A movie theater owner and a hotel worker with an 18 month-old son escape the insurgency that would’ve guaranteed the death of the theater owner. One KLM flight, a rat-infested apartment in Astoria, and another son later, the husband traded the film lining for a backpack of tools and the fame of New York City, and the wife traded her uniform for a life of helping people without judgement. The son is the reason first-graders can read books just from picking out of monthly online and paper catalogs. As the immigrant is fractured by the persecution and indoctrination of their individual identity, they realize something much bigger as they step afoot in America; the fracture in their heart is now healing. As a matter of fact, the heart is becoming stronger; much stronger to the point that it expands and stretches to its surroundings to benefit it. The immigrant constructs buildings with the steel of chains it has unshackled. It’s especially important to note that this same building holds a strong foundation in the integrity and admiration of their culture. The building scaled by the owner and the hotel worker was built upon the recognition of human rights, a love for soccer and raï, and speech with a rich variety of Arabic, French, English, and Tamazight. This is the ground that I stand upon. I’m convinced that the American immigrant is not just a narrative of self-made success and tearing down barriers, but a microcosm for the rapid expansion of the universe. A small yet momentous decision that has led to a world that encapsulates many other stories; and this universe has a strong force that is adamant to give up its expansion. By: Ad.Go
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