Op-Ed: American Exceptionalism is Multiculturalism

Exceptional. A word that is often used to describe America and rightfully so. In just 250 years, the United States has become a global superpower, pioneered incredible scientific and technological breakthroughs, and built an economy that is the envy of the world. 

But above all, what sets America apart is that our identity has never been defined by a single factor like race, religion, or ancestry. If you are willing to contribute and strengthen this country, there is a place for you here. 

It is ironic that one of the greatest threats to American exceptionalism today comes not from abroad, but from within. While this administration invokes the language of American greatness and patriotism, its rhetoric and policies challenge the very principles that have allowed America to be exceptional. 

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship, a bedrock principle that guarantees citizenship to every child born on U.S. soil. He declared English the official language of the United States, rolling back multilingual federal resources and making it harder for immigrants to access government programs paid for with their tax dollars. 

At the center of these efforts lies a nefarious goal: to redefine who gets to be an American. If you don’t fit in with the administration’s exclusionary vision of America, your Constitutional rights are no longer guaranteed. 

This nativist sentiment is painfully familiar for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. In fact, the history of our communities in the United States is, in many ways, a history of being told—explicitly and implicitly—that we are not American. Look no further than the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal law to bar immigration based on race, or the scapegoating of South Asians following September 11, 2001. 

But we did not become a great nation by drawing ever-smaller circles around our American identity. Throughout history, each wave of immigrants has strengthened our country, contributing their labor and service to communities across the United States.  

Think about the Chinese laborers who built the transcontinental railroad. The Filipino farmworkers who organized the Delano Grape Strike that led to higher wages and safer working conditions. The Indian engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs who transformed Silicon Valley into a technological powerhouse. And we cannot forget the enduring legacy of Indigenous peoples, including the Native Hawaiian community, whose wisdom and stewardship remain critical to protecting our nation’s public lands and resources. 

When America opens its doors, it gains talent, ingenuity, and perspective that bolsters our exceptionalism. As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I see this truth embodied in my colleagues. 

In Rep. Derek Tran, we see the possibility of the American Dream—where in just one generation, the son of Vietnam War refugees can serve in the halls of Congress. We see the drive to bring our nation closer to its highest ideals in Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who navigated the U.S. immigration system for 17 years and now works to reform it for others. And we see the importance of defending civil liberties in Rep. Mark Takano, a third-generation Japanese American whose family's wartime incarceration fuels his commitment to due process and constitutional rights. 

As we celebrated our nation’s 250th birthday, the question before us is what story America will tell in its next chapter. Will our children inherit a country confident enough to draw strength from its diversity and learn from its history? Or one that responds to uncertainty by turning on the very people who have helped build it? 

If America is to remain exceptional, we must defend the values that have led our nation since 1776—that anyone, no matter where they come from, can become an American. 

That radical idea lives on the words of the United States’ seal: E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. 

Preserving that vision is the true test of patriotism, and the only way the experiment of American democracy will endure for another 250 years.