Todavia Sigue.
~ heard my father say those words in my parent’s bedroom. My eyes danced between each face of the family photos. At the time, ~ was studying at San Jose State, visiting back home, and asking him questions about his first few years in the United States.
My father and ~ both share a similarity where vulnerability is scarce but motivational support is in abundance. For years, ~ interpreted that as vulnerability. The connection and heartfelt moments were often packaged as "keep working hard”, “everything has a solution”, and no matter what, “we have opportunity to take advantage of.” ~ ended up communicating in this same way into my adulthood. Homies of mine who wake up to my “level up” text messages at 7am are on the receiving end of this habit.
but that’s all we knew.
So, when we sat down and got past our motivational exchange of words, ~ asked how it felt completing what he set out to do.
”You made it” ~ said.
My father was 22 when he first started coming to the United States for work. My mother would stay in Buenavista, Michoacán to raise us with whatever money he could send.
He told ~~ daily life was an unpredictable reality for years. When he was a farmworker, complete groups would head to worksites and regularly return with members missing; they were advised to hide or run if they saw Immigration officers. He was deported a few times and managed to get back to work.
Rural areas like ours were already economically-challenged to begin with. Lack of access to financial resources and education led families to pursue opportunity in the United States.
After years of hardship, hardwork, and by the grace of God, they not only brought their children to the USA, they got them the proper documentation and education they needed.
Everything was for the family. The pain, the pay, the labor, the fear, the resilience, the opportunity. The dream.
So ~ asked him, how does it feel to accomplish the dream? To complete the job. To finish the painting. ~ expected a sense of pride in completion. ~ was expecting an acceptance speech on gratefulness mixed in with our go-to motivational phrases. Instead, just two words.
“Todavia sigue.”
It’s still going. Now passed down for his kids to continue. ~ felt foolish for expecting anything else. ~’ve been staring too close at the brush strokes that ~ didn’t realize he passed us the brush long ago.
He is still growing, learning, and relearning. ~’m doing the same.
because that’s all we know.
Manuel & Guadalupe raised seven children who became teachers, altruistic souls, loving parents, one immigration attorney, and one artist who would write these words.
To this day, my dad says he doesn’t know how,
but they made it all work out for us.
This weekend, ICE agents were sent out in Los Angeles picking people out of their homes and workplaces. This administration wants to label anyone undocumented as an enemy to the country. These are not new feelings but now, there’s no masking it.
These scenes made ~~ want to share and write a bit more of myself and family. ~ share to show that this is not an isolated story. Many other immigrants have similarities to mine and my parent’s experiences. Not criminals, just in pursuit of opportunity with family in mind.
For LA, see these resources:
For more organizations to support, see:
Border Kindness
Organization that provides immigrant communities with food, clothing, medical and legal services
California’s Largest immigration rights organization founded in 1986.