Immigration

I begin with a feeling every person who has met me knows: a mix of excitement and a little bit of tummy-fluttering worry. Imagine packing your favorite things into one small suitcase, saying goodbye to everything you know, and setting off on a huge adventure to a place you’ve only seen in pictures. Can you imagine that feeling. I am that journey. I am the brave step onto a boat, a plane, or a long road that leads to a new home, a new school, and new friends. I am the whisper of a new language and the smell of different foods in the air. For as long as there have been people, I have been there, helping them find new places to call home. I am the courage to start again, the dream of a better life, and the hope that fills that small suitcase to the very brim. Before you even know my name, you know my spirit. It’s the spirit of adventure that lives in every human heart. Hello, my name is Immigration.

I’m not a new idea; I’m one of the oldest stories in the world. The very first humans were my companions, and our journey together started a very long time ago. Tens of thousands of years ago, they walked with me out of Africa, their feet carrying them across vast lands to explore the world and settle on every continent. They were curious and brave, always looking to see what was over the next hill or across the next river. Their journey was slow, taking many, many generations, but they carried with them their tools, their families, and their dreams for a new place to thrive. Much later, people traveled with me across vast oceans on giant steamships. Imagine standing on the deck of a crowded boat, feeling the salty sea spray on your face and hearing hundreds of different languages all around you. After weeks at sea, you would finally see a new land appear on the horizon. For many people coming to America, their first sight was a giant green lady holding a torch—the Statue of Liberty. She was a promise of freedom and a new beginning. Right next to her was a special place called Ellis Island, which opened on January 1st, 1892. It was a busy, bustling place where millions of people took their first steps in their new country. Doctors checked to make sure they were healthy, and officials asked them questions about where they planned to go. On the other side of the country, in California, Angel Island Immigration Station opened on January 21st, 1910, welcoming people who crossed the wide Pacific Ocean. People travel with me for all sorts of reasons—to find a safer place to live, to join their family, or to share their talents and build a new life.

When people bring me with them, they don’t just bring their suitcases; they bring their stories, their music, their holidays, and their favorite recipes. Think about the food you love. Pizza came to America with me from Italy, brought by families who missed the taste of home. Tacos traveled with me from Mexico, sharing spicy, delicious flavors with new friends. I help fill your neighborhoods with amazing music from all over the world, colorful art that brightens the streets, and brilliant new ideas that help everyone. I connect people and create communities that are stronger and more interesting because everyone brings something special to share. When a new family moves in next door, they bring a piece of their old home with them, and by sharing it, they make their new home even better. I am the proof that starting over is possible and that welcoming a new neighbor can make everyone’s world a little brighter. I am a bridge between the past and the future, and I am happening all around you, every single day, making our world one big, wonderful family.