The Reality of Being Undocumented

“Growing up we were always talking about papers. Some of us had papers and some didn’t. Life was harder when you didn’t have papers. You had to be careful when you didn’t have papers. Some of us had secret names and birth dates. In the same breath, my mom would talk about how so-and-so’s husband was sported and the beans on the stove. I thought it was part of being Mexican. One summer my best friend started crying in front of me because she kept having nightmares about her dad de ella being deported. “It’s not going to happen,” I said, but my words about her felt small and inconsequential. ” Words & Art ✍🏽👩🏽‍🎨by @nerdybrownkid #latinaspoderosas #latinas #latinx #latinxart #firstgeneration