My Family's Immigration History

My mom moved to the US when she was about 10 years old. She went to live with her dad to Hartford, Connecticut looking for a better life. There she stayed for about 3 years and went to a public school during those years. She did not know English which made it very hard for her to communicate with others. At that time many of the people there were racists and disliked Latinos, especially Puerto Ricans. Since my mom could not answer them whenever they asked her a question they thought she did not want anything to do with them or did not want to talk to them. One day my mom was walking home from school and three girls watched her and started to punch and kick her. They pulled her hair and scraped her face with their nails. She went home badly hurt. My grandfather went to the school and told the principal about it. The principal suspended the girls but my mom was still scared to go to school. She then tried to learn English and socialize more with Americans but she couldn’t and did not get used to that lifestyle. She finally decided to go back to Puerto Rico because even though she did not get the education she was getting in the US and did not have a more comfortable house, she felt happier in her homeland.

My grandmother’s grandfather was Spanish. He immigrated to Puerto Rico from Spain between the 1890’s and 1920’s and settled here. Then he met and married a Puerto Rican woman. They stayed here and raised their children and ever since, my family has been here in Puerto Rico.

I was surprised when my mom told me about those girls beating her up. It is crazy what a person is capable of doing just because someone is different from them or does not speak their language. I believe that everyone is equal and that no matter their race, religion or beliefs they should be treated with respect.

What I learned about my heritage was interesting. I did not know my mom’s last name was Spanish or that some of my ancestors emigrated from Spain to Puerto Rico. It was fun to find out about this!