My cousin arrived with news I no longer wanted to hear about. He told me my visa was approved and that I would be going to Hawaii. I told him I no longer can accept. The house I lived in was built by my Teti (dad). My teti was a sheriff and was very protective over our family. The island ... Read More »
As I was walking, I made it to Texas safely. As I decided to take a break and eat a little, I saw a flashlight that was targeted at me, and it was coming closer and closer to me. I was born in Michoacan, Mexico, stuck with 9 other siblings in the ranch. I remember the roosters always being my ... Read More »
We lived on the wrong side of town for people with our skin, and our neighbors would never let us forget that. I had to go. I was fed up. I was only 12 years old, but I knew I deserved better than this. With so much life left to live I had to ask myself, “Renael, is this going ... Read More »
Your freedom is something you should always fight for. “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”-Martin Luther King Jr. My name is Jose Jimenez, I was very poor and had 9 other siblings. I grew up in Uruapan, Mexico. It is extremely hot and used to be a very small town. I ... Read More »
I was born in 1943 in Louisiana. I lived in a small yet prosperous neighborhood of mostly black families, one or two Mexican families. No white people. Similarly to all the scary stories that were told to the white people about us blacks, we heard many stories about the white people that made us on edge. One chant they used ... Read More »
My name is Saundra Stamps. My parents were both born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA), and I was born in San Mateo, California, but spent most summers in New Orleans. I was fortunate to grow up in a two-parent household. My father was an entrepreneur and the first African American owner of an upholstery and interior design business ... Read More »
But this is all that I wanted, a life that I can survive through and be happy. I only paid a nickel to cross the U.S./Mexico border, which is not a lot today, but it was a lot for me back then. I was very young and vulnerable. This was the year of 1902. All I wanted was a better ... Read More »
As I was to begin this journey, all I could think about was getting to my daughters and being able to hold them in my arms. I also wanted to see those same little girls grow old and follow the future that I hoped they get to have when I move to Los Estados Unidos, where dreams come true. It ... Read More »
I came from nothing, running from cops handcuffing. I had to make it out so my family could stop suffering. This was the moment I knew I had to search for a better life, a better future, and I found that in America. My name is Siaosi (George) Kuli Vanisi and I grew up on an island in the south ... Read More »
Having a big dream is hard for anyone especially when you are living in a poor hopeless place and where you would have to end up leaving your family and the place you were born. Living in Haiti was hard. It was scary. It was very dangerous. Anyone can die or get robbed or get hurt by the environment in ... Read More »