I have a similar story with a slightly different twist. I guess it all depends on who is telling the story. Queens, NYC is THE meltiest of the melting pots in the world (look it up!) it’s the most diverse place in the world, and I had the privilege of being born and raised there.

My grandfather told me a similar story of when his parents fled Poland in the early 1900s. Yes, they were grateful to be American and were the proudest American patriots. They learned English but Polish was still spoken in the home, their school and of course, the Catholic Church mass.

The ingredient I believe your story misses is called assimilation. People can come here, love and honor America, learn the language and participate in the culture. That doesn’t mean they have to shed their roots or history. Honestly, I never heard that before. You can become a proud American and still love and practice your ethnicity. It’s not an either or.