“Do I think racism affects the ability to achieve the American Dream? There’s always going to be a factor of racism, but I think it’s the cultural problems that hold people back. It’s more systemic than the police for being racist.”
—Joel Nedeau
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Read More“In the Philippines, we don’t say ‘Whatever makes you happy.’ You are too young to decide what makes you happy.” —Dr. Olivia Iway
“My dream was always to become a doctor. And my dream was also to help the poor people of the Philippines. Maybe I overachieved my dream.” —Dr. Belino Iway
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Read More“I believe when Americans see that laws aren’t being followed – not just immigration laws, but other laws – it frightens people. And when people are frighten they tend to show it, and it can come off as being racist.”
– Danny Spurlock, son-in-law of Olivia & Belino Iway
In this final conversation with the Malek family, they discuss Islam and explain their frustrations with the common misconceptions that are perpetuated in the media here in the U.S.
“I wish that non-Muslims knew that Islam is not a religion of war, it’s peace. It’s a religion of peace.” —Ayan Malek
What views and perspectives do you have about Islam and where do they come from? Join the conversation at kcpt.org/yourfellowamericans and#yfaKC.
“We are just submitting to the will of our God and that’s why we follow him and dress the way we dress.”
Read More“My American Dream is just to make my parents happy because they moved here for my brother’s and my future.
Read MoreAltaf and Shaheen Malek immigrated to the United States in 2007 from Gujarat, India.
Read More“The question is, who do you take with you on that journey to your American Dream?
Read More“I don’t know that I’ve experienced discrimination, but I feel like I get stereotyped when people assume I speak Spanish.”
Read More“I feel like I have little to no knowledge of our Hispanic and Latino background.”
Read MoreThree generations of a KC-area Mexican-American family share their perspectives on race, immigration and the American Dream.
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