1. Everyone is equal. This is the first city I’ve lived in where I truly feel a sense of equality. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is, where you are from or what your sexual orientation is. In New York, everyone is treated with the same dignity and respect regardless of superficial differences. I have lived in societies where your skin color to a large degree, determines the potential and propensity for your success and achievement. In New York, your success is largely contingent upon hard work and perseverance, as opposed to factors that shouldn’t matter, like skin color. 2. Everyone is entitled to belong. In New York, one does not have to be of a particular race to feel more or less “American”, or to experience a sense of belonging. I have lived in countries which claim to be multicultural, yet do not have a truly inclusive national identity. In such countries, claims of multiculturalism obscure the underlying reality that certain racial groups are more readily embraced and accepted whilst other racial groups are …