How We Coexist in the USA?

The Buddies Without Borders Coexistence Online Forum was participated by students from more than 20 countries in the past seven weeks. The first thing the students did at the beginning of the process was to understand the progress of the country where they live.

Today we would like to train the spotlight on Alexandra Campos, a 10th grader from the Walker School in the USA. Alexa is one of the Top Finishers, and below is an excerpt of her reflection on the state of coexistence in the United States of America.

Coexistence has always been a sensitive topic in the United States. Home to 1,500 races and ethnicity groups and with over 350 spoken languages (Coritz, Alli). The United States is one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations in the world.

According to the American Immigration Council, one in seven U.S. residents is an immigrant. Several holidays celebrate and increase awareness about the diversity of cultures and ethnicities and the positive impact that diversity can have on our country. A few include specific months on the Holiday Calendar & Heritage Months. Socially this helps a grand percentage of the immigrants to feel seen and valued.

However, this isn’t enough, according to the Pew Research Center Survey, 78% of all Americans see migrants seeking to enter this country at the U.S.-Mexico border as a crisis (Nadeem, Reem). Most Americans, especially in the South, believe that migrants are stealing job opportunities and resources, abusing the welfare state, increasing economic inequality, increasing crime and terrorism rates, and diminishing national sovereignty. As a result, there has been an increase in separation between Americans and immigrants (Nowrasteh, Alex).

... coexistence doesn’t only take place within the borders, it is also how The United States embraces and handles international relations and how they live alongside other countries. Each year, the U.S. enters into more than 200 treaties and other international agreements (Treaties and International Agreements). Also, the U.S. has comprehensive free trade agreements in force with 20 countries (Free Trade Agreements). Economically this has helped sustain and strengthen the bases of American power. As well as helped grow the economy into the global power it is today. Despite all this, America has been at war 93% of the time since 1776 (Charpentier, Arthur). This lack of coexistence with other countries hasn’t necessarily had an impact on the economy of the United States. America’s economy remains the world’s largest and leading global trader.

Despite the United States constantly being portrayed as the “Land of Opportunities”. The Institute for Economics & Peace 2023 Global Peace Index currently ranks The United States at 131 out of 163 countries. This is the eighth year in a row that the U.S. has seen a decrease in peacefulness, with a score drop of 0.38% from 2022. This low score is a result of increased homicides, Americans' perceptions of rising crime, and decreased safety in society.

Should the United States of America cut down immigration rates in response to popular sentiment or should it increase it as a way to population and economic growth?

On August 31st, we will acknowledge the students and the teams who received the most votes for their ideas, analyses and efforts. Voting will close soon. Join us!