When they flew across the Atlantic with two kids at hand

When they only hoped to lift their kids up higher than themselves

When they had nothing but a dream

When they woke up early to catch the city bus

When they came home to their sleeping kids every night

When they couldn’t speak this new language but worked 20 hours

When they washed dishes in the back of restaurants

When spending was not an option

When racism didn’t stop their African pride from persevering

When they had to sacrifice their own comfort for OUR future

Thank You Mom

Thank You Dad

When we waited for that one afternoon in the week to all come together

When we talked about our future plans

When America was so foreign to us

When leaving our home country of Ethiopia was a gamble

When there was no looking back

When we had no other option

That’s when we fought hard

That’s what made us who we are today

I guess nothing has changed!