America is a nation of immigrants. Even those who boast about their Mayflower ancestry trace their heritage to immigrants. And all those immigrants had one thing in common: the desire to provide a better life for themselves and their families. In my own story, my father was born in the United States to parents who had emigrated from Italy. My mother and her family came from The Netherlands. Someone once asked me about my ancestry and when I described it he said "Oh, so you're a Euromutt." I am. And proud of it. (And there is a poem with that title in my chapbook, Do NOT Stop for Hitchhikers.)
Today's immigrants are no different. They have a vision that America can provide better lives for their families. The Center for New Americans works every day to help new immigrants realize that vision. I hope you will join me in supporting this outstanding organization in their essential work.
(Photo: Maria Flipse, my Dutch grandmother, at their farm in upstate New York)
