My grandparents are originally both from Jamaica but moved to New York when they were 25 and 26 years old. The chain belongs to my grandpa, it was given to him by his parents as a going away gift when he and my grandma immigrated to New York. They went to live with my grandma's aunt with the hope of making a better life for themselves. My grandparents got married, but my grandfather didn’t have enough money to buy my grandma a wedding ring, so he pawned his chain and the little money he had saved up to by her ring. They told me the wedding wasn't big because they couldn’t afford it. My grandparents got stable jobs as a carpenter and a nurse and had seven children, but sadly three died at birth. The four who survived are now amazing people my, mom being one of them. At one point, my grandpa was able to get his chain back from the pawn shop. The chain and ring aren’t worn often by my grandparents because they say the things they had to go through to get these two piece of jewelry means the world to them also they would hate for anything to happen to them. The stories that my grandparents tell me about how they’ve struggled and went from two bedrooms apartments to owning two houses in New York and another two in Jamaica is my motivation. They immigrated to America to make a better life for themselves and their children and they have done that. 

– Amaire

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant