immigrant Archives - The Race Card Project

Nobody is illegal on stolen land.

June 1, 2026 CA, Davina Vota, illegal, immigrant, MAGA, Native American, Santa Rosa, stolen land

Davina Vota,
Santa Rosa, CA

The 6-word story I chose was “Nobody is illegal on stolen land”. The reason I chose this story was because I felt like this saying is very important and it should be talked about more. White men came here a long time ago and stole our land so what sense does it make for them to claim something that was never theirs in the first place? It frustrates me more than anything to hear people preach about “making America great again” while destroying families and displacing brown immigrants when they themselves are immigrants as well. The double standard of white immigrants having the ‘right’ to treat brown immigrants as less than when they are the ones who have built America up and helped our country in so many ways is actually the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

I was always already right here

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026 Austin, citizen, heritage, immigrant, indigenous, Marta Elena Muñoz, Mexican, mix, Spanish, Tejas (TX), Texas

Marta Elena Muñoz,
Austin, Tejas (TX)

Go back to where you came from. Imagine telling an American citizen of Mexican heritage (indigenous and Spanish mix) to go back to where I came from. As if this isn’t my ancestral land. As if “manifest destiny” and slave ownership weren’t reasons my ancestral lands were taken away. And now Texas government wants to build walls and vilify immigrants, as if this whole country wasn’t invaded and pillaged by white immigrants. As long as people want to avoid history, want to avoid their white guilt, want to disparage other nationalities, this country will continue to suffer from the internal festering. In the meantime, I am back to where I came from and where I have always been. And I welcome anyone that wants to share this American experience, one that has potential for greatness for all, whether you came here by choice or not. After all, would you be here if it weren’t for your parents?

Immigrant to America equals sacrificing generations.

May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 america, Chicago, dad, generations, IL, immigrant, mom, mom and dad, sacrafice, Tom Lau

Tom Lau,
Chicago, IL.

This is a Polaroid of the back of my mom and dad that I took few years ago.

Nobody guesses “immigrant” until I speak.

September 3, 2024September 4, 2024 but you don't look, Dani Blackbird, immigrant, sound, speech, Sweden, voice

Dani Blackbird,
Sweden.

Hispanic, but seen as an immigrant

July 29, 2024 CA, Hispanic, immigrant, Lake Forest, Litzy Guiesslle Ortiz

Litzy Guiesslle Ortiz,
Lake Forest, CA

“Immigrant” comes in all races/colors.

June 18, 2024June 18, 2024 clond, colors, different, generalization, hate, hope, immigrant, Jackie Spencer, New York, NY, personality, Races, Vive la differance

Jackie Spencer,
New York, NY.

The generalization we attach to people based on race is appalling. As an example when you speak of “immigrants” you do not think of this white blond person! I hope that raising this point makes people think before they generalize. We are all individuals with different beliefs and personalities and looks, but at the core we are all the same. Vive La Differance!

Not Brown Enough to Be Indian

February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 dual cultures, growing up, immigrant, Indian, Indian American, not brown enough, PA, Pallavi Joy, Philadelphia, too brown, two worlds, white school

Pallavi Joy,
Philadelphia, PA

Growing up in a 97% white school system, and being raised by one Indian immigrant parent and one Indian American parent really affected the way I saw myself and my race. I was always too brown in school to fit in with all the white kids, but in Indian circles I was too American. Not fully fitting in with my American culture or Indian culture is a defining feature of my life whether or not I want it to be. I am still learning how to love my dual cultures.

Nobody talks about my ancestors struggle.

October 3, 2023May 8, 2024 Ancestors, Anglo-Saxon, immigrant, irish, Irish American, New World, protestant, struggle

Anonymous,
USA

I’m the great-grandson of Irish immigrants who came to this country to escape famine, persecution, and poverty. However, nobody seems to talk or care anymore about the struggles they faced when they arrived in the New World. My people were excluded from public life, forced into menial labor, and refused the same Constitutional protections as their White Anglo-Saxon Protestant neighbors. I mentioned this on a message board recently and was told I’m a “racist” and that I “probably have an Irish and Confederate flag in my yard” when bringing this up because Irish-American People were “allowed to assimilate unlike African-Americans”. Go to South Boston or Queens and then talk to me about “assimilation”. These folks continue to have their own unique cultural heritage and, despite disparaging remarks from others, the fact is that the Irish have helped make this country stronger, safer, and more prosperous. Our history should be celebrated not categorized as “racist”.

Working Harder for the Same Opportunities

October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 CA, immigrant, Myanmar, San Jose, Wai Phyo Paing, work harder

Wai Phyo Paing,
San Jose, CA

I am an immigrant from Myanmar who has lived in the US for two years. To obtain the same opportunities that US citizens have, I have to work substantially harder.

No one wants to hear your heritage

December 7, 2022December 7, 2022 German, heritage, immigrant, Knoxville, Macy Willett, proud, second generation, story, The University of Tennessee, TN, tradition, we al have a story, white

Macy Willett,
Knoxville, TN

Yes, I do have a heritage. Yes, I am also white. While I celebrate the unique backgrounds of my friends and coworkers, I often feel as though I have no identity or culture to grasp onto. No one wants to hear your “percentages” and what comes along with you if the end result is that you are simply Caucasian. But, I am the daughter of a second-generation German immigrant who moved to the states as a single mom. I have stories, traditions, and culture. I am proud of my heritage, even if that looks like a percentage number to some people.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sociology 110

No, but where are FROM from?

November 18, 2022November 18, 2022 appearance, Birmingham. AL., Hampton, immigrant, Kimchi, southern accent, stereotype, Tina, VA, where are you from

Tina,
Birmingham. AL.

Nevermind the fact that I speak with a southern accent, that my attire is noticeably of American influence, or that my last name is German. When someone asks where I’m from and I give them the name of my hometown, this answer is somehow unacceptable, so I give them the name of my birthplace – Hampton, Virginia.

Being half-Caucasian and American born automatically makes me foreign in the eyes of many and I’m often met with remarks like, “Are you an immigrant?”, “Do you eat kimchi?”, and “in your country…”

Race is defined by culture, people, not the color of of ones skin.

Shouldn’t matter so much in America.

September 5, 2022September 5, 2022 African American, america, Brandi Jones, Detroit, different color, exhausting, immigrant, matter America, MI, Wayne State

Brandi Jones,
Wayne State,
Detroit, MI

Growing up as an African American in America is exhausting. We are supposed to be the land of the free where you can be who you are. Instead black people who are born here are treated worse than immigrants. We are not terrible people just because we are a different color.

Immigrant child wants normal last name

August 29, 2022 immigrant, Katy, last name, Ma. Lexa Dayday, normal, TX Houston Community College

Ma. Lexa Dayday,
Katy, TX
Houston Community College

I am proud. I am sorry.

August 25, 2022 Brooklyn, immigrant, NY, pride, proud, Rebeka, Revolutionary War

Rebeka,
Brooklyn, NY

Like the majority of immigrants who have come to America, my ancestors came to this land seeking political, religious and economic freedoms not open to them in their native country, England; arriving in the early 1600s. I am proud that they fought in the Revolutionary War to found this country, to create a nation that sought to safe guard personal freedoms and liberty. At the same time, I am sorry that those liberties did not extend beyond the white Europeans. I am sorry about the long term generational impact that their immigration caused by opening a door which resulted generations of displacement, death and discrimination of first nations people as well as slavery. And that, while they did not own slaves, they did not work towards equality and freedom for all. I hope that in this generation, we can start to make amends to those who have been left behind by a system that for generations favored European immigrants.

White immigrant = not an immigrant.

August 4, 2022August 4, 2022 American, bad, British, Canada, Canadian, children, community, daughter, diverse community, good, Hudson, Hungarian, immigrant, legal alien, lily-white, Linda M Larsen, other, perceived, small town, USA, white, white immigrant, WI

Linda M Larsen,
Hudson, WI.

Hungarian+British +Canadian = American.
I’m an immigrant, a ‘legal alien’ from Canada, with Hungarian and British parents, living in the USA. I’m supremely aware of the fact that no one sees me as ‘immigrant’ because I’m white. I moved from a very visibly multi-racial large Canadian city to small-town, lily-white America. I worried about how I would teach my daughter about the joys of living in such a diverse community as I came from, but in the end, I needn’t have worried. We pass on to our children what is most important to us, never mind whether it is perceived as good or bad by others.