 Dear First Gen, I told you in my last post about my journey to healing. But some of you may be saying, “Am I allowed to heal? Am I allowed to feel hurt?” This is something I struggled with for years. And my fellow first gens, I believe you and I have every right to feel hurt, but also every right to seek #healing. But just as we've battled other #hardships, there will always be others who tell us we have no right to feel hurt. Some say that if we do not like it here, we should go home. How is that so if we were born here or escaped to #America for refuge? America is our home. We are home! For more than 30 years I have been living under a veil and recently it was removed from my eyes. My intimate circle is nothing like what I have seen in the news recently. When I hosted a launch party for my blog, the friends who came to support me came from different backgrounds, and I am proud to call them my #circleofinfluence. When I hear harsh words from people that seek to diminish the value and beauty of multiple races and ethnicities to only leverage their own, it shocks me because when I look at my first gen community, we are so much more than our complexions. What is more alarming is that the hurt and pain we feel from these images and statements are often silenced. We are not given the right to feel hurt, to work through the pain, or to heal. We are told, “If you don't like it, go home.” Below is a video on my authentic, vulnerable perspective on the topic of #immigrants in America. First gens, this is our home. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. #celebratefirstgen ***Disclaimer: 2017. All rights reserved. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. No reproduction of any content on the website without the express permission of the author. The text, pictures and videos are the sole property of FirstGenRise.
23 Comments
Sheena Steward
9/19/2018 10:03:35 pm
This is right up my alley!! I'm all about being open and vulnerable. I wish more of us really liked inward to heal so we can be better people.
Irnande
9/20/2018 10:09:10 pm
Sheena, before I could heal and make strides toward my goal, I needed to deeply reflect on who I saw myself as and decide if I was okay with that. It took time to do that exercise. 9/20/2018 05:48:55 am
Self healing, self care, and knowing that you can and should take the time to do that to me is a sign of strength.
Irnande
9/20/2018 10:11:51 pm
Lia, thank you. Strength is built over time and it is trial and error. Through self-care and knowing who you are, you discover that being broken is okay every once in a while because when you are while again, you can learn what and why something tore you apart.
Irnande
9/20/2018 10:13:22 pm
Thank you Stacie! Did not happen over night but bring me unapologetically is surfacing.
Kita
9/20/2018 08:58:42 pm
Thank you for sharing your truth and the truth. At the end of the day. we are all immigrants here if we are not a part of the Indigenous People of America. I embrace First Gen people as my own. 9/21/2018 03:22:23 pm
I think we all deserve to heal from whatever troubles us. I started going to therapy last year and it has done wonders for my soul and mental health.
Irnande
9/21/2018 04:58:38 pm
Therapy has several healing components that it is certainly valuable when you are looking to cope. Thank you for sharing! 9/21/2018 07:11:35 pm
Its sad how easily we forget that we all immigrants in some type a way. I'm sad that you had to deny where you were from because the world would treat you differently. I think we are moving in a different era where I see people from the Caribbean in the states proudly represent where they are from.
Irnande
9/22/2018 07:27:56 am
Very true. When I was a youth, the love and outward joy of being a Caribbean was not welcomed by the world and now there has been a 360 and First Gens need to seize this time. Thank you. ❤️
Ola
9/22/2018 04:55:30 pm
I have a soft spot in my heart for those who immigrate from other countries. This is the first post I've read that tells the story from the view point of a First Gen'er. Thank you for sharing it.
Irnande
9/23/2018 10:21:03 am
Wonderful! I also rarely hear about the story of a First Gen and decided it was time to create a safe space for it to happen. There are several others who have shared their own story and I invite you to read or listen to their stories on the blog. Hope you continue to explore the site, Ola! 9/24/2018 10:15:18 am
Every anti-immigrant comment I hear makes my blood pressure rise. The U.S. has this weird way of revising history and forgetting how this country was stolen from the indigenous people who had their land and customs ripped from them.
Irnande
9/25/2018 05:31:03 am
It is odd to hear negative comments about immigrants when the “original settlers” or invaders were immigrants themselves.
ShaBree
9/24/2018 05:13:51 pm
I am so proud of you for being vulnerable. It’s hard to do. Thank you for sharing.
Irnande
9/25/2018 05:32:07 am
Thank you for reading ShaBree!
Irnande
9/25/2018 05:34:05 am
Haiti is beautiful and the people are kind, too. I hope you visit in the future. It is an unusual discovery when people were already on the land.
Irnande
9/25/2018 05:35:25 am
Ditto Holly! Yes, I am fortunate to have people around me who allow me to be open and proud of my family’s roots while being an American. Leave a Reply. |
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