A Call to Action to Eliminate America’s Hyphen and Bring About a Return to Unity as Americans by Author of "Hyphened-Nation"

Los Angeles, CA, October 29, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Some may be able to relate, paraphrasing Nicole Draffen, she continued, “perhaps it is that many of us can relate, but the conversation has not until now been brought up." That movement is the movement of Hyphened-Nation, a quest to eliminate the hyphen for everyone’s sake. The person leading the way - Nicole Draffen and her organization, www.hyphened-nation.com.The issue at hand, Why does America hyphenate Americans? One can think of the box that they have been asked to check on a variety of documents or applications, where each person is asked to “check the box” in terms of ethnicity and racial background. In recalling her firsthand account, discussing her experiences in living with the “hyphen” and the reason for forming Hyphened-nation, Nicole Draffen states, “the realization that I lived in a Hyphened-Nation only became evident to me after I traveled overseas and experienced the awakening of my true self, one that I never realized was suppressed.” She continued, “Living in London I was assumed to be British, until I spoke, and then I was viewed as an American. Not an African-American, not a Black-American, not a 'mixed-race' American, or a 'what are you? American', in London, simply I am an American. It was exhilarating, I felt free and proud to think yes, I am simply an American.”

Nicole Draffen believes that America’s “hyphened-nation” is truly minimizing to one’s standing in the nation. She feels that the hyphen might as well, “be a minus sign,” both are represented by the same symbol. “Just as a minus sign takes away a numerical value to mean 'less than,' its counterpart, the hyphen, feels minimizing to one’s nationality.” She firmly believes that, “being categorized as a Hyphenated-American goes against the very foundation of what our country was built upon.” She has extended solutions as discussed in a recent interview, pertaining to how all, every one of us, in terms of the American people can proactively choose to lose the hyphen and once and for all, truly stand in unity as a unified nation, representing “We the People.” In light of the forthcoming election, Nicole Draffen, posed the question, “Shouldn’t it be about the American vote?” Not the vote of a certain sector, or capturing the votes of this race or that race, or gender for that matter, in an effort to unify everyone as Americans even more, it should be about the American vote. American’s need to 'lose the hyphen' as there is division caused by the hyphen moves, it moves us away from unity instead of toward unity,” concludes Nicole Draffen.

Draffen summarized, “follow the call to action and don’t check the box pertaining to ethnicity or race, no one ever said it was mandatory.” The change she discussed that she wants to bring to fruition is one of awakening, with hopes that one day, “a hyphenated American will be just a term used in history books, because at some point, in maintaining a vision of unity the hyphen will and should be history.” The general public can become involved by following the call to action as listed on www.Hyphened-Nation.com for starters, “Don’t Check the Box.” She also has a template on her site which is a letter that people can send to their state representatives encouraging much of the same, advocating for simply, yes, “not checking the box.” Draffen encourages anyone wanting to help spread the message to contact her directly through her site or on social media to become part of the Hyphened-Nation™ team. Nicole Draffen is the author of a corresponding book entitled, “Hyphened-Nation: Don’t Check the Box” available on Amazon.com. Readers describe the book as “insightful and perceptive,” “a true eye opener” and as “a breath of fresh air.” In the preface of her book as she discusses a poignant question posted by her niece, Draffen concludes that her hope is that one day, America’s children will have to ask, “What is a Hyphenated American?, and the response will be, “that’s how American’s used to categorize themselves.” The long term goal and mission of “Hyphened-Nation,” and her call to action of “Don’t Check the Box,” is to simply bridge the gap for a return to unity. So that, “one day every American will view one another who live in America, as simply an American.” No hyphen. No separation based on race, creed or religion. Americans standing in unity as simply, Americans.

Media wishing to conduct additional interviews with Nicole Broadwater, founder of Hyphened-Nation please feel free to write to Nicole Draffen directly at happygrrrl@live.com.