Pride in the bravery of past generations

As Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, I have a personal immigration story to share that connects to my personal pride in leading a strong Minority Serving Institution in the Commonwealth. Every year around this time, I am reminded that September 24th is a special day for my family. It’s the anniversary of my father’s immigration to the United States from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic when he was 15 years old. I imagine him – the middle child in a pack of six children and the oldest of four sons – knowing very little English and feigning bravery in a new country when he was truly scared beyond measure. He arrived in New York City after a direct Pan Am flight (his first time on a plane). It was a sunny fall day, perhaps not unlike this one.?Landing in New York ushered him into the chilliest climate he had ever experienced in his young life.?I am so proud of this aspect of my heritage, as are many of you who have immigrant experiences that propel your appreciation for this nation.

Out of the bravery of my grandparent’s daring risk to flee their home country, which was imploding under the weight of a narcissistic dictator, came an entirely new trajectory of life. A life of stability and opportunity was made possible for my father and his siblings through an affordable college education, which several of them received. My father is a graduate of Morehouse College, and he will tell you – and anyone he meets – that his life is better because of it.?The connection between an inclusive and culturally sensitive college education and positive immigrant experiences is a critical one. Access to quality education that didn’t break the bank changed the trajectory of my immigrant family’s life. And by extension, accessible education also changed mine. This truth greets me each day when I awake fueled with passion for my purpose-filled work at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, a Minority Serving Institution where almost 30% of our students are Latine. I know there are many among you who are equally charged up with hope for the future of the Afro-Latine and Hispanic Diaspora just like I am.?Thanks for the support of Benjamin Franklin Institute’s mission and our students, and here’s to all of us who rep and recognize Hispanic Heritage Month!

Pictured in the photo: 2004 family reunion in Santo Domingo, D.R. This occasion marked the first time that my father and all five of his siblings were in the Dominican Republic at the same time since the family began immigrating in 1964. My father is in the black and my grandmother (87 in this photo) is the white haired grand damme. (I love the vintage feel about this photo. We were a few doors down from my grandmother’s house hanging around on the plaza, which is why we all look so casual and my aunt is drinking coffee.)