I am a refugee.

Today is World Refugee Day and it is quite timely.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, a refugee is "someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group."

Growing up, I've always seen myself as an immigrant. I came to the United States when I was around 5-years old, grew up in Minnesota and eventually landed in Chicago. I prided myself on achieving the American Dream, not only myself but my parents, aunts, uncles and other Vietnamese families I had around me. 

I've come to realize the correct term to call myself is a refugee. My family and like so many other refugee families did not leave their homes by choice. We were forced out to seek refuge. My grandfather was a refugee twice in his life, once within Vietnam to avoid religious persecution and then needed to leave Vietnam in fear of political persecution.

Those images of refugees we keep seeing show people as helpless don't do enough to share the story of their courage and conviction to give up everything to pursue the unknown. In America, there is a sentiment right now that refugees coming here will take resources from other Americans like it's a zero-sum game. 

My family did take. We didn't have any choice but to take the help given to us. We didn't just show up at a border or get off the plane to declare ourselves refugees. It took years and years of paperwork and bureaucracy for us to come to America. Even after the all clear, my family still had to be moved to a refugee camp in the Phillippines for six months. 

When we got here, we did take. We were on welfare and foodstamps living in public housing. It was the only way we could survive those first few years. My dad worked hard - he was a dishwasher making a few bucks an hour while going to technical school to get a degree as quickly as he could. Afterward, he was able to get a good job and allowed us to be self-sufficient. He gave me the life I have now. 

Refugees don't hold out their hands to take and expect it for the rest of our lives. We just needed a chance. We are proud Americans. My grandmother who couldn't write in any language and didn't know English studied for months on end naturalization questions and answers to pass her test. She wanted so bad to become part of this country that gave her family a chance. She practiced writing her new American name over and over so she could sign her naturalization papers spelling out her name LUCIA in capital letters scribbled like a 5-year old. Like her, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than here.

Nobody would look at me and say I'm a refugee. 

But I am. 

I am proud to be one. I am also what can happen if we open our arms and invite today's refugees into our country, united, together, as one family. 

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If you want to help:

• https://www.unrefugees.org/how-to-help/

• Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project works to prevent the deportation of asylum-seeking families fleeing violence. The group accepts donations and asks people to sign up for volunteer opportunities here.
• RAICES is a nonprofit that provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees in Texas. It’s accepting donations and volunteers at its website. In addition, the #postcards4families campaignwill donate $5 to RAICES for every postcard kids write to help the separated immigrant children.
• Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley shelters immigrants who've recently been released from U.S. Border Patrol custody. 

Full list here.