will ask what they'd like to be called, and a lot of times it's just their name, or the tribe or the nation they're from," Richie says. "I was raised Menominee, and I was told that I was Menominee Indian, and that's why I use that term."
Dr. Angelou's interviews highlight the various origins of people who call America their home, from those who have lived in this country for generations to those who came in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Another guest, who is the granddaughter of a Russian immigrant, talks about the sacrifices her grandfather made in search of a better life in America. She says her grandfather fled the pogroms of Russia and moved to New York City in 1908, so that he could raise his family in the Jewish faith, free from persecution.
"Some of us came here pioneering the land, some of us were here already living on the land, some of us came dangerously, that is to say, bought and sold and stolen and lying spoon-fashion in the filthy hatches of slave ships, some of us came paying a very high price to come to America," Dr. Angelou says.
Printed from Oprah.com on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
