Charles Asaah and Vanessa Lopez

My name is Vanessa Lopez and I am originally from Mexico. My mother had moved to the US when she got remarried and I stayed with my grandparents. 5 years later, my family arranged for a coyote to bring me to the US, I was 13 then.

As a teenager, school was a place I could be safe. I’ve always excelled in academics and got good grades. When I was a junior in high school, I was placed in a magnet school. My English was still rough. I understood some, I was able to read, but I wasn’t really speaking it. That year, I got immersed in the language and went from getting a D minus on my first paper to getting an A minus at the end of that year. I got a lot of support from my teachers and the magnet program coordinator. She sent me to take summer classes at the community college while in high school. When I graduated, I was still 17. Back in those days, undocumented minors could take college classes with a parent’s social security number; so, that supported me to continue with my education. It wasn’t until 2002, when the UC system started receiving undocumented students with in-state tuition but no financial aid available. So, I had to work full-time during the day and go to school at night. Finally, in 2003, I was able to transfer to UCLA. At UCLA, I completed 2 years and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish. It was with my husband’s support that I finally became a permanent resident in 2006. At that time, my husband was in the middle of his military career, my daughter was 1 year old, and I had relocated in the Central Valley. Now, I’m a U.S. naturalized citizen.

With my family’s support, I hold a Master of Social Work. I work as a therapist providing home-based therapy services to mothers who are pregnant or parenting a baby less than 2 year of age. I’ve always felt grateful to the people and to this nation. However, the immigration policies have been very punitive to individuals who arrived in this country as minors, like myself. As an immigrant, you want to give back and contribute. My main purpose has always been to give back to this land for all it has given me. I wanted to contribute, and I think I have through my volunteer work and my career. I’ve been a good citizen, student, and parent. I started volunteering at age 15 at the church, fundraising money and making meals for the homeless. I supported kids in my apartment complex with tutoring, and helped adults learn English. In the Central Valley, I have volunteer in multiple cultural initiatives to promote health and wellbeing to Spanish speaking individuals, I facilitate a meditation group in Spanish, and I’m active in the Union for workers’ rights. The first thing my mother said to me about social responsibility was “You need to pay your taxes no matter what.” I started paying taxes at age 17. That’s something I do every single year since then. I know that with my contribution, our community benefits.

I have pondered many times in my lifetime about what would have been of my life if I would have stayed in Mexico. I think I might have not had the chance to go to school because I was a girl. Education was the main thing that attracted me to this country. As a girl, coming from a small country in a rural town, I thought this is my chance! Education as a woman has been a way to transform my family. My hope is that this country will continue to become a safe haven for people like me who may have no opportunities otherwise.  My promise to this country and its people is that I will share my gift of service and continue to contribute to the wellness and health of people. My plan is to get my license as a clinical social worker and create a space where individuals can receive health in a holistic manner. I also want to get a doctorate degree because I know that once I finish with my own career as a practitioner, I want to teach here in Central Valley to support students.

I have thought about how I would deal with someone who harbored animosity towards immigrants. I’ve experienced racism in the past. 2 out of 3 instances was inflicted by white men in a position of power. I was just becoming an adult at that time. Now, when I look back at that time, I realized that it was a vulnerable time but I was so resilient and persistent that it didn’t break me down or made me stop. If anything, their attack only made me want to demonstrate more and more my capacity and my love for this land. So if today, I have a chance to sit down and have a conversation with someone like those men, I would hear them out, remind myself that they’re just human and identify their own misinformation of people like me. I would share my journey with them, and my love for the land. I would share my struggles as a woman, as an immigrant, as a parent and perhaps in that conversation he will see that we are very similar. To end that conversation, I would invite this person to practice generosity and gratitude toward himself and his community, and I would thank him for being frank and stand my hand.

Racism is more than just hate. Racism is pain, is fear, is lack of belonging and connection. I wouldn’t want anyone to experience that suffering, regardless of their color.