I am writing you a letter about immigrants and race.

Let me start off by asking what happens if you go to visit family, go to the mall, to the store to pick up groceries and get dropped out of nowhere without doing anything bad?

Could you imagine leaving your family or someone special to you, or leaving your job where you worked so hard — even your money — to get your kids and family what they want or getting food in table each day?

Life isn’t easy for some people. Why? Because some immigrants try their best each day to get a better job and move their family to a better future.

Not every immigrant is the same, though there are people who say they are and compare them to others. My father is a hard-working man. How do I know this? Because I can see the pain he goes through each day. And he always tells me, “I want you to make it so far in the future without anyone stopping you from reaching your dreams and not have to  suffer as I do every day.”

I know most people can’t match or agree with these things because they haven’t experienced this sort of racism or discrimination. But what if they’re struggling already and then having to deal with ignorance and racism? This is a huge problem in America, because without knowing one day you could wake up to no mom, dad or someone who means a lot you.

It’s time for us think and stop with these awful comments and attitudes towards people trying to better themselves and their families.

— Karen Trujillo

Salisbury