By Ari Gonzalez, Latinitas Communications Intern
As Election Day draws closer, many first-generation Americans across the country like myself are feeling increasingly fearful for our families and our future; however, activists like Diane Guerrero give us hope as they speak out for the rights of Latinos all across the country, and for that reason she is a huge inspiration to me.
At the age of fourteen, Guerrero, the daughter of two Colombian immigrants, had to live through the nightmare of coming home to find that her parents had been arrested and were to be deported. In her book, “In the Country We Love,” Guerrero discusses the struggles that she faced after her parents were deported and what it was like living without them.
This really resonated with me because as a first-generation American myself, I lived with the fear of the same thing happening to my parents every single day as a child.
I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, a city right on the border with Mexico. When I was six years old, I started school in the United States and was put in the bilingual class because I spoke absolutely no English. One of the things I remember most vividly about my years in elementary school was the constant bullying my friends and I would get from other classmates for being “the Spanish Kids.” This label made me feel ashamed and guilty about who I was and where I came from.
As I grew up, the shame that I felt slowly evolved into fear as I started to realize and experience how much hate some people had for immigrants. I can recall the day my mom was waiting to pick up my younger sister and me from high school and one of the other parents went up to her. He yelled that it was not fair that her kids were going to school for free due to the taxes that he paid. I can clearly remember the fear and panic in my mom’s voice as she told us what had happened. After that day, my mom was too scared to pick us up at that spot again. I also constantly feared for my dad and worried that one day he might not come home from work.
After my sister and I finished high school, our parents moved back to Mexico but the anxiety returns whenever they drive over to visit us even though they have permission from the government to be traveling in the United States. However, instead of worrying they’ll be deported, I fear for their safety. I am afraid that someone will see their Mexican license plates and will do something to intentionally hurt them because there are men in the world who think that people like my dad are rapists, murders, and criminals.
The shame I felt growing up as a first-generation American has been replaced with pride now that I am able to understand the sacrifices that my parents had to make to give me the opportunities that I have today.
I hope to bring more awareness to the effect immigration policies are having on children and families, and maybe open up the eyes of those who still believe that immigrants are doing more harm than good to this country. Immigrants come to the United States to have a better life; not to sell drugs or hurt people.
I am thankful there are celebrities like Diane Guerrero who are not afraid to use their platform to advocate for the rights of people who are often ignored, and I admire the work that she is doing for immigrants and all Latinos in America.
Note: This is the first in a series of monthly articles about Latinas we admire written by Latinitas staff, interns, board members, and volunteers.
Diane Guerrero is currently starring in “Orange is the New Black” and “Jane the Virgin.” She will be at the Texas Book Festival to promote her new book, “In the Country We Love,” on Saturday, November 5, from 3:30pm-4:15pm at the Ahora Si! tent on 11th Street between Congress Avenue and Brazos in Downtown Austin. Guerrero will be interviewed by Ahora Si! Editor Josefina Casati, along with Julissa Arce, who became a CEO at Goldman Sachs while undocumented.
