Speaker 0 00:00:00 From Romano Leadership, I'm Oscar Romano. This is Learn, reflect Lead Leadership and d I A development for mission-driven individuals and organizations. This episode is titled Immigration Stories Fleeing From the War At Your Door. This episode is for you if you want to learn more about the experiences that push immigrants to leave their home countries. If you're an immigrant or child of immigrants, wants to feel seen and heard, or if you're an ally who's looking for stories they can share with others to help them understand what immigrants have gone through
Speaker 0 00:00:40 Today, I wanna share an immigration story with you that comes from my family. Let me ask you this, what would push you to leave everything you've ever known? What would make you flee to a place where you would be regarded as a second class citizen? I know these answers because my family's immigration stories have always been a part of me, but I know that many others haven't. That's not part of who they are and where they came from. They're exposed to immigration through external stories, and when real stories aren't shared, false narratives can take over. We need people to share their truths, share their immigration stories. Only then can we help dispel the false narratives that cloud people's minds about immigrant's place in this country. Here's one of my family's real immigration stories. So first, some backstory. The Salvador and Civil War rage From October, 1979 to January, 1992, military and gorilla fighters killed 80,000 people.
Speaker 0 00:01:49 The rampant violence and populated non populated areas displaced 550,000 within the country and pushed another 500,000 into other countries. The military and gorilla fighters didn't follow traditional recruiting methods. They needed bodies, so they grabbed them by any means necessary. This included kidnapping boys as young as 12, placing a gun in their hands and pushing them onto the battlefield. As soon as they died, their equipment was passed on to their next unwilling victim. Civilians are constantly looking for ways of avoiding death. You know, my mother couldn't bear the thought of her brothers being senselessly murdered. They weren't 12, but they would be in a few years. She needed to do something. They'd be safe in the United States. She thought, but how could she get her brothers to the United States? It's expensive and treacherous. They didn't have that kind of money. My mother realized she needed to make this journey alone.
Speaker 0 00:02:40 She could make enough money in the United States to send for her brothers, and that's what she did. She worked in a textile manuf manufacturing facility and saved every sense she could. Time wasn't on her side. The war kept getting fiercer and closer to her family, finally, she could send for her brothers. But what about her sisters? Two of them decided to stay behind, but one wanted to escape as her siblings did. Now, I, I learned this next story, this immigration story over hot dogs and burgers. A few years ago, I was at my TIAs, my aunt's house for backyard barbecue. I was talking to my mom and my Tia when one thing led to another and her immigration stories came up. She opened up to me about a moment that cemented her decision to leave. Unfortunately, she lived in a town that experienced its fair share of tragedy and bloodshed during the Civil War.
Speaker 0 00:03:36 So here's one of my Tia's immigration stories. I don't remember the exact year, but I know it was either 1982 or 1983 that the war arrived in Gu Mosan. I'll always remember the date, however, because it was Daylight Savings Day. When the hour goes back, I heard gunshots early and knew that the gorillas had come into town. No one could leave their homes or they'd be killed. It was tough because it went on day and night. Helicopters could be heard overhead and guns were constantly being fired. You know, my dad was so close to getting shot at one point for being too nosy. It was late one afternoon, and my dad wanted to see what was going on outside. So he peeked out the window. That's when he saw a head pop out the window of the house across the street. It was a gorilla soldier.
Speaker 0 00:04:27 My dad ran away from the window and told us all to hide. Apparently, the fighter thought we were the enemy because two bullets then came flying into the house, one getting jarred in the wall, opposite the window my dad was peering out of, while the other narrowly missed him as it lodged in into our kitchen table. My dad never again got close to that door. Following that battle, our town was devastated. There were so many people dead and even more injured. That's why I had to leave. It was just too dangerous for me to stay home.
Speaker 0 00:05:02 That was, that was my aunt story. From her perspective. Now, how did she reckon with trauma and how, how do people reckon with that type of trauma, bullets flying into your home? Helicopters flying overhead? I, I don't know if I could survive something like that. I've never experienced anything close. She was at risk of dying each time she walked outside her home. Her hometown was a battleground. She was lucky. She survived those bullets entering her home and another five years worth of danger. I never would've imagined that she lived through such trauma. She's always been one of the family's funniest and happiest people. And whenever I talk to her, I can always be sure that at least one of us will be laughing at one point during the conversation. It's as if she was able to separate that life from the one she has now, and she was reminiscing about her time in an Salvador during the war.
Speaker 0 00:05:52 She shared moments of horror and tragedy, but she never, never lost herself. She did not cry. She has come to peace with that part of her life. She's had no choice. Nobody cared about her traumatic past when she got to the United States. They cared about how hard she worked and work hard. She did owning several business businesses over the years. But that trauma is what I encourage others to reckon with. If they rage against the immigrants in this country, what would they have done? If they were in my aunt's shoes, how would they have dealt with the trauma she experienced? How happy and funny could they still be? So it's time to commit. They have a story that can be shared to help shape a more positive image of immigrants in the United States. And what can you do to help improve the narrative of immigrants in the United States? Let me know how it goes. Thanks. That's it for this episode of Learn, reflect Lead. Thank you for watching on YouTube or listening via podcast. If you're interested in more, you can find
[email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn at Romano Leadership. If you like this episode, please share with your friends. Subscribe and leave a review.
Speaker 0 00:07:17 I'm Oscar Romano. Until next time.
