I was born in New York City several years after my mother had immigrated to the United States. We still have photos of me being baptized in a church near our apartment, which had later become the church we regularly go to. Then when I was seven my mother allowed me to do my first communion at that same church. To my family, being catholic is an important part of our identity, something that my mother and grandmother brought over from the Dominican Republic. As my mother immigrated to the United States when she was fourteen she found a lot of comfort in God and the catholic church. Coming from Detroit and to my grandmother in New York City, she found solace in her religion. She was still able to connect with a part of her culture despite being several thousand miles away from her homeland. Growing up she always told me to find faith in God and how she was able to adapt to the difficulties of moving to a new country without knowing anyone or the language. Her strength in her faith is an admirable trait and one that shows that we can adapt to any new situation if we have the mental fortitude for it.

– YG

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant