WRITERS' CORNER #41

“Immigration is not the cause of racism; it is its cure.”

For years people have accused immigration of being the cause of racism in the world. Those who say such things argue that the mixture of cultures, ethnicities and religions is bound to generate conflict; and that if there is ever to be an end to racism, there has to be an end to immigration.

I, however, think that the proposition is incorrect. Immigration has done nothing but bring people together. When people are presented with new cultures, they learn, they adapt, they grow and they are more likely to accept different things. Immigration is not the cause of racismo - racists are the cause of racism; people with narrow perspectives are the cause of racism; lack of experience with other cultures is the cause of racism. If anything, immigration is the cure for it. The mixture of cultures, ethnicities, and religions has created a wonderful world of diversity, one of cooperation among people who are different.

I vouch for immigration and its potential not only to end racism, but to push the world forward as well.

Duarte Araújo, 11.º I