--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to…" description: "\"I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to reduce my commitment to immigration. But can I empathize with the fact that if your town was 95 percent all w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/anand-giridharadas-12467_commitment_i-m-a-son-of-immigrants-i-m-not-going-to_2272018.jpg" --- # I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to reduce my… ![“I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to reduce my commitment to immigration. But can I empathize with the fact that if your town was 95 percent all white and now it's down to 60, that that can scare you? Can I empathize with that? Yeah.” quote by Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/anand-giridharadas-12467_commitment_i-m-a-son-of-immigrants-i-m-not-going-to_2272018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/anand-giridharadas-12467_commitment_i-m-a-son-of-immigrants-i-m-not-going-to_2272018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/anand-giridharadas-12467_commitment_i-m-a-son-of-immigrants-i-m-not-going-to_2272018.jpg) > “I'm a son of immigrants. I'm not going to reduce my commitment to immigration. But can I empathize with the fact that if your town was 95 percent all white and now it's down to 60, that that can scare you? Can I empathize with that? Yeah.” [Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Immigration change can cause fear; empathy requires acknowledging both personal identity and demographic shifts. **In simple terms:** Immigration shifts can be unsettling; empathy needs understanding. Key Takeaway Seek balanced dialogue on demographic change. Themes immigration fear empathy Mood reflective concerned Type social political When to use this quote - neighborhood meetings - policy discussions - personal storytelling Key Concepts social dynamics identity politics community cohesion Questions to Reflect On - How can communities foster inclusive narratives? - What role does media play in shaping fear? A Different Perspective Fear may be amplified by misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigrants Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants-going-4994412/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Immigration Empathize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration-empathize-5269478/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Son Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-immigrants-602699/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Immigrants \] are going back where they came. If they came from a certain country, they are going to be brought back to their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/immigrants-are-going-back-where-they-came-if-they-came-from-a-certain/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I watched my parents work resiliently hard for 40 years, my father as a cook and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-padilla/as-the-proud-son-of-immigrants-from-mexico-i-watched-my-parents-work/) [Alex Padilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-padilla/) > [As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I'm honored to be the first Latino to serve as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-padilla/as-the-proud-son-of-immigrants-from-mexico-i-m-honored-to-be-the/) [Alex Padilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-padilla/) > [For the son of immigrants to run for elected office, not even a generation after my parents got here, that's what makes America a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-gomez/for-the-son-of-immigrants-to-run-for-elected-office-not-even-a/) [Jimmy Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-gomez/) > [I'm excited that I'm a son of immigrants, married to an immigrant, that has a real shot of representing my state in the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kim/i-m-excited-that-i-m-a-son-of-immigrants-married-to-an-immigrant-that/) [Andy Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kim/) > [My father was the son of immigrants, and he grew up bilingual, but English is what my father taught me and what he spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/my-father-was-the-son-of-immigrants-and-he-grew-up-bilingual-but/) [Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/) > [I'm the son of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-flores/i-m-the-son-of-immigrants/) [Brian Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-flores/) > [My father was the orphaned son of immigrants to the United States from Ireland. 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I always say Trojan… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/most-incredibly-because-to-me-this-is-unbelievable-we-have-no-idea/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/ed-koch-once-said-that-new-york-city-is-where-immigrants-come-to/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) ## More by Anand Giridharadas > [In an economy increasingly dominated by network effects, peer-to-peer transactions, self-regulation, and contract labor, the old frameworks are woefully irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-giridharadas/in-an-economy-increasingly-dominated-by-network-effects-peer-to-peer/) [Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/) > [For our family, learning was everything. Homework came first; books, being sacred, were never to be left on the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-giridharadas/for-our-family-learning-was-everything-homework-came-first-books/) [Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/) > [America has deep, fundamental institutions that take a long time to replicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-giridharadas/america-has-deep-fundamental-institutions-that-take-a-long-time-to/) [Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/) > [More and more, the superrich don't live in one place but many, flitting between multiple homes on different continents, flying to them on private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-giridharadas/more-and-more-the-superrich-don-t-live-in-one-place-but-many-flitting/) [Anand Giridharadas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-giridharadas/) > [IT put India on the map of the world and told Indians that they are somebody in the world. 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Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“You make me believe in happiness... if I had my way, if anything were up to me, I’d never be without you. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kirchoff/you-make-me-believe-in-happiness-if-i-had-my-way-if-anything-were-up/) [Courtney Kirchoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-kirchoff/) > [Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. 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Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/when-you-make-a-commitment-to-a-relationship-you-invest-your/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Having a point to start is important. 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