Episode 1: Emiliano – Migrants
My mother lost me when I was 16 to become a singer in Monterrey
My Great Grandfather was an undocumented immigrant, like everyone who entered the US at that time. Most Europeans in this country are only here because they had a relative who entered the US through open borders – men and women who were looking for a better life. There were massive hurdles to overcome, but by and large the undocumented immigrants in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries forged a landscape of opportunity for their children’s children. People who are migrating out of poverty or hardship in their home countries tend to make industrious citizens who carry a vision for what life could be.
Today is a different story. Those immigrating due to hardship find high walls and unwelcoming communities. These men and women who hold within themselves the potential for creating healthy societal change are often locked out.
I met some migrants in Mexico City at a migrant shelter called Tochan. Each one had a heart-rending story of hardship. Each was committed to making a better life for themselves and their families. Each of them had skills and drive and the fire of hope burning in their bellies. And each faced the harsh reality that the country they wanted to contribute to had no interest in receiving them.
Emiliano was one of those migrants. He was a teenager, and while Emiliano had a passionate drive coursing through him there was also gentility about him and a fading innocent hope regarding the future.
If you are not a first generation immigrant, I hope you will get another window on the life of your immigrant relatives listening to him.