I am the daughter of immigrants. I am American.
Growing up I always felt caught between two identities and never really able to be part of one-on hand I was born here in America yet the feeling lingered that I did not completely belong -and on the other I was the daughter of immigrants, who grew up immersed in cultures of my parents’ homelands. Yet, in some ways I felt a stranger to both identities. I never felt like I fully belonged anywhere. The worst feeling was thinking, “I am not American enough, and that I am not immigrant enough”, but then realizing that is part of the dichotomy that is being a daughter of both worlds.
Over the years, I have realized that the beauty of being an American is not only our sameness but our differences, and it is something I love about this country. A very central part of being American for me is the defense of immigrants and their many paths to America. Claiming my identity and being proud of it has made me proud to be American. The opportunities that this country has given me are not ones that were afforded to my great-grandmother, who was among the first females in her family to learn to read. And I do not take these doors opening for granted because I know the stories of the generations that came before me, searching and finding the promise of America. I refuse to let that story of America die because I am part of it.
In the same way, I believe that those who want to come to America, seeking its promise of freedom, deserve a fair chance, as those who came before us, and as a people, we are stronger for it. I do not see this as a political opinion, but as a humanistic philosophy I uphold in life, which to me transcends politics.
If America embodies freedom, than we cannot turn our backs to the refugee escaping war, the father working on the fields picking fruit, or the mother hoping for a better future for her children, because that is the hope that this country gives to the entire world. To me, this promise is the American dream. It is the very definition of what America means to me.
America provided for my family a new future. The shores of its doors are a place where many have kissed the ground exasperated, finally resting in Lady Liberty’s welcoming arms of freedom. The idea of the American dream should never die, and it relies on defending the oppressed and believing that tomorrow is better — the American dream is this hope. This dream has defined generations of my own family, and it is one that in my eyes can never die. I have seen that dream come true.
These beautiful, diverse, complex stories are part of the story of America-and I hope they will always continue to be. America is a nation of immigrants. I am an American, and I am the daughter of immigrants, and this is my America, too.
Share your story in honor of #adaywithoutimmigrants this February.
