The PSA’s inclusive message required all participants to speak English, even immigrants with accents

Evidence

“I am an American” aims to discourage further attacks on Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs by promoting unity through the marker “American,” which is signified as a diverse designation. The ad appeals to viewers to accept people who look or sound different from themselves and to recognize them as “Americans.” Some of the “Americans” featured in the PSA have accented English, signaling that English is not their first language and thus that they are firstgeneration immigrants (nevertheless, everyone is speaking English). — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1157