Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.My mother and her family immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in the 1980s in pursuit of opportunity.
I used to think this was the beauty of being an American: if I studied hard, played by the rules, and treated people equally, I too would be a success story. But instead, I'm left wondering how we got to this point. TIME, HuffPost, The Haitian Times and the BBC.
Here in New York City, they became educators, essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, and small business owners. They were proudly sworn in as US Citizens at the turn of the 21st century. In one way or another, theyBeing a first-generation American-born female of Dominican descent means I have to build on the foundations and sacrifices they made to live here. I grew up absorbing as much US history as I could.