Es hora

Queridos hermanos y hermanas,

I see you. 

I see you at the bank in that entry position.
I see you as the dental assistant, dreaming of becoming the dentist one day.
I see you walking to high school in your McDonald’s uniform while carrying a heavy backpack.
I see you at the grocery store cleaning the aisles.
I see you teaching immigrant students English.
I see you preaching and advocating for our people.
I see at the borders speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves.
I see you mowing lawns, invisible to those who walk by you.
I see you with your own business. No one knows how much you sacrificed to get there.
I see you as the President of a College. 

I see you are trying.
I see you want to move up. You want to belong. You want to be seen. 
I see that no matter how much you have climbed the professional ladder or how many degrees you possess, you still hear the lies. 

I know the messages you have heard:

“You are not welcome here.”
“You are not smart enough."
“Your English is not good enough”
“ You are not skinny enough.”
“You are not American.”

And today I want to say to you: 

You belong. This is your land. 
You are smart. You are strong. You are more than enough. 
If  you can communicate, your English is not only good enough, it is useful. Your accent is evidence of courage. 
Your curves are beautiful. 
Yes, you are an American. Who gets to define what American looks like?

It's time to walk holding the truths about us, hermanos y hermanas.  We can change the stories of us, our kids and our people. And it starts with us. It begins when we no longer carry the lies. Refuse to pass this legacy of lies to our children. We belong. This is our land. 

Levanta la frente. Sigue adelante. It's time/ Es hora.

 ¡Si se puede!