Into the night
The waters are murky and ice cold; but, with the adrenaline, you could barely even feel it. You keep your head up and just keep walking, focused on the boat in the distance. This is it. This is the start of your future.
My parents are immigrants from Vietnam.
From a young age, my father worked hard to find money for his family and when given the change to go to America, he immediately agreed even though the journey was dangerous because it met a better life.
At age fifteen, my father and his younger brother snuck away into the night from the Communist soldiers with several other people, boarded a small boat, and sailed into the dark night.
For days, they floated in the middle of the ocean — hungry, cramped, cold, and bored.
From landing on Hong Kong, later moving to the Philippines, Oklahoma, and finally California, his story is long and difficult.
Even in America, the land of the free and home of the brave, he still misses Vietnam from his friends, relatives, neighbors, and food. Even after going to school, he has been turned down numerous jobs because of his race and English pronunciation. Even after becoming a citizen, he is jeered at during the pandemic. Even after all of the challenges he has faced, he continues to face more.
This is the lives for many other immigrants. From Mexico, Vietnam, or Ireland, immigrants come to America for a chance of a better life. They are strong and determined and they deserve our respect and a place here.
It’s scary and even when you are young, you are forced to grow up and work twice as hard as everyone around you just to prove yourself.
Immigration is not easy. Would you sacrifice everything to move to a new place for a small chance of a better life? Would you run away into the night, knowing that if you were caught, you might even be killed?
For many, the answer is yes.
