Mis padres grew up in different towns in Mao Valverde, República Dominicana, where they fell in love. Thanks to mi abuelo, my father moved to Brooklyn as a teenager to work in a factory. He couldn’t continue school and left in 8th grade to help support his family. After my parents married, he requested for us to join him in New York, and we arrived two years later. Papi kept working in a factory while Mami stayed home with us. Although she graduated high school in the Dominican Republic, she couldn’t pursue further education because of the language barrier and raising two toddlers. My parents sacrificed so much so we could have opportunities they didn’t—an education that would lead to stability and acceptance in a new country. They carried the responsibility of supporting their families back home while navigating life as immigrants. Because of their experiences, education became central in our home; they believed it was the path to belong in spaces non-immigrants moved through easily. Even while encouraging us to assimilate to avoid discrimination, they reminded us of what truly mattered: family and our culture. Their journey shaped my identity and the focus of my work as a Latinx teacher. Most importantly, I now pass down the same love for our language, culture, and traditions to mi hija Lilybeth—starting with speaking Spanish and spending our summers in el campo.

– YM

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child