Zoe Saldana can't wrap her mind around Americans who are xenophobic, who are being extra critical of and discriminatory against America's immigrants.
Why? Well, in an interview with Latina magazine, Saldana made sure she reminded folks that not so long ago, their ancestors were also immigrants—given that the only indigenous Americans are Native Americans.
"The only true American here is the Native American. Everyone else is a transplant. We're going through the exact-same thing the Italians went through, the Irish, the Jews and the Asians. In different ways, but it's been very similar," Saldana argued.
She described how she cringes when she hears what is said about Latino immigrants during political discussions.
"This topic of immigration hurts because I don't want to be angry anymore. I don't believe that what anybody else is saying is true about me or my people," Saldana said.
It's clear that she is also wagging her finger at politicians and businesspeople—those who purport to be educated and open-minded, but who pull from the same ideological trash bins as racists.
"I'm kind of embarrassed when you see all of these people talking on national television and it's like, 'Oh my God, if your grandfather were alive today, when he came here from Ireland, from Italy, escaped the f—king war in Russia. You're rotting his name to shame. It doesn't matter how much money you have, or how many degrees from Ivy League schools. You're such a bigot. You're such a hick right now.' People have to be open to the reality of what's happening in our country," Saldana said.
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Diana Ozemebhoya Eromosele is a staff writer at The Root and the founder and executive producer of Lectures to Beats, a Web series that features video interviews with scarily insightful people. Follow Lectures to Beats on Facebook and Twitter.
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