1 00:00:02,733 --> 00:00:05,200 - Thank you so much for coming here to Centro tonight. 2 00:00:05,300 --> 00:00:08,066 I see a lot of new faces, which is really refreshing 3 00:00:08,166 --> 00:00:13,400 because as an agency that's been in this community for 33 years, 4 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:16,700 we strive to create community here. 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,566 I've been at Centro for about three years, 6 00:00:18,666 --> 00:00:19,966 and there have been significant changes 7 00:00:20,066 --> 00:00:23,666 in the way our Latino families and our neighbors have grown 8 00:00:23,766 --> 00:00:25,866 and established themselves here. 9 00:00:25,966 --> 00:00:28,400 But our task is still very much the same. 10 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:32,000 We continue to focus on programs that strengthen youth, 11 00:00:32,100 --> 00:00:34,233 strengthen adults, and strengthen neighborhoods 12 00:00:34,333 --> 00:00:36,233 because our job is yet to be finished. 13 00:00:36,333 --> 00:00:37,533 And I think 14 00:00:37,633 --> 00:00:40,366 a lot of rhetoric that you hear out there points to that. 15 00:00:40,466 --> 00:00:42,300 That there's a need to strengthen our families 16 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:43,633 and to have events like this 17 00:00:43,733 --> 00:00:46,500 where we bring this conversation to those in the community 18 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,100 that perhaps don't know enough about us. 19 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,033 So, tonight, I'm very proud that we have here 20 00:00:52,133 --> 00:00:54,033 such a wonderful voice in Reyna. 21 00:00:54,133 --> 00:00:57,733 She's such a wonderful voice in our Latino community, 22 00:00:57,833 --> 00:01:00,333 and we get to share her with you 23 00:01:00,433 --> 00:01:01,933 so that you become even more familiar 24 00:01:02,033 --> 00:01:05,100 with the complex dreams of our families in Wisconsin 25 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,566 and the families that we serve here in Centro. 26 00:01:07,666 --> 00:01:09,166 And they're complex because 27 00:01:09,266 --> 00:01:12,566 they are the dreams of fathers, of mothers, of children, 28 00:01:12,666 --> 00:01:16,433 intertwined with challenges, life passages, and so on. 29 00:01:16,533 --> 00:01:18,600 So, you know, 30 00:01:18,700 --> 00:01:22,500 I heard Reyna speak at the Madison Public Library. 31 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:23,866 I guess it was last winter. 32 00:01:23,966 --> 00:01:26,300 It was really, really cold. [laughter] 33 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:27,966 Araceli Esparza, who's here, 34 00:01:28,066 --> 00:01:30,400 who's a beautiful artist in this community, 35 00:01:30,500 --> 00:01:33,966 invited me to come and introduced me to Reyna. 36 00:01:34,066 --> 00:01:35,500 And what I felt in that 37 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,433 reading is that I had a connection to her and her story. 38 00:01:38,533 --> 00:01:41,366 And no matter how cold it was, I felt like I was at home. 39 00:01:41,466 --> 00:01:43,033 And I think that's what her book does 40 00:01:43,133 --> 00:01:44,366 to so many in our community. 41 00:01:44,466 --> 00:01:48,866 So, Reyna Grande, as you may have read on her website, 42 00:01:48,966 --> 00:01:51,800 is an award winning novelist and memoirist. 43 00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:54,700 She has received an American Book Award, 44 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:56,700 the El Premio Aztlán Literary Award, 45 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,466 and the International Latino Book Award. 46 00:01:59,566 --> 00:02:01,566 In 2012, she was a finalist 47 00:02:01,666 --> 00:02:04,966 for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Awards, 48 00:02:05,066 --> 00:02:09,700 and in 2015, she was honored with a Luis Leal Award 49 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,833 for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature. 50 00:02:12,933 --> 00:02:15,300 Her novels, "Across a Hundred Mountains," 51 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,000 and "Dancing with Butterflies," 52 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:18,566 were published to critical acclaim. 53 00:02:18,666 --> 00:02:22,800 Now, "The Distance Between Us," her latest memoir, 54 00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:24,066 reflects on her life 55 00:02:24,166 --> 00:02:28,033 before and after immigrating from Mexico to the US. 56 00:02:28,133 --> 00:02:29,966 Before we go on and welcome Reyna, 57 00:02:30,066 --> 00:02:32,200 I also want to thank our sponsors for tonight, 58 00:02:32,300 --> 00:02:34,966 without whom we wouldn't be able to do this. 59 00:02:35,066 --> 00:02:37,566 Wisconsin Public Television, our presenting sponsor, 60 00:02:37,666 --> 00:02:39,066 they're taping the event tonight. 61 00:02:39,166 --> 00:02:41,133 The University of Wisconsin- Madison 62 00:02:41,233 --> 00:02:44,066 Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies program, 63 00:02:44,166 --> 00:02:46,900 the International Division of the University, 64 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,566 the Collaborative for Education Research 65 00:02:49,666 --> 00:02:51,400 at University of Wisconsin- Madison, 66 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:53,400 otherwise known as "The Network," 67 00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:55,200 Grzeca Law Group Inc., 68 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:57,733 Madison Magazine , the Cap Times , 69 00:02:57,833 --> 00:03:01,200 the Madison Reading Project, and Brava Magazine. 70 00:03:01,300 --> 00:03:04,866 And lastly, I also want to thank Food Fight Restaurant Group 71 00:03:04,966 --> 00:03:06,300 for donating the food tonight. 72 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,266 If you hadn't had a chance to taste it, 73 00:03:08,366 --> 00:03:11,933 go ahead and go to the back, after the reading and Q&A, 74 00:03:12,033 --> 00:03:14,466 to have a little more. 75 00:03:14,566 --> 00:03:17,966 But without any further delay, I want to welcome Reyna Grande 76 00:03:18,066 --> 00:03:20,866 and give her a big, warm welcome from Madison again. 77 00:03:20,966 --> 00:03:23,966 [applause] 78 00:03:34,033 --> 00:03:37,366 - If you don't speak Spanish, let me tell you that 79 00:03:37,466 --> 00:03:40,466 the name Reyna Grande means "Big Queen." 80 00:03:40,566 --> 00:03:41,966 [laughter] 81 00:03:42,066 --> 00:03:44,366 It's a very hard name to live with 82 00:03:44,466 --> 00:03:46,833 when you're only five feet tall, let me tell you. 83 00:03:46,933 --> 00:03:48,000 [laughter] 84 00:03:48,100 --> 00:03:51,533 I don't know what my mother was thinking, 85 00:03:51,633 --> 00:03:55,300 but I do have an aunt whose name is Empress Grande. 86 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,366 The "Big Empress." [laughter] 87 00:03:57,466 --> 00:03:58,433 Emperatriz Grande. 88 00:03:58,533 --> 00:04:00,133 So, yeah, I think the Grandes 89 00:04:00,233 --> 00:04:02,133 are obsessed with royalty or something. 90 00:04:02,233 --> 00:04:04,333 I don't know. [laughter] 91 00:04:04,433 --> 00:04:08,933 So I am very, very, very honored to be here tonight. 92 00:04:09,033 --> 00:04:12,233 I think one question you might be wondering is, 93 00:04:12,333 --> 00:04:15,200 how often do I come to Wisconsin? 94 00:04:15,300 --> 00:04:17,300 And I have to tell you that I've been coming 95 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:19,400 for the past 12 years. 96 00:04:19,500 --> 00:04:21,100 My husband is from Wisconsin. 97 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:22,433 He was born in Racine. 98 00:04:22,533 --> 00:04:26,366 And I think he was made in Madison because 99 00:04:26,466 --> 00:04:30,533 this is where my father-in-law and mother-in-law met, 100 00:04:30,633 --> 00:04:32,900 here at the university. [laughter] 101 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,000 And they lived here for a while, 102 00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:38,966 and then my husband was born in Racine, not too long afterward. 103 00:04:39,066 --> 00:04:40,933 So he has family. 104 00:04:41,033 --> 00:04:46,466 Grandma lives in Cambridge, which is not too far from here. 105 00:04:46,566 --> 00:04:48,533 And then the rest of the family 106 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:52,466 lives in the woods in Manitowish Waters, 107 00:04:52,566 --> 00:04:55,966 which is actually one of my favorite places in the world now 108 00:04:56,066 --> 00:04:58,300 because it's really beautiful. 109 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,833 So, I feel very much at home here in Wisconsin 110 00:05:01,933 --> 00:05:04,000 since I've been coming for 12 years. 111 00:05:04,100 --> 00:05:06,500 I do enjoy the summers a lot more than the winters, 112 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,300 I have to say. 113 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:10,600 [laughter] 114 00:05:10,700 --> 00:05:13,466 But it's always a wonderful place to come and visit, 115 00:05:13,566 --> 00:05:17,833 and I always feel very, very welcomed when I come here. 116 00:05:17,933 --> 00:05:23,166 So, I want to thank Karen and Centro Hispano for inviting me 117 00:05:23,266 --> 00:05:29,066 to be here tonight to share my story with you. 118 00:05:29,166 --> 00:05:34,900 I say that as an immigrant and also as a writer, 119 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,366 it is such a privilege to be asked to share my story 120 00:05:39,466 --> 00:05:42,466 and to feel that my voice is being heard 121 00:05:42,566 --> 00:05:46,266 because immigrants struggle to have our voices heard, 122 00:05:46,366 --> 00:05:49,633 and writers also struggle to have our voices heard. 123 00:05:49,733 --> 00:05:52,666 So it is such an honor to be here. 124 00:05:52,766 --> 00:05:57,366 I want to thank Karen and Centro Hispano and also our sponsors 125 00:05:57,466 --> 00:06:00,033 because they're the ones who make this event possible. 126 00:06:00,133 --> 00:06:03,633 And also thank you for being here tonight because without you 127 00:06:03,733 --> 00:06:05,200 it wouldn't be an event. 128 00:06:05,300 --> 00:06:07,833 So, thank you so much. 129 00:06:07,933 --> 00:06:11,200 Ultimately, my dream for all of us 130 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:14,900 is for our voices to be heard 131 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,400 and to feel that our stories matter. 132 00:06:18,500 --> 00:06:23,000 So, tonight's event is called "An Evening of Dreaming," and 133 00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:26,833 I want to thank you, too, for coming here to celebrate dreams, 134 00:06:26,933 --> 00:06:29,900 especially the immigrant dream. 135 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,400 So you might know this already, 136 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:35,566 but immigrants are the biggest dreamers. 137 00:06:35,666 --> 00:06:39,366 And it takes a lot of faith to hold on 138 00:06:39,466 --> 00:06:41,200 and to believe in a dream. 139 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:44,833 It takes a lot of tenacity and perseverance 140 00:06:44,933 --> 00:06:48,800 and something that, in Spanish, is called ganas . 141 00:06:48,900 --> 00:06:53,633 Ganas : to turn a dream into a reality. 142 00:06:53,733 --> 00:06:56,466 So, tonight, I'm going to be talking to you about 143 00:06:56,566 --> 00:06:59,633 my latest book, which is "The Distance Between Us," 144 00:06:59,733 --> 00:07:01,800 and the book came out a few years ago 145 00:07:01,900 --> 00:07:06,333 and it has gone on to have a really wonderful journey. 146 00:07:06,433 --> 00:07:09,166 Many universities across the country 147 00:07:09,266 --> 00:07:11,433 have chosen "The Distance Between Us" 148 00:07:11,533 --> 00:07:14,400 for their freshman read or for their common read. 149 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:19,166 Communities across the US have picked the book 150 00:07:19,266 --> 00:07:21,833 for their One Book, One Community. 151 00:07:21,933 --> 00:07:25,100 A few years ago, the state of Maryland chose 152 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,500 "The Distance Between Us" 153 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:28,700 for their One Book, One Maryland, 154 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,900 and that was such a fantastic thing for a whole state, right, 155 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,333 to pick my book. 156 00:07:33,433 --> 00:07:37,133 And, granted, Maryland is a little state. 157 00:07:37,233 --> 00:07:38,133 [laughter] 158 00:07:38,233 --> 00:07:39,800 But it's still kind of cool to say 159 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:42,366 that a state was reading my book. 160 00:07:42,466 --> 00:07:43,600 So, yeah. 161 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:47,233 So now "The Distance Between Us" 162 00:07:47,333 --> 00:07:50,966 is getting republished for young readers. 163 00:07:51,066 --> 00:07:55,333 I did write the book for an adult audience. 164 00:07:55,433 --> 00:07:58,300 And this September, the book is being reissued 165 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,700 by Simon & Schuster's children's division, Aladdin, 166 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,033 for young readers. 167 00:08:04,133 --> 00:08:08,533 So it's going to be available for 10- to 14-year-olds. 168 00:08:08,633 --> 00:08:12,700 So that, to me, has been a really wonderful experience 169 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,566 because I really think it's important for our young people 170 00:08:17,666 --> 00:08:20,100 to have a mirror in which they could see themselves. 171 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,433 And I struggled as an immigrant-- 172 00:08:24,533 --> 00:08:26,566 As a child immigrant, 173 00:08:26,666 --> 00:08:30,400 I always struggled to find books that I could relate to. 174 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:35,433 And a lot of the books that I read when I was learning English 175 00:08:35,533 --> 00:08:36,800 were books like 176 00:08:36,900 --> 00:08:40,133 "Sweet Valley High" and "The Babysitter's Club." 177 00:08:40,233 --> 00:08:41,266 [laughter] 178 00:08:41,366 --> 00:08:43,500 And, you know, there were no Latino characters 179 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:45,866 in those books, and it was really hard for me. 180 00:08:45,966 --> 00:08:49,133 And I always asked myself, where am I? 181 00:08:49,233 --> 00:08:50,633 Do I not exist? 182 00:08:50,733 --> 00:08:53,366 Because I couldn't see myself in those books. 183 00:08:53,466 --> 00:08:54,600 So that's why, for me, like 184 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:58,366 it's really special to be able to have this book 185 00:08:58,466 --> 00:09:02,533 and to offer it as a mirror for our Latino youth. 186 00:09:02,633 --> 00:09:05,566 And then, for our non-immigrant youth, 187 00:09:05,666 --> 00:09:08,233 to be able to share this story 188 00:09:08,333 --> 00:09:12,466 so that they can understand, you know, their peers, 189 00:09:12,566 --> 00:09:15,233 the other students that they go to school with. 190 00:09:15,333 --> 00:09:17,500 And I'm really hoping that, you know, 191 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:22,100 this will help to remind our young people 192 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,666 where they come from 193 00:09:24,766 --> 00:09:27,166 and to recognize, you know, as Joe mentioned earlier, 194 00:09:27,266 --> 00:09:29,166 that this is a nation of immigrants 195 00:09:29,266 --> 00:09:31,100 and we did come from somewhere. 196 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,466 So this is what I'm going to be speaking to you about, 197 00:09:35,566 --> 00:09:37,900 is about "The Distance Between Us." 198 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,833 And in the book, I write about dreams. 199 00:09:40,933 --> 00:09:42,700 That is the theme of the book. 200 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:47,866 And there's a quote that I start the book with that says: 201 00:09:47,966 --> 00:09:51,100 "Nothing happens unless first we dream." 202 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,133 And that is from the poet Carl Sandburg. 203 00:09:54,233 --> 00:09:57,300 And I do believe with all my heart that nothing happens 204 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,433 unless first we dream. 205 00:09:59,533 --> 00:10:04,100 And I am where I am today because of the dreams 206 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,700 that my family dared to dream. 207 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,866 And I'm sure that all of you are where you are today 208 00:10:09,966 --> 00:10:11,700 for the same reason. 209 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:13,800 Because we dare to dream. 210 00:10:13,900 --> 00:10:17,000 So I'm going to show you just some pictures 211 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:19,933 as I go along with my talk. 212 00:10:20,033 --> 00:10:22,066 And then, after I'm done-- 213 00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:25,233 Oh, I'm going to read a couple of excerpts from the book, 214 00:10:25,333 --> 00:10:27,866 and then when I'm done, I'll open it up for questions. 215 00:10:27,966 --> 00:10:29,333 So if you guys have any questions, 216 00:10:29,433 --> 00:10:31,666 feel free to ask me anything you want 217 00:10:31,766 --> 00:10:33,766 because I'm literally an open book. 218 00:10:33,866 --> 00:10:36,166 [laughter] 219 00:10:36,266 --> 00:10:40,600 So, my journey began in Mexico 220 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:45,033 in a city called Iguala Guerrero. 221 00:10:45,133 --> 00:10:47,766 And Iguala Guerrero is known as 222 00:10:47,866 --> 00:10:51,233 the birthplace of the Mexican flag. 223 00:10:51,333 --> 00:10:54,766 So it's like the Philadelphia of Mexico. 224 00:10:54,866 --> 00:10:58,433 So it's "Cuna de la bandera nacional." 225 00:10:58,533 --> 00:10:59,666 So, like Philadelphia, 226 00:10:59,766 --> 00:11:03,700 it's also about three hours from the capital. 227 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:09,333 But unlike when you drive from, you know, Philadelphia to DC, 228 00:11:09,433 --> 00:11:12,133 when you drive from Mexico City to Iguala, 229 00:11:12,233 --> 00:11:16,733 you actually feel like you're driving into another world 230 00:11:16,833 --> 00:11:18,633 because the two couldn't be, 231 00:11:18,733 --> 00:11:21,033 you know, so different. 232 00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:25,366 Mexico City is a big city with millions of people. 233 00:11:25,466 --> 00:11:27,866 A metropolitan with a lot of culture too. 234 00:11:27,966 --> 00:11:29,400 You know, a lot of old buildings. 235 00:11:29,500 --> 00:11:35,333 But it's very, very different than when you come into my city, 236 00:11:35,433 --> 00:11:38,566 which is very small and very, very poor. 237 00:11:38,666 --> 00:11:41,233 One of the things that we do boast is that 238 00:11:41,333 --> 00:11:44,966 the biggest Mexican flag in the country 239 00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:48,566 flies over the city of Iguala. 240 00:11:48,666 --> 00:11:51,633 And it's surrounded by very beautiful mountains, 241 00:11:51,733 --> 00:11:54,966 and I'm sure those of you who've read my first book 242 00:11:55,066 --> 00:11:56,233 "Across a Hundred Mountains," 243 00:11:56,333 --> 00:11:57,966 and also in "The Distance Between Us" 244 00:11:58,066 --> 00:11:59,733 I write about the mountains 245 00:11:59,833 --> 00:12:03,100 because they played a big part in my childhood. 246 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:07,300 Iguala, like I said, is, you know, very, very poor 247 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:11,033 because it's located in the state of Guerrero. 248 00:12:11,133 --> 00:12:14,900 And Guerrero is the second poorest state in Mexico. 249 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,766 70% of the population there lives in poverty. 250 00:12:18,866 --> 00:12:22,566 When you're driving from Mexico City from the airport to Iguala, 251 00:12:22,666 --> 00:12:25,333 that's the first thing you see when you enter the city is 252 00:12:25,433 --> 00:12:28,533 a lot of dirt roads and shacks 253 00:12:28,633 --> 00:12:31,966 and most people there are still living without running water. 254 00:12:32,066 --> 00:12:34,933 And some people are still living there with no electricity. 255 00:12:35,033 --> 00:12:38,266 So there hasn't been a lot of progress. 256 00:12:38,366 --> 00:12:41,233 And once in a while you hear that Mexico is doing better 257 00:12:41,333 --> 00:12:44,033 or that the economy is doing better, 258 00:12:44,133 --> 00:12:46,300 but that's true like in big cities 259 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,033 like Mexico City or Guadalajara, 260 00:12:49,133 --> 00:12:53,000 but that progress never really reaches little places 261 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:56,833 like Guerrero, like Iguala. 262 00:12:56,933 --> 00:12:59,300 There's so many things happening in my city 263 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,800 that I want to tell you about. 264 00:13:01,900 --> 00:13:06,366 First, is that due to heroin epidemic 265 00:13:06,466 --> 00:13:09,266 that we're dealing with here in the US, 266 00:13:09,366 --> 00:13:12,566 that has affected my city in Iguala 267 00:13:12,666 --> 00:13:14,866 because Guerrero-- Because, you know, 268 00:13:14,966 --> 00:13:18,800 Mexico is the number one supplier of heroin to the US, 269 00:13:18,900 --> 00:13:22,600 and the state of Guerrero grows the most crops 270 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:24,133 for the heroin trade. 271 00:13:24,233 --> 00:13:25,966 So, my city of Iguala 272 00:13:26,066 --> 00:13:29,066 is a distribution center for the Cartel. 273 00:13:29,166 --> 00:13:33,800 And there are about 200 pounds of heroin paste 274 00:13:33,900 --> 00:13:36,433 that gets shipped out of Iguala every week 275 00:13:36,533 --> 00:13:40,500 and delivered to places like Los Angeles and Chicago. 276 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,333 So that is one thing 277 00:13:42,433 --> 00:13:45,400 that the mountains that surround my hometown 278 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:49,033 are now covered in poppy fields. 279 00:13:49,133 --> 00:13:51,333 And the other thing about Guerrero, 280 00:13:51,433 --> 00:13:53,833 in addition to being the second poorest state, 281 00:13:53,933 --> 00:13:57,666 it's also now the most violent state in Mexico. 282 00:13:57,766 --> 00:14:00,600 And so when you enter my city, the first thing you see 283 00:14:00,700 --> 00:14:03,666 are the federal police patrolling the city. 284 00:14:03,766 --> 00:14:07,500 There are no state police and no local police anymore. 285 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:08,900 They have been removed. 286 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,566 So now it's the federal police 287 00:14:10,666 --> 00:14:13,133 that's always patrolling the city. 288 00:14:13,233 --> 00:14:16,866 And you will also see the city hall in Iguala, 289 00:14:16,966 --> 00:14:21,600 which burned down, is now being repaired 290 00:14:21,700 --> 00:14:23,900 after it got burned down during a protest. 291 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,366 And Iguala has now become a place 292 00:14:27,466 --> 00:14:31,533 where college students can disappear overnight. 293 00:14:31,633 --> 00:14:34,466 Just like what happened in 2014 294 00:14:34,566 --> 00:14:37,766 where 43 students disappeared in my hometown, 295 00:14:37,866 --> 00:14:40,566 and to this day they have not been found. 296 00:14:40,666 --> 00:14:43,233 We still don't know what happened to them. 297 00:14:43,333 --> 00:14:48,866 Many people have been arrested, but nobody has been tried yet. 298 00:14:48,966 --> 00:14:51,466 And there's still so many unanswered questions, 299 00:14:51,566 --> 00:14:53,033 and the Mexican government 300 00:14:53,133 --> 00:14:56,366 continues to sabotage the investigation. 301 00:14:56,466 --> 00:15:01,300 And, again, we still don't know where the students were taken 302 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,866 or why or what happened to them. 303 00:15:03,966 --> 00:15:05,966 And that has really affected the city. 304 00:15:06,066 --> 00:15:07,200 You know? 305 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:11,033 The feel of the city, the people who live there. 306 00:15:11,133 --> 00:15:15,333 So it's been a tragedy that, you know, 307 00:15:15,433 --> 00:15:17,733 because we still don't know what happened, 308 00:15:17,833 --> 00:15:21,366 it's still very raw and very painful 309 00:15:21,466 --> 00:15:24,066 and people there can't move on. 310 00:15:24,166 --> 00:15:25,566 They can't move on. 311 00:15:25,666 --> 00:15:26,833 They can't heal. 312 00:15:26,933 --> 00:15:31,166 And also due to the disappearance of the students, 313 00:15:31,266 --> 00:15:37,766 more and more disappeared have been-- 314 00:15:37,866 --> 00:15:39,033 What can I say? 315 00:15:39,133 --> 00:15:41,000 More people who have families who have disappeared 316 00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:43,500 have come out and said, you know, it's not-- 317 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:44,800 It wasn't just 43. 318 00:15:44,900 --> 00:15:48,933 It's actually thousands and thousands of disappeared 319 00:15:49,033 --> 00:15:50,000 in Mexico. 320 00:15:50,100 --> 00:15:53,433 And the mountains that surround my hometown 321 00:15:53,533 --> 00:15:55,866 are covered in graves. 322 00:15:55,966 --> 00:15:58,666 So, to this day, ever since the students disappeared, 323 00:15:58,766 --> 00:16:02,133 they found over 120 mass graves 324 00:16:02,233 --> 00:16:04,066 around the place where I grew up. 325 00:16:04,166 --> 00:16:08,266 So that is my Iguala. That's my hometown. 326 00:16:08,366 --> 00:16:10,400 And I talk about this because it's really important 327 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:14,766 to always know, like, you know, where immigrants come from. 328 00:16:14,866 --> 00:16:16,133 Right? 329 00:16:16,233 --> 00:16:20,733 And what is happening in their towns and their countries 330 00:16:20,833 --> 00:16:23,200 that is causing the migration. 331 00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:25,500 So, with my family, you know, 332 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,066 a lot of these things hadn't happened yet. 333 00:16:28,166 --> 00:16:31,766 My family immigrated here due to 334 00:16:31,866 --> 00:16:35,533 the economy and the poverty and the lack of opportunities. 335 00:16:35,633 --> 00:16:38,766 But now that the people that are migrating from my hometown 336 00:16:38,866 --> 00:16:41,166 are migrating for not just the poverty, 337 00:16:41,266 --> 00:16:45,566 but now because of the violence and the stability 338 00:16:45,666 --> 00:16:48,533 and all of these things that are happening in my town. 339 00:16:48,633 --> 00:16:55,666 So, back then, in Iguala, I lived there with my family, 340 00:16:55,766 --> 00:16:58,033 and it was me, I was the youngest, 341 00:16:58,133 --> 00:17:01,433 and my brother, Carlos, and my sister, Mago. 342 00:17:01,533 --> 00:17:05,666 And the three of us, we lived with our mother. 343 00:17:05,766 --> 00:17:09,466 And, for me, you know, this picture is really special 344 00:17:09,566 --> 00:17:12,300 because that was the last picture 345 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,933 that we took with my mother. 346 00:17:15,033 --> 00:17:17,333 And one day, things changed for the family, 347 00:17:17,433 --> 00:17:20,133 and that's where I start the book. 348 00:17:20,233 --> 00:17:24,400 The day when everything changed for me and my siblings. 349 00:17:24,500 --> 00:17:27,633 So I'm going to read to you the very beginning of 350 00:17:27,733 --> 00:17:29,166 "The Distance Between Us" 351 00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:33,033 just to introduce you to the story 352 00:17:33,133 --> 00:17:38,466 and to the day that changed my life. 353 00:17:41,700 --> 00:17:45,733 My father's mother, Abuela Evila, 354 00:17:45,833 --> 00:17:49,233 liked to scare us with stories of La Llorona, 355 00:17:49,333 --> 00:17:53,100 the weeping woman who roams the canal and steals children away. 356 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,166 She would say that if we didn't behave, 357 00:17:56,266 --> 00:17:59,200 La Llorona would take us far away 358 00:17:59,300 --> 00:18:02,600 where we would never see our parents again. 359 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:05,400 My other grandmother, Abuelita Chinta, 360 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:08,500 would tell us not to be afraid of La Llorona. 361 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:12,000 That if we prayed, God, La Virgen, and the saints 362 00:18:12,100 --> 00:18:14,233 would protect us from her. 363 00:18:14,333 --> 00:18:16,166 Neither of my grandmothers told us 364 00:18:16,266 --> 00:18:18,933 that there's something more powerful than La Llorona, 365 00:18:19,033 --> 00:18:23,400 a power that takes away parents, not children. 366 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:26,900 It is called the United States. 367 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,866 In 1980, when I was four years old, 368 00:18:29,966 --> 00:18:32,666 I didn't know yet where the United States was 369 00:18:32,766 --> 00:18:36,000 or why everyone in my hometown of Iguala, Guerrero, 370 00:18:36,100 --> 00:18:39,833 referred to it as El Otro Lado, the Other Side. 371 00:18:39,933 --> 00:18:42,466 What I knew back then was that El Otro Lado 372 00:18:42,566 --> 00:18:45,066 had already taken my father away. 373 00:18:45,166 --> 00:18:48,166 What I knew was that prayers didn't work 374 00:18:48,266 --> 00:18:49,666 because if they did, 375 00:18:49,766 --> 00:18:54,133 El Otro Lado wouldn't be taking my mother away, too. 376 00:18:54,233 --> 00:18:56,566 It was January 1980. 377 00:18:56,666 --> 00:19:00,066 The following month, my mother would be turning 30, 378 00:19:00,166 --> 00:19:03,566 but she wouldn't be celebrating her birthday with us. 379 00:19:03,666 --> 00:19:06,666 I clutched on my mother's dress and asked, 380 00:19:06,766 --> 00:19:09,066 "How long will you be gone?" 381 00:19:09,166 --> 00:19:12,166 "Not too long," was her response. 382 00:19:12,266 --> 00:19:14,100 She closed the latch on the small suitcase 383 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,433 she had bought secondhand for her trip to El Otro Lado, 384 00:19:17,533 --> 00:19:21,566 and I knew the hour had come for her to leave. 385 00:19:21,666 --> 00:19:26,100 "It's time to go," Mami said as she picked up her suitcase. 386 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,600 My sister Mago, my brother Carlos, and I 387 00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:31,133 grabbed the plastic bags filled with our clothes. 388 00:19:31,233 --> 00:19:33,633 We stood at the threshold of the little house 389 00:19:33,733 --> 00:19:36,800 we had been renting from a man named Don Ruben 390 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:39,500 and looked around us one more time. 391 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,733 Mami's brothers were packing our belongings 392 00:19:41,833 --> 00:19:44,400 to be stored at my grandmother's house: 393 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:46,433 a refrigerator that didn't work, 394 00:19:46,533 --> 00:19:48,233 but that Mami hoped to fix one day, 395 00:19:48,333 --> 00:19:53,900 the bed Mago and I had shared with Mami ever since Papi left, 396 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,333 the wardrobe we decorated with El Chavo del Ocho stickers 397 00:19:57,433 --> 00:20:01,000 to hide the places where the paint had peeled off. 398 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:03,133 The house was almost empty now. 399 00:20:03,233 --> 00:20:04,433 Later that day, 400 00:20:04,533 --> 00:20:07,166 Mami would be handing the key back to Don Ruben, 401 00:20:07,266 --> 00:20:11,766 and this would no longer be our home, but someone else's. 402 00:20:11,866 --> 00:20:14,166 As we were about to step into the sunlight, 403 00:20:14,266 --> 00:20:16,133 I caught a glimpse of Papi. 404 00:20:16,233 --> 00:20:19,566 My uncle was putting a photo of him into a box. 405 00:20:19,666 --> 00:20:22,766 I ran to take the photo from my uncle. 406 00:20:22,866 --> 00:20:24,900 "Why are you taking that?" Mami said, 407 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,533 as we headed down the dirt road to Papi's mother's house 408 00:20:28,633 --> 00:20:30,433 where we'd be living from then on. 409 00:20:30,533 --> 00:20:32,900 "He's my Papi," I said, 410 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,300 and I clutched the frame tight against my chest. 411 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,166 "I know that," Mami said. 412 00:20:38,266 --> 00:20:41,666 "Your grandmother has pictures of your father at her house. 413 00:20:41,766 --> 00:20:44,200 You don't need to take that photo with you." 414 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:48,266 "But this is my Papi," I told her again. 415 00:20:48,366 --> 00:20:49,833 She didn't understand that 416 00:20:49,933 --> 00:20:52,633 this paper face behind a wall of glass 417 00:20:52,733 --> 00:20:56,300 was the only father I had ever known. 418 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,200 I was two years old when my father left. 419 00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:04,800 The year before, the peso was devalued 45% to the US dollar. 420 00:21:04,900 --> 00:21:06,066 It was the beginning 421 00:21:06,166 --> 00:21:09,700 of the worst recession Mexico has seen in 50 years. 422 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:14,200 My father left to pursue a dream: to build us a house. 423 00:21:14,300 --> 00:21:17,900 Although he was a bricklayer and had built many houses, 424 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,200 with Mexico's unstable economy, 425 00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:22,333 he would never earn the money he needed 426 00:21:22,433 --> 00:21:24,900 to make his dream a reality. 427 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:28,466 Like most immigrants, my father had left his native country 428 00:21:28,566 --> 00:21:29,833 with high expectations 429 00:21:29,933 --> 00:21:32,733 of what life in El Otro Lado would be like. 430 00:21:32,833 --> 00:21:35,833 Once reality set in and he realized that 431 00:21:35,933 --> 00:21:37,533 dollars weren't as easy to make 432 00:21:37,633 --> 00:21:40,366 as the stories people told made it seem, 433 00:21:40,466 --> 00:21:42,700 he had been faced with two choices: 434 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:47,266 return to Mexico empty-handed and with his head held low, 435 00:21:47,366 --> 00:21:49,500 or send for my mother. 436 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,433 He decided on the latter, hoping that between the two of them, 437 00:21:53,533 --> 00:21:55,166 they could earn the money he needed 438 00:21:55,266 --> 00:21:57,400 to build the house he dreamed of. 439 00:21:57,500 --> 00:21:59,733 Then he would finally be able to return 440 00:21:59,833 --> 00:22:03,300 to the country of his birth with his head held high, 441 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:05,366 proud of what he had accomplished. 442 00:22:05,466 --> 00:22:09,000 In the meantime, he was leaving us without a mother. 443 00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:12,333 Thank you. 444 00:22:12,433 --> 00:22:15,433 [applause] 445 00:22:19,433 --> 00:22:21,966 So I started the book there 446 00:22:22,066 --> 00:22:25,666 because I really do feel that this is where my journey began. 447 00:22:25,766 --> 00:22:30,766 And after my mother left, it was just now the three of us. 448 00:22:32,866 --> 00:22:35,066 Just me and my brother and my sister. 449 00:22:35,166 --> 00:22:40,466 And so, basically, by the time I was four-and-a-half, 450 00:22:40,566 --> 00:22:43,766 I had no father and I had no mother 451 00:22:43,866 --> 00:22:49,133 and there was a border that stood between me and my parents. 452 00:22:49,233 --> 00:22:51,400 And, to me, you know, as a little girl, 453 00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:55,000 that was really difficult to wrap my head around. 454 00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:59,000 To have them so far away and to not understand, you know, 455 00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:01,366 what had driven them away. 456 00:23:01,466 --> 00:23:08,433 And we don't understand anything about, you know, the economy. 457 00:23:08,533 --> 00:23:10,000 We don't understand anything about 458 00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:13,433 when the peso was being devalued and that there were no jobs 459 00:23:13,533 --> 00:23:14,633 and that, you know, 460 00:23:14,733 --> 00:23:16,700 there were lacks of opportunities. 461 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,866 As a child, what I felt was that my parents had left 462 00:23:19,966 --> 00:23:23,300 because they didn't love me enough to stay with me. 463 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:28,700 And it really affected me to be separated from them 464 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,966 and to not know if I would ever see them again. 465 00:23:32,066 --> 00:23:34,633 And when my mother left, 466 00:23:34,733 --> 00:23:38,466 we were left behind with my paternal grandmother. 467 00:23:38,566 --> 00:23:42,133 And I refer to her a lot as my evil grandmother 468 00:23:42,233 --> 00:23:43,966 because she was really mean. 469 00:23:44,066 --> 00:23:48,000 But also because her name is-- It was Evila, 470 00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:50,566 which is spelled like the word evil with an 'A'. 471 00:23:50,666 --> 00:23:51,900 [laughter] 472 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,433 And I remember the first-- When I was learning English 473 00:23:54,533 --> 00:23:57,866 and I ran into the word "evil" in a fairy tale, 474 00:23:57,966 --> 00:24:01,033 I said, "Ooh, that looks like my grandmother's name." [laughter] 475 00:24:01,133 --> 00:24:03,366 And I looked up the definition of evil, 476 00:24:03,466 --> 00:24:05,733 and I said, "Ooh, that is my grandmother's name." 477 00:24:05,833 --> 00:24:06,900 [laughter] 478 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,033 So I know those of you who've read the book, 479 00:24:09,133 --> 00:24:14,133 you know that my grandmother made life very difficult for us 480 00:24:14,233 --> 00:24:15,166 while we lived there. 481 00:24:15,266 --> 00:24:16,666 And she wasn't very happy 482 00:24:16,766 --> 00:24:19,933 about being stuck with three grandchildren to raise, 483 00:24:20,033 --> 00:24:21,800 and, you know, especially at her age. 484 00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:26,333 And she really did feel being put upon, 485 00:24:26,433 --> 00:24:29,766 having to take care of me and my siblings. 486 00:24:29,866 --> 00:24:31,666 So as the years went by, you know, 487 00:24:31,766 --> 00:24:34,733 my siblings and I, we just had each other. 488 00:24:34,833 --> 00:24:37,800 And my older sister became my little mother, 489 00:24:37,900 --> 00:24:40,266 and she did her best to provide 490 00:24:40,366 --> 00:24:44,000 and to give me love and nurturing. 491 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:48,400 And she had to sacrifice her childhood to become a parent, 492 00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:52,133 which, for me, it's also one of the tragedies in my family. 493 00:24:52,233 --> 00:24:53,200 You know? 494 00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:54,600 That something like that had to happen. 495 00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:56,933 But she was the one 496 00:24:57,033 --> 00:25:00,533 who really helped us to deal with the situation, 497 00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:05,100 and she was also a big dreamer. 498 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,233 She would always talk about the dream that 499 00:25:07,333 --> 00:25:11,300 when our parents would return, and that's really, I think, 500 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,333 when I became a dreamer because that's all I had. 501 00:25:15,433 --> 00:25:18,866 And I had this dream that one day, you know, 502 00:25:18,966 --> 00:25:21,833 our family was going to be put back together again. 503 00:25:21,933 --> 00:25:25,033 And that's what I held on to during the eight years 504 00:25:25,133 --> 00:25:27,466 that my father was gone. 505 00:25:27,566 --> 00:25:31,433 I held on to that dream with all my heart. 506 00:25:31,533 --> 00:25:34,700 So, when I was almost 10 years old, 507 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,200 my father finally came back to Iguala. 508 00:25:37,300 --> 00:25:41,166 And by the time he came back, a lot of things had changed. 509 00:25:41,266 --> 00:25:45,100 The economy in Mexico had gone from bad to worse, 510 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,700 and people were not going back home. 511 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,733 They were actually continuing to migrate. 512 00:25:50,833 --> 00:25:55,600 And, you know, my father and me, we were part of 513 00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:58,400 that biggest wave of immigration from Mexico 514 00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:00,466 that lasted for like, how many years? 515 00:26:00,566 --> 00:26:02,633 40 years? 516 00:26:02,733 --> 00:26:05,533 So, my father, he couldn't come back to Mexico 517 00:26:05,633 --> 00:26:07,366 because there were still no jobs 518 00:26:07,466 --> 00:26:09,833 and the peso kept getting devalued. 519 00:26:09,933 --> 00:26:12,833 And also other things that changed in my family 520 00:26:12,933 --> 00:26:16,500 was that my parents separated when they were here, 521 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:20,000 and my father left my mom for another woman. 522 00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:22,066 So when he came back to Mexico, 523 00:26:22,166 --> 00:26:24,066 he came back with this new woman. 524 00:26:24,166 --> 00:26:26,600 And it was really traumatic for me 525 00:26:26,700 --> 00:26:28,733 to meet my father for the first time 526 00:26:28,833 --> 00:26:33,133 and then to see a complete stranger next to my father. 527 00:26:33,233 --> 00:26:35,833 And it was seeing this woman with my father 528 00:26:35,933 --> 00:26:38,600 that when I really realized that 529 00:26:38,700 --> 00:26:42,700 my family was never going to be put back together again. 530 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,266 So that was a very difficult moment for me, 531 00:26:45,366 --> 00:26:48,800 but again, it was an experience that changed my life, 532 00:26:48,900 --> 00:26:51,366 when my father came back to Iguala, 533 00:26:51,466 --> 00:26:54,200 because he decided to bring us to the US 534 00:26:54,300 --> 00:26:56,833 since he wasn't going to come back anymore. 535 00:26:56,933 --> 00:26:59,433 And one of the biggest ironies in my life was that 536 00:26:59,533 --> 00:27:01,900 it took my father eight years 537 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,466 to build us the house that he dreamed of, 538 00:27:04,566 --> 00:27:06,100 and yet we never lived in it. 539 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:07,800 Even for one day. 540 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:10,300 So, when I was nine-and-a-half, 541 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,700 I found myself face to face with the US border. 542 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,300 And, for me, it was, you know, 543 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:21,466 a very shocking experience to see it with my own eyes because 544 00:27:21,566 --> 00:27:25,500 this border had stood between me and my parents for so long 545 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,333 and for me to finally find myself there. 546 00:27:29,433 --> 00:27:34,766 I wasn't very concerned about that I was going to lose my life 547 00:27:34,866 --> 00:27:39,233 because we were about to embark in this dangerous journey 548 00:27:39,333 --> 00:27:40,466 across the border. 549 00:27:40,566 --> 00:27:42,900 But, for me, the stakes were so much higher than that 550 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,266 because the stakes for me were, you know, 551 00:27:45,366 --> 00:27:49,000 losing my chance to have a father back in my life, 552 00:27:49,100 --> 00:27:50,733 if I didn't succeed. 553 00:27:50,833 --> 00:27:54,200 So I'm going to read to you the second excerpt of the book, 554 00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:57,000 and then I'll finish up my presentation, 555 00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,100 and then I'll take answers. 556 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,166 But I'm going to read to you 557 00:28:01,266 --> 00:28:05,566 the version of the young reader's edition. 558 00:28:07,633 --> 00:28:09,133 In the original version, 559 00:28:09,233 --> 00:28:13,633 the border crossing is only one chapter in the story, 560 00:28:13,733 --> 00:28:17,500 but when I did the adaptation for young readers 561 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,866 my editor asked me to expand the border crossing 562 00:28:20,966 --> 00:28:22,400 into three chapters. 563 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:25,900 I'm not going to read the three of them. [laughter] 564 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,733 I'll just read the beginning. 565 00:28:28,833 --> 00:28:32,433 So this is our first border crossing. 566 00:28:32,533 --> 00:28:34,333 And it was really interesting for me 567 00:28:34,433 --> 00:28:38,466 to go back into the book that I had already written 568 00:28:38,566 --> 00:28:39,800 and reshape it. 569 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:41,466 And restructure it. 570 00:28:41,566 --> 00:28:44,733 And the difference between the two 571 00:28:44,833 --> 00:28:48,500 is that I cut out about a hundred pages. 572 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,966 Even though they look the same, you know, they're just as thick, 573 00:28:52,066 --> 00:28:56,766 but this one the font is bigger, which I really like now 574 00:28:56,866 --> 00:28:59,233 because now that I'm like 40, I'm blind 575 00:28:59,333 --> 00:29:02,833 and I can hardly read this font anymore. [laughter] 576 00:29:02,933 --> 00:29:05,100 So I love the big font. 577 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,200 So now I actually like reading from this version 578 00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:11,200 because I don't need to put on glasses yet. 579 00:29:11,300 --> 00:29:12,533 All right. 580 00:29:12,633 --> 00:29:17,733 So, here's our first attempt at crossing the border. 581 00:29:17,833 --> 00:29:20,566 Papi checked us into a small hotel. 582 00:29:20,666 --> 00:29:24,633 There was only a full-size bed, a night table, a dresser, 583 00:29:24,733 --> 00:29:26,933 and a television in the room. 584 00:29:27,033 --> 00:29:29,400 Papi said we three could have the bed. 585 00:29:29,500 --> 00:29:31,600 "I'll sleep on the floor," he said. 586 00:29:31,700 --> 00:29:33,033 The floor was tiled 587 00:29:33,133 --> 00:29:36,766 and I knew it would be uncomfortable to sleep on, 588 00:29:36,866 --> 00:29:38,700 but he said a bigger room costs more. 589 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:43,766 "And with any luck, we will only be here for one night," he said. 590 00:29:43,866 --> 00:29:45,733 He left us there to watch television, 591 00:29:45,833 --> 00:29:48,933 and he went out in search of food and a coyotaje. 592 00:29:49,033 --> 00:29:51,666 The smuggler who would take us across. 593 00:29:51,766 --> 00:29:53,800 We watched reruns of El Chavo del Ocho 594 00:29:53,900 --> 00:29:55,633 while we waited for Papi. 595 00:29:55,733 --> 00:29:58,233 We had never stayed in a hotel before, 596 00:29:58,333 --> 00:30:00,933 and we had never watched TV in bed. 597 00:30:01,033 --> 00:30:02,233 For the first time, 598 00:30:02,333 --> 00:30:05,733 I found myself beginning to enjoy our journey north. 599 00:30:05,833 --> 00:30:08,400 Papi came back with tacos and sodas. 600 00:30:08,500 --> 00:30:10,433 "We head out tomorrow," he said. 601 00:30:10,533 --> 00:30:12,866 "Eat your food and then go straight to bed. 602 00:30:12,966 --> 00:30:15,166 We'll leave early in the morning." 603 00:30:15,266 --> 00:30:18,566 The smuggler picked us up before sunrise at the hotel 604 00:30:18,666 --> 00:30:20,666 and drove us across the city. 605 00:30:20,766 --> 00:30:24,800 I was sleepy, and I found myself struggling to stay awake. 606 00:30:24,900 --> 00:30:27,200 I wasn't used to waking up that early, 607 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:29,966 and I was groggy and grumpy. 608 00:30:30,066 --> 00:30:31,466 To make matters worse, 609 00:30:31,566 --> 00:30:34,033 that morning I had woken up with a tooth ache, 610 00:30:34,133 --> 00:30:36,866 and Papi didn't have anything to give me. 611 00:30:36,966 --> 00:30:39,100 My tooth had hurt once in a while, 612 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,333 and my grandmother had given me mint leaves to chew on. 613 00:30:42,433 --> 00:30:46,600 This time, there was nothing I could do except doze off, 614 00:30:46,700 --> 00:30:49,600 hoping that when I woke up the pain would be gone. 615 00:30:49,700 --> 00:30:52,100 "Reyna, wake up. 616 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:53,800 We're here," Mago said. 617 00:30:53,900 --> 00:30:57,966 The sun was just coming out when we came to a stop. 618 00:30:58,066 --> 00:31:00,533 We got out of the car and looked around. 619 00:31:00,633 --> 00:31:04,500 The border turned out to be nothing but dirt and bushes, 620 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,300 rocks and weeds, under a light blue sky. 621 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,633 "This is where we start," the smuggler said. 622 00:31:11,733 --> 00:31:14,500 He looked at me and said, "Try to keep up, okay? 623 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,600 You don't want to be left behind, do you?" 624 00:31:17,700 --> 00:31:19,033 I looked at Papi. 625 00:31:19,133 --> 00:31:20,400 My stomach clenched at 626 00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:22,800 the thought of being abandoned in the middle of nowhere. 627 00:31:22,900 --> 00:31:26,966 The coyotaje must have seen the terrified look on my face 628 00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:28,833 because he laughed and patted my head. 629 00:31:28,933 --> 00:31:31,266 "I'm just teasing." 630 00:31:31,366 --> 00:31:34,433 Papi's face was serious when he looked at us and said, 631 00:31:34,533 --> 00:31:37,633 "Stay alert and do as the coyotaje says. 632 00:31:37,733 --> 00:31:41,233 The coyotaje led us through a hole in a chain link fence 633 00:31:41,333 --> 00:31:43,900 into the vacant land on the other side. 634 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:45,733 We followed in silence. 635 00:31:45,833 --> 00:31:49,400 I looked at the ants scurrying around, gathering food. 636 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,700 A hawk soared above in the wind. 637 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,000 Birds chirped in trees. 638 00:31:53,100 --> 00:31:55,866 Lizards crawled under rocks. 639 00:31:55,966 --> 00:31:57,800 If I hadn't been so afraid, 640 00:31:57,900 --> 00:32:00,266 I would have been enjoying our adventure. 641 00:32:00,366 --> 00:32:03,800 But then I remembered that even though this place was beautiful, 642 00:32:03,900 --> 00:32:05,500 it was forbidden land. 643 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,666 We were not welcome here. 644 00:32:07,766 --> 00:32:08,900 Once in a while, 645 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,533 the coyotaje shouted orders to us and we obeyed. 646 00:32:11,633 --> 00:32:12,833 "Walk!" 647 00:32:12,933 --> 00:32:14,166 "Hide!" 648 00:32:14,266 --> 00:32:15,466 "Run!" 649 00:32:15,566 --> 00:32:16,966 "Crawl!" 650 00:32:17,066 --> 00:32:20,366 I wasn't used to walking and running so much and so fast. 651 00:32:20,466 --> 00:32:23,533 My tooth began to hurt even more, and around noon, 652 00:32:23,633 --> 00:32:26,933 as we walked through the hills under the heat of the sun, 653 00:32:27,033 --> 00:32:29,166 I began to get a fever. 654 00:32:29,266 --> 00:32:31,933 Mago put her arm around me so that I could lean on her 655 00:32:32,033 --> 00:32:35,900 as we walked, but soon we found ourselves lagging behind. 656 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,433 "Come on, Reyna, you can do it," Mago said. 657 00:32:39,533 --> 00:32:41,400 "Maybe we should turn around and go back," 658 00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:43,700 the coyotaje said to Papi. 659 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,366 He stopped and waited for us to catch up. 660 00:32:46,466 --> 00:32:49,533 "It's hard making this journey with children." 661 00:32:49,633 --> 00:32:51,233 "No," Papi said. 662 00:32:51,333 --> 00:32:52,400 "We keep going. 663 00:32:52,500 --> 00:32:54,333 She'll be okay." 664 00:32:54,433 --> 00:32:57,066 Papi ended up carrying me on his back. 665 00:32:57,166 --> 00:32:59,266 I held on as tight as I could, 666 00:32:59,366 --> 00:33:04,100 branches grasping at me as if trying to tear me away from him. 667 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:08,400 I didn't remember ever being given a piggyback ride by Papi, 668 00:33:08,500 --> 00:33:10,433 and I wish we were somewhere else, 669 00:33:10,533 --> 00:33:13,966 like at a park having fun, not at the border. 670 00:33:14,066 --> 00:33:18,133 Not when I was hungry and sick and terrified of being caught. 671 00:33:18,233 --> 00:33:19,600 My throat felt dry, 672 00:33:19,700 --> 00:33:23,200 and I asked for water for the hundredth time that day. 673 00:33:23,300 --> 00:33:27,666 "Not right now," Papi said again as he struggled up the path. 674 00:33:27,766 --> 00:33:29,600 His breaths came in gasps. 675 00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:32,166 I knew Papi was getting tired. 676 00:33:32,266 --> 00:33:35,100 Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, 677 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:39,133 and before we knew it, a white truck was heading our way. 678 00:33:39,233 --> 00:33:41,333 "Run!" the coyotaje yelled. 679 00:33:41,433 --> 00:33:42,666 We rushed into the bushes, 680 00:33:42,766 --> 00:33:45,733 and I clung to Papi with all my might as he ran. 681 00:33:45,833 --> 00:33:47,433 He dove behind a rock. 682 00:33:47,533 --> 00:33:49,866 I gripped him so hard I choked him. 683 00:33:49,966 --> 00:33:53,833 He pulled free from my grip and muffled a cough into his arm. 684 00:33:53,933 --> 00:33:56,233 Had La Migra heard him? 685 00:33:56,333 --> 00:33:58,866 The truck pulled over and men dressed in green, 686 00:33:58,966 --> 00:34:03,033 the men Papi had called La Migra, got out of the truck. 687 00:34:03,133 --> 00:34:04,333 "Come out," they said. 688 00:34:04,433 --> 00:34:06,366 "There's nowhere to hide." 689 00:34:06,466 --> 00:34:09,000 They took us to the border patrol station. 690 00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:11,766 Mago, Carlos, and I waited in the hallway 691 00:34:11,866 --> 00:34:14,866 while the agents took Papi into their office. 692 00:34:14,966 --> 00:34:18,366 We didn't know what they would do to us, to him. 693 00:34:18,466 --> 00:34:19,900 We waited and waited. 694 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,933 Our eyes hurt from too much crying. 695 00:34:23,033 --> 00:34:25,600 Agents passed by without looking at us. 696 00:34:25,700 --> 00:34:27,666 More and more migrants arrived. 697 00:34:27,766 --> 00:34:31,400 Mostly men and a few women, but no children. 698 00:34:31,500 --> 00:34:34,266 Even though they were just as afraid as we were, 699 00:34:34,366 --> 00:34:37,800 they looked at us and they smiled, encouraging us. 700 00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:42,733 With their eyes, they said to me, "Have faith, don't give up." 701 00:34:42,833 --> 00:34:45,833 I didn't know how long Papi had been with the agents. 702 00:34:45,933 --> 00:34:48,100 I didn't know what they were asking him 703 00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:49,800 or what he was saying. 704 00:34:49,900 --> 00:34:51,566 But as the minutes went by, 705 00:34:51,666 --> 00:34:55,000 I began to wonder if they would ever let him go. 706 00:34:55,100 --> 00:34:56,666 What if they arrested him? 707 00:34:56,766 --> 00:34:58,466 Arrested us? 708 00:34:58,566 --> 00:35:01,200 What if we never saw each other again? 709 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:03,266 I clutched my brother and sister 710 00:35:03,366 --> 00:35:06,900 as fresh tears came out of my eyes. 711 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,533 A border patrol agent with the bluest eyes I had ever seen 712 00:35:10,633 --> 00:35:14,066 stopped in front of us and said something to us in English. 713 00:35:14,166 --> 00:35:15,333 We shook our heads, 714 00:35:15,433 --> 00:35:18,100 feeling stupid because we couldn't understand him 715 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:20,600 and we didn't know how to tell him that. 716 00:35:20,700 --> 00:35:23,300 He smiled and went to the vending machine. 717 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,766 Then he came back with sodas for us. 718 00:35:25,866 --> 00:35:28,400 He patted our heads and walked away. 719 00:35:28,500 --> 00:35:32,666 I didn't realize until then how hungry and thirsty I was. 720 00:35:32,766 --> 00:35:33,866 I had been too afraid 721 00:35:33,966 --> 00:35:37,133 to think about anything other than my father. 722 00:35:37,233 --> 00:35:41,000 We opened our sodas, and the sweetness of it gave me hope. 723 00:35:41,100 --> 00:35:44,233 It was a gift from a border patrol agent. 724 00:35:44,333 --> 00:35:47,300 From a gringo with kind blue eyes. 725 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:49,966 Maybe the agents weren't so bad after all. 726 00:35:50,066 --> 00:35:51,766 Maybe they would understand 727 00:35:51,866 --> 00:35:55,500 that all we wanted was to have a family, 728 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:58,166 and they would soon let us go. 729 00:35:58,266 --> 00:36:01,633 And they would let us keep our dream. 730 00:36:01,733 --> 00:36:02,966 Thank you. 731 00:36:03,066 --> 00:36:08,033 [applause] 732 00:36:08,133 --> 00:36:10,966 All right. 733 00:36:11,066 --> 00:36:15,066 So, you know how the crossing turned out because I'm here now. 734 00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:16,466 [laughter] 735 00:36:16,566 --> 00:36:18,233 So, we did make it. 736 00:36:18,333 --> 00:36:20,533 It took us three times. 737 00:36:20,633 --> 00:36:24,900 And my dream came true in a way. 738 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,833 I had dreamed of having both my parents, 739 00:36:26,933 --> 00:36:31,700 but I ended up with just my dad, which, in many ways, 740 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:33,833 I think it was a good thing 741 00:36:33,933 --> 00:36:36,300 because my father, more than my mother, 742 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,066 had a really, really big impact 743 00:36:39,166 --> 00:36:41,833 on the the person that I turned out to be. 744 00:36:41,933 --> 00:36:44,233 So there I was with my father. 745 00:36:44,333 --> 00:36:47,100 We came to live with him in Los Angeles. 746 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,700 And when we arrived in LA, 747 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,600 I thought that I had finally put the border between us 748 00:36:53,700 --> 00:36:56,333 and that there would never be another border 749 00:36:56,433 --> 00:36:58,833 that I had to get across. 750 00:36:58,933 --> 00:37:00,900 But, you know, like most immigrants, 751 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,333 when we arrive here, we realize that 752 00:37:03,433 --> 00:37:08,033 the US border is really just our first border to overcome. 753 00:37:08,133 --> 00:37:09,600 And when we come to this country, 754 00:37:09,700 --> 00:37:13,633 there's so many more borders that we need to get across. 755 00:37:13,733 --> 00:37:17,566 And, you know, these are borders like language. 756 00:37:17,666 --> 00:37:19,633 The language barrier. 757 00:37:19,733 --> 00:37:21,600 There's a cultural barrier. 758 00:37:21,700 --> 00:37:25,466 And then, for many of us, there's also the legal barrier 759 00:37:25,566 --> 00:37:30,033 when we come here without proper documentation. 760 00:37:30,133 --> 00:37:32,600 And so these were so many other borders 761 00:37:32,700 --> 00:37:36,466 that I had to cross when I arrived. 762 00:37:36,566 --> 00:37:39,133 And at school, when I first started, you know, 763 00:37:39,233 --> 00:37:42,500 I realized that school was another border 764 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,900 that I needed to overcome. 765 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,400 And I attended a school that didn't really have 766 00:37:47,500 --> 00:37:49,666 resources for immigrant children. 767 00:37:49,766 --> 00:37:51,600 They didn't have bilingual education. 768 00:37:51,700 --> 00:37:53,000 They didn't have ESL. 769 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:57,666 They just had a sink or swim approach to learning English. 770 00:37:57,766 --> 00:37:59,366 And I was thrown into a classroom 771 00:37:59,466 --> 00:38:01,633 where I didn't speak the language, 772 00:38:01,733 --> 00:38:04,900 and, for me, it was a very difficult experience 773 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,833 because it was at school where I first experienced 774 00:38:08,933 --> 00:38:13,133 marginalization where, you know, I felt discriminated, 775 00:38:13,233 --> 00:38:17,533 where I felt that I didn't have a voice, and I realized that, 776 00:38:17,633 --> 00:38:22,966 you know, I was going to have to fight for my right to remain. 777 00:38:23,066 --> 00:38:26,633 But, you know, as I mentioned earlier, 778 00:38:26,733 --> 00:38:29,200 I was really lucky to come to live with my father 779 00:38:29,300 --> 00:38:31,666 because my father was a very big dreamer. 780 00:38:31,766 --> 00:38:34,333 And maybe it's our last name, Grande, 781 00:38:34,433 --> 00:38:35,966 that he tried to live up to 782 00:38:36,066 --> 00:38:37,933 because he didn't have little dreams, 783 00:38:38,033 --> 00:38:40,200 he had grande dreams. 784 00:38:40,300 --> 00:38:44,166 And my father, when we got here, he told us that. 785 00:38:44,266 --> 00:38:47,433 You know, he brought us here so that we could succeed, 786 00:38:47,533 --> 00:38:48,766 and he told us 787 00:38:48,866 --> 00:38:53,600 that he expected nothing but 'A's from us from school. 788 00:38:53,700 --> 00:38:56,433 And threatened to deport us back to Mexico 789 00:38:56,533 --> 00:38:58,566 if we didn't do well in school. [laughter] 790 00:38:58,666 --> 00:39:00,433 So I wasn't afraid of border patrol. 791 00:39:00,533 --> 00:39:03,300 I was afraid of my father because I knew that he would 792 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,933 deport us if we didn't, you know, get straight 'A's. 793 00:39:06,033 --> 00:39:09,300 So we were really good students, my siblings and I, 794 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:13,966 and we were straight A students, and my father talked to us 795 00:39:14,066 --> 00:39:16,500 about, you know, going to college one day 796 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,833 and having a career one day and being homeowners one day 797 00:39:19,933 --> 00:39:22,433 and having money for retirement one day. 798 00:39:22,533 --> 00:39:24,666 And, you know, I was 11 years old 799 00:39:24,766 --> 00:39:26,666 and he was telling me about retirement already. 800 00:39:26,766 --> 00:39:28,833 So that was my dad. 801 00:39:28,933 --> 00:39:31,166 And one of the things that I really appreciated the most 802 00:39:31,266 --> 00:39:32,866 about my dad was that, you know, 803 00:39:32,966 --> 00:39:35,033 even though we were undocumented, 804 00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:36,433 he would always say, 805 00:39:36,533 --> 00:39:39,766 "Just because we're undocumented doesn't mean we cannot dream." 806 00:39:39,866 --> 00:39:41,166 And he was the kind of person 807 00:39:41,266 --> 00:39:44,733 that he was always ready for tomorrow. 808 00:39:44,833 --> 00:39:47,033 He would tell us, "You never know 809 00:39:47,133 --> 00:39:49,133 what opportunities might come tomorrow, 810 00:39:49,233 --> 00:39:52,200 and we need to be prepared for those opportunities." 811 00:39:52,300 --> 00:39:55,133 So that's kind of how he taught us to live our lives. 812 00:39:55,233 --> 00:39:56,433 You know? 813 00:39:56,533 --> 00:39:58,366 To always be prepared for what tomorrow might bring. 814 00:39:58,466 --> 00:40:00,666 And, luckily for us, 815 00:40:00,766 --> 00:40:04,733 what tomorrow brought was the 1986 amnesty, 816 00:40:04,833 --> 00:40:08,500 which legalized the status of three million people. 817 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,800 And both of my parents became legal residents 818 00:40:12,900 --> 00:40:14,633 because of the amnesty. 819 00:40:14,733 --> 00:40:16,566 So when I was 15 years old 820 00:40:16,666 --> 00:40:20,300 was when our Green Cards arrived in the mail. 821 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,300 And I remember that day when my father opened the envelope 822 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:24,733 and he took out the Green Cards 823 00:40:24,833 --> 00:40:26,700 and he gave us each a Green Card. 824 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,900 He said, "I've done my part, the rest is up to you." 825 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:35,333 And that was a very, you know, powerful moment for me 826 00:40:35,433 --> 00:40:36,900 because having that Green Card, 827 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,833 it really allowed me 828 00:40:39,933 --> 00:40:43,833 to finally embrace the dreams. 829 00:40:43,933 --> 00:40:46,166 To not be afraid anymore. 830 00:40:46,266 --> 00:40:50,366 To not ask my father, you know, "Can we really aspire 831 00:40:50,466 --> 00:40:52,600 to all these things you're talking about?" 832 00:40:52,700 --> 00:40:55,900 And when that Green Card came, you know, 833 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,266 it really-- 834 00:40:57,366 --> 00:41:00,900 I took the Green Card my father handed me and I ran with it. 835 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,533 And so, many dreams came true for me 836 00:41:04,633 --> 00:41:06,600 thanks to that opportunity. 837 00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:08,100 That, you know, for me, 838 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:12,366 one of the reasons why I wrote "The Distance Between Us" 839 00:41:12,466 --> 00:41:17,800 was to really try to emphasize what can happen 840 00:41:17,900 --> 00:41:20,566 when we give that opportunity, right, to people, 841 00:41:20,666 --> 00:41:22,866 and especially to our dreamers. 842 00:41:22,966 --> 00:41:24,266 To our immigrant youth. 843 00:41:24,366 --> 00:41:25,700 You know, what's going to happen 844 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:29,033 when we allow them to legalize their status? 845 00:41:29,133 --> 00:41:32,733 So when I was given that opportunity as a 15-year-old, 846 00:41:32,833 --> 00:41:36,166 you know, I went on to accomplish all my dreams. 847 00:41:36,266 --> 00:41:39,000 So I dreamt of going to college. 848 00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:43,666 And I, you know, I ended up at the community college 849 00:41:43,766 --> 00:41:45,800 where I did a lot of great things, 850 00:41:45,900 --> 00:41:49,533 and one of them was to participate in the Rose Parade. 851 00:41:49,633 --> 00:41:53,933 And that was a big dream for me to be in the Rose Parade. 852 00:41:54,033 --> 00:41:56,233 And then, from there, 853 00:41:56,333 --> 00:41:58,466 I transferred to a four-year university, 854 00:41:58,566 --> 00:42:01,000 and I ended up at UC-Santa Cruz. 855 00:42:01,100 --> 00:42:03,466 And there, I became the first in my family 856 00:42:03,566 --> 00:42:05,666 to graduate from college. [applause] 857 00:42:05,766 --> 00:42:09,000 Thank you. Thank you so much. 858 00:42:09,100 --> 00:42:10,366 [applause] 859 00:42:10,466 --> 00:42:12,666 And, you know, for me it was a really big accomplishment 860 00:42:12,766 --> 00:42:15,233 because my father only went to the third grade 861 00:42:15,333 --> 00:42:17,566 and my mother went to the sixth grade. 862 00:42:17,666 --> 00:42:20,966 So, for me, like, it meant like once I did it, 863 00:42:21,066 --> 00:42:23,333 I was able to break that cycle, you know, 864 00:42:23,433 --> 00:42:25,000 that my family had been stuck in. 865 00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:28,933 And I knew that by me doing it, that meant that 866 00:42:29,033 --> 00:42:31,866 I could now guide the rest of my family 867 00:42:31,966 --> 00:42:35,033 and the next generation of Grandes through that door. 868 00:42:35,133 --> 00:42:38,533 And it's just really interesting for me, you know, 869 00:42:38,633 --> 00:42:42,233 that experience because it's-- 870 00:42:42,333 --> 00:42:46,866 With my husband, who I said is from Wisconsin, 871 00:42:46,966 --> 00:42:50,866 his mother has a master's degree, his father has a PhD, 872 00:42:50,966 --> 00:42:52,666 his sister has a master's degree, 873 00:42:52,766 --> 00:42:54,900 my husband has two master's degrees, 874 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,166 and his aunts and his uncles have PhDs and master's degrees. 875 00:42:58,266 --> 00:43:00,400 I'm like, geez, you know? 876 00:43:00,500 --> 00:43:03,600 And I guess, you know, his family, 877 00:43:03,700 --> 00:43:05,400 his father's side migrated from Finland, 878 00:43:05,500 --> 00:43:10,000 and it was his great grandfather who migrated. 879 00:43:10,100 --> 00:43:13,000 And, for me, it gives me a lot of hope 880 00:43:13,100 --> 00:43:16,533 because I feel like two generations from now 881 00:43:16,633 --> 00:43:21,000 my great grandchildren are going to be saying that 882 00:43:21,100 --> 00:43:23,366 about the Grande family. 883 00:43:23,466 --> 00:43:25,500 So that's what I aspire to now. 884 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:26,733 That's my dream now. 885 00:43:26,833 --> 00:43:30,933 But that's what it meant to me when I graduated, 886 00:43:31,033 --> 00:43:32,666 that I started something. 887 00:43:32,766 --> 00:43:38,000 And then, also, I, you know, dreamed of being a US citizen, 888 00:43:38,100 --> 00:43:41,800 and 10 years ago, I became a US citizen. 889 00:43:41,900 --> 00:43:45,833 And then my dream of being a published author came true, 890 00:43:45,933 --> 00:43:47,866 and not just being published in the US, 891 00:43:47,966 --> 00:43:51,200 but also being published in other languages abroad. 892 00:43:51,300 --> 00:43:56,300 And then, you know, I have my own role models, 893 00:43:56,400 --> 00:44:02,433 and these are Latino successful artists that are my role models. 894 00:44:02,533 --> 00:44:05,733 So being recognized by them for the things that I'm doing 895 00:44:05,833 --> 00:44:07,833 has meant a lot to me as well. 896 00:44:07,933 --> 00:44:11,533 So, having that opportunity to meet these role models. 897 00:44:11,633 --> 00:44:14,833 And for 20 years, I dreamt of 898 00:44:14,933 --> 00:44:17,133 being on the stage with Sandra Cisneros, 899 00:44:17,233 --> 00:44:19,100 who's my, like, idol. [laughter] 900 00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:22,733 And that dream came true last year. 901 00:44:22,833 --> 00:44:26,566 And it's like, man, I waited 20 years but, you know, 902 00:44:26,666 --> 00:44:28,833 you just got to hold on to those dreams 903 00:44:28,933 --> 00:44:30,700 no matter how long it takes. 904 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:33,633 So, for me, you know, what's driving me now 905 00:44:33,733 --> 00:44:36,700 after all these dreams that I've been able to accomplish is, 906 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:40,666 you know, I'm continuing to fight for immigrant rights 907 00:44:40,766 --> 00:44:43,133 because I do feel that, you know, 908 00:44:43,233 --> 00:44:46,333 that's my responsibility as an immigrant. 909 00:44:46,433 --> 00:44:48,766 And I fight against invisibility. 910 00:44:48,866 --> 00:44:49,766 You know? 911 00:44:49,866 --> 00:44:52,033 And that's why I always push myself 912 00:44:52,133 --> 00:44:53,833 to keep going with my writing 913 00:44:53,933 --> 00:44:56,566 because I feel like if I'm not writing my stories, 914 00:44:56,666 --> 00:44:59,433 then who's going to write our stories? 915 00:44:59,533 --> 00:45:03,700 And so I fight against invisibility through my work, 916 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:06,933 and I contribute my stories to American literature 917 00:45:07,033 --> 00:45:12,466 to remind people that Latinos are part of the American story. 918 00:45:12,566 --> 00:45:18,100 And that we need to be part of our literature. 919 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,800 So, those of us who have made it, you know, 920 00:45:20,900 --> 00:45:24,133 I think all of us here in the room, 921 00:45:24,233 --> 00:45:29,100 or many of us here in the room, have made it in many ways. 922 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:33,233 We're still working towards our dreams, but, you know, 923 00:45:33,333 --> 00:45:38,066 we have a responsibility to keep the dream alive for others, 924 00:45:38,166 --> 00:45:39,333 right? 925 00:45:39,433 --> 00:45:41,000 And that's something that 926 00:45:41,100 --> 00:45:44,000 I take that responsibility very seriously. 927 00:45:44,100 --> 00:45:47,533 As Michelle Obama once said in a speech, 928 00:45:47,633 --> 00:45:49,733 that we shouldn't close the door, right? 929 00:45:49,833 --> 00:45:52,633 Once we go through the door of opportunity, 930 00:45:52,733 --> 00:45:53,900 we shouldn't close the door. 931 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:58,000 We should leave it open for those coming after us. 932 00:45:58,100 --> 00:46:01,166 So, that's what I try to do with my work. 933 00:46:01,266 --> 00:46:04,433 And that's what I encourage all of you guys to do. 934 00:46:04,533 --> 00:46:07,933 To keep the door open and to keep helping other people 935 00:46:08,033 --> 00:46:09,366 to go through that door. 936 00:46:09,466 --> 00:46:13,033 And especially, you know, our immigrant families. 937 00:46:13,133 --> 00:46:17,366 And that's something that Centro is doing beautifully. 938 00:46:17,466 --> 00:46:18,633 You know? 939 00:46:18,733 --> 00:46:20,266 Keeping that door open, literally. 940 00:46:20,366 --> 00:46:21,733 Keeping that door open 941 00:46:21,833 --> 00:46:25,633 and helping immigrant families to fight for their dreams. 942 00:46:25,733 --> 00:46:30,733 Continuing to support our immigrant youth. 943 00:46:30,833 --> 00:46:34,633 I think that's very, very important because, as we know, 944 00:46:34,733 --> 00:46:38,733 youth are the future of this country, 945 00:46:38,833 --> 00:46:40,900 whether they're immigrant or not immigrant. 946 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:42,566 You know, we need to make sure 947 00:46:42,666 --> 00:46:45,566 that we help them reach their full potential 948 00:46:45,666 --> 00:46:48,966 and that we give them those opportunities that they need 949 00:46:49,066 --> 00:46:50,266 so that later on 950 00:46:50,366 --> 00:46:53,400 they can contribute their talents and their skills 951 00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:56,000 to our communities and make this a better place. 952 00:46:56,100 --> 00:47:01,866 Also, you know, right now in terms of immigration, you know, 953 00:47:01,966 --> 00:47:06,466 we're living through the biggest immigration crisis in history 954 00:47:06,566 --> 00:47:09,100 here in the United States. 955 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:12,700 We're seeing it happening in Europe, as well. 956 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:16,233 There are more displaced people in the world today 957 00:47:16,333 --> 00:47:18,033 than ever before. 958 00:47:18,133 --> 00:47:22,100 So it's important, you know, to keep talking about immigration 959 00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:25,666 and not just locally, but globally. 960 00:47:25,766 --> 00:47:28,600 You know? Like, what's going on? 961 00:47:28,700 --> 00:47:30,533 And like I said, I am a big dreamer. 962 00:47:30,633 --> 00:47:34,166 So I dream of a world where there is respect 963 00:47:34,266 --> 00:47:37,600 for all human beings regardless of where we come from 964 00:47:37,700 --> 00:47:40,166 regardless of the color of our skin. 965 00:47:40,266 --> 00:47:43,566 But I also think that we need to do some serious soul searching 966 00:47:43,666 --> 00:47:48,100 as a country and also as a world 967 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:52,400 because I see that powerful countries 968 00:47:52,500 --> 00:47:57,200 have a history of denying or failing to recognize that 969 00:47:57,300 --> 00:47:59,366 their acts and their policies 970 00:47:59,466 --> 00:48:01,933 create instability in other countries. 971 00:48:02,033 --> 00:48:05,500 And what I see is that, you know, 972 00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:11,333 first we create catalysts for immigration, 973 00:48:11,433 --> 00:48:14,733 and then we punish people for immigrating. 974 00:48:14,833 --> 00:48:18,700 So, we need to really start asking ourselves, 975 00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:19,966 "What are we doing?" 976 00:48:20,066 --> 00:48:25,133 and, "How can we change things for the better?" 977 00:48:25,233 --> 00:48:28,466 So, just to conclude, and I'm going to open it up 978 00:48:28,566 --> 00:48:31,400 for questions after this, is that, you know, 979 00:48:31,500 --> 00:48:34,900 I really believe that there has to be a place for immigrants 980 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:38,766 in our hearts, in our country, in our literature, 981 00:48:38,866 --> 00:48:42,500 and this is, for me, what I'm fighting for the most. 982 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:45,500 This country, as we mentioned earlier, you know, 983 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,433 it was founded by immigrants, right? 984 00:48:47,533 --> 00:48:49,266 It's fueled by immigrants. 985 00:48:49,366 --> 00:48:52,533 It began as a dream. 986 00:48:52,633 --> 00:48:54,633 It was founded by dreamers. 987 00:48:54,733 --> 00:48:58,300 And it is dreamers, especially our young dreamers, 988 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:01,266 who will continue to make this country great. 989 00:49:01,366 --> 00:49:04,466 So, let us dream together. 990 00:49:04,566 --> 00:49:09,133 Thank you. [applause] 991 00:49:09,233 --> 00:49:10,866 Thank you so much.