Things My Parents Would Say

Name: Patricia Ortiz

Year: 2nd year

Major: Spanish

Although I'd say I got to where I am now with my own work ethic, self-discipline, and motivation, I could not have gone nearly as far without my parents' support and unlimited cariño. When I was in elementary school, my mom had no idea what the Gold Rush was but she still came to see our school play about it. When I was in band from sixth through twelfth grade, she had no musical background but still paid for my clarinet lessons, came to all my concerts and parades, and paid for me to go on the big, out of state trips. When it was time for me to graduate, my parents never really understood how GPA worked, but they knew it was a big deal when I was graduating with distinction honors. And now while I live at UCR, I know my dad proudly says "mi hija está en la universidad" when a tío asks why I'm not at home.

Coming from a small rancho in Zacatecas, México, neither of my parents went beyond elementary school. They came here as teenagers, with no papers nor any knowledge of English, but they certainly had a will to work hard. My mom proudly tells me that whenever there was a period of being unemployed, she would use her free time to go to night school to learn English. It breaks my heart; however, when she said one of the first English phrases she learned from her brother was "I have my papers" just in case immigration were to make an unexpected visit at her job.

They eventually attained legalization thanks to the Reagan Amnesty in 1986, and then citizenship in the 90's. Despite this, when my dad gave me a twenty dollar bill when I went home this past weekend, my mom reminded me, "always keep cash with you Patty. You never know when you'll need it. I always carried cash with me when I was younger, just in case la migra took me back to Tijuana."

Her fear then and the fear of hundreds of thousands of others now breaks my heart, and I'm pissed off all the time whenever I read or watch the news about Trump and his principles on immigration. It feels like we're going backwards in time in terms of social progress. But I think living and studying at UCR helps. I feel proud seeing so many intelligent Latinos studying around campus. I feel chills when I hear Chicano poets read about their families and Raza and their beautiful brownness at CSP's Poesía Peligrosa. Being surrounded by powerful Latinos, whether at home or at school, makes me feel a little more hopeful.

#whotellsyourstory #parents #immigration #determination