My immigration story is not extraordinary. Sure, I've migrated a lot in my life: From growing up in Indiana to going to college and law school in Texas, to moving to Boston, then Connecticut, and now New York. They say that moving is the most stressful experience you can have. I imagine that's exponentially more difficult when you are talking about moving from a different country.
I'm the descendant of folks from England, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany who came to the United States in the mid-late 19th Century. They emigrated and were pioneers who raised families, farmed and ranched, and worked in quarries and factories. I admire my hard-working immigrant forebears.
But it's the stories of immigrants today that I find even more compelling. It's their resiliency, tenacity, and risk-taking entrepreneurial qualities that I admire. People like Zaid, a NY JFON client who was a former Yemeni Army Officer, who has built a thriving small bodega in Brooklyn. People like Albert, who survived on the streets until JFON attorney TJ Mills proved his citizenship and got him documentation so he could go on to get a job and a home. I admire the immigrants of today, and that's the reason I'm raising funds for NY JFON: In their honor.