Immigrant Heritage Month!
June is a #PrideMonth. We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ community’s social and self-acceptance, achievements, legal rights, and pride.
June is when we’re celebrating #Juneteenth – we’re commemorating the end of legalized slavery in the US and celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the US.
June is when we’re celebrating #WorldRefugeeDay – we’re celebrating the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees from around the world.
June is also #ImmigrantHeritageMonth – we’re celebrating the nation’s vibrant diversity, immigrants' heritage, and their contributions to the nation.
It is important to take the time to celebrate each of these events and continue educating ourselves about the groups they recognize. It is also important to honor and respect each of these events equally.
Immigration is an intersectional matter.
People immigrated here might have several different reasons:
· For a better life for their family
· For the “American Dream”
· To express their true identity
· For the freedom to love who they choose
· For safety and liberation
· For religious and political freedom
· And many other reasons that don’t need to be explained, because no one needs to explain it.
One of the remarkable things about America is that nearly all of our families originally came from someplace else. Immigration is part of the DNA of this nation. It’s a source of our strength and something that we should be proud of.
Knowing about our family's immigration history or ancestral stories can be a privilege that many people don't have. Enslaved people were not counted as people, and therefore birth and death records were not kept at all – read more details here; and many Native Americans children were deliberately taken from their parents and adopted out to white families – read more details here.
That’s why during #ImmigrantHeritageMonth, Bellwether staff are sharing their immigrant stories with each other. What is your family's American story? How did you or your family make it to America, whether you’re an immigrant yourself or your great-great-grandparents were. What are you most proud of about your heritage? How are you and others keeping it alive?