Please Don't Take America for Granted

My name is Amirah and I come from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am biracial; half Malay and half Indian.

I came to America a few years ago because I believed in the American dream. An America where people are equal, with equal rights and opportunities, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Where dreams are possible despite one’s background. 

Where is that America? 

So many of us have taken America for granted. This is so sad. We thought that she will always be there for us. 

That is not true. 

America was built through long and difficult efforts. Because of that, Americans are able to have the democracy that exists today. The ability to vote. The access to freedom. Many people have left their homeland for a better life in America. This was not easy or automatic.

However, things have changed.

Despite the highest voting turnout in 2020, tens of millions of Americans who were eligible to vote did not vote that year.

This is heartbreaking. Have Americans taken America for granted? 

America is behind voter turnouts in comparison to other countries such as Turkey, South Korea, Israel, Sweden, Iceland and New Zealand by over 40 million. And still, people tell me that it is their right to not vote, and that they don’t like either candidate. That their vote will not make a difference. That was what that got us in this mess in the first place. 

Many other countries globally are impacted by America. Many other countries are having their economies go through severe turmoil and devastation because of the state of America. Your vote affects the whole world. The world is watching.

I know we need to understand why people are not voting. Yes, we lack education on the importance of voting. Yes, they don’t make registration or voting easy. Yes, sometimes it takes hours in line. You may have to take a day off from work which is extremely inconvenient and troublesome. It’s tiring and frustrating dealing with the logistics. I get it. But what is the alternative?

Please know that your vote counts. Each and every one of them.

As you have all witnessed, the margins in many states in the recent 2020 Presidential Election were so slim, so razor-thin, that each vote could literally swing a state and consequentially an entire election. 

If you choose not to vote, please don’t complain about the state of the country. If you complain that neither of the candidates is good, please don’t complain unless you are running for office, or working with people on the ground to help solve these challenging issues. There are plenty of opportunities for that.

Everything is our responsibility. There is nobody else at fault but ours.

Everything is in our hands.

We got here because our ancestors believed and visualized a better future. Because they took action. Because they took matters into their own hands and changed the way things were. They led. They volunteered. They ran for office. They taught their children.

Every small effort counts and becomes monumental when done collectively.

I believe that if one chooses to be an American citizen, and live in America, that it is their required obligation and responsibility to vote. (And pay taxes!) You chose to live here because it provides so much freedom, opportunity and abundance to you. Many people have died and fought so that we can vote today - especially women and people of color.

Please don’t take your vote for granted. Don’t be surprised to wake up one day and find that that right has been taken away from you right before your eyes.

To the American people, please don’t take America for granted ever again.

Amirah