Today Through Mexican-American Eyes

In Southwest Michigan, I stood among strangers who felt like family.

It was more than a protest to me.

It was a mirror of who we are and who we still can be.

A young man wrapped in the Mexican flag stood quietly ahead of me.

No words. Just presence.

His silence said it all: we belong to both lands, and both live within us.

Nearby, someone held a sign blooming with orange and yellow flowers:

“We stand with immigrant families.”

The flowers spoke in color, the language of heritage and hope.

Then a woman lifted a cardboard sign:

“IMMIGRANTS MAKE AMERICA GREAT.”

Behind her, another wrapped herself in the American flag, red and white stripes folding like both protection and promise.

Two flags.

Two women.

One truth: real patriotism is never about exclusion.

It’s about courage and contribution.

As a Mexican-American, son of a brave couple who crossed a border with faith and built a life with dignity, I felt every word in my chest.

They lived the American dream as citizens.

And now, I witness the cruelty toward my hermanos y hermanas, and feel the responsibility to stand, to speak, to remember, to donate time and money to protect.

Immigrants don’t just come to America.

We renew it:

with our raíces,

our entrepreneurship y ganas,

our corazón,

our hermandad,

our esperanza,

and our alma.

This is the greatness we bring.

What did you see? Y, tu ¿que observaste?

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