immigrant

I looked at myself, decked out in the same brands that once eluded me, that once wielded such power over me. Is this what made me American?

When you're an immigrant who spends your entire life working to be wealthy, oftentimes you work to the detriment of your health.

For many of us who hail from immigrant backgrounds, we know that one of our parents’ dreams is to have their child’s name bear the prefix of “Dr.”

I’m an immigrant, and Malayalam is my mother tongue. I’m an immigrant, and Malayalam is my second language. Both are true, but the latter I’ve always hated.

I’ve never really known how to feel about individualism: I envy those who boast their independent lifestyles, yet I also see it as a luxury, perhaps even a frivolous one.

And while my mother comforted me, she would often whisper, “Don’t be sad. We are so lucky to have gotten to move to America."

I'm not different than anybody else. There is a deeper truth that binds us all together. It is best said by Maya Angelou in my favorite poem, “Human Family"

On June 6, National Higher Education Day is recognized worldwide. Higher education for a first-generation student is a necessity, not an option.

As immigrants, we have attempted to assimilate to the new culture we are brought to — and we end up adopting whiteness in a way that is explicitly anti-Black.