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“When my dad moved here from Africa in 2000 he didn’t have anything. He first came over here with me and my siblings and not my mom. So that struggle of going through that experience and not having your wife by your side and then having to provide for three kids on your own while also trying to go through the process of getting her here had to have been hard. He eventually got her here and he even went back to college, even though he was older, he still went back and got his degrees. Now, he works for a top pharmaceutical company. Watching him work so hard and going from $7.25 an hour to a salary job…. it’s amazing to see the hard work come to action and start paying off. That keeps me going.
My first year of college I went to Indiana Tech and I didn’t do well. So, at the semester I came home. And even though I know how big education is to him and how much I let him down, his love and care for me didn’t change. But I couldn’t live with letting him down so I went to a community college, got my grades up and went to DePaul University.
Even now he still says, “let that be an example of a learning process. Don’t use that as a break down—a ‘you won’t make it’—just use it as a bounce back—you don’t want to go back to that dropping out stage. Use that as motivation to keep going forward.” He is a prime example of showing me that even though you might start off in a bad circumstance there is always hope to become better.”
"I'm glad you acknowledged that we actually might be dating. Most people just assume she's my sister.”
"It's crazy how life happens. Just a year ago I was 16, homeless, with no place to go. I was sleeping wherever I can. All I had was my dreams of dancing. And that's what a lot of kids out here have, just their dreams. And the only thing they need is someone willing to support them. Most times that support is the difference from a kid losing their life and living their life. I hope to get that same support."
"I love me some punk rock music. Been listening to it my whole life. I feel free within the loudness and chaos. During my tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, I remember having bombs dropped near me and explosions every night. I came back and tried to drown myself and those horrible memories like I used to in some punk rock, but I couldn't. I came back with PTSD. Everything about the one thing that I once loved now makes me feel like I am just seconds from dying."
"People assume that my culture is strict and have so many misconceptions about who we are and what we are about. I just wish some people will take the time to just talk and go out to meet someone. If you do, then I guarantee you will find that we are just as human and normal as everyone else."
“When my dad moved here from Africa in 2000 he didn’t have anything. He first came over here with me and my siblings and not my mom. So that struggle of going through that experience and not having your wife by your side and then having to provide for three kids on your own while also trying to go through the process of getting her here had to have been hard. He eventually got her here and he even went back to college, even though he was older, he still went back and got his degrees. Now, he works for a top pharmaceutical company. Watching him work so hard and going from $7.25 an hour to a salary job…. it’s amazing to see the hard work come to action and start paying off. That keeps me going.
My first year of college I went to Indiana Tech and I didn’t do well. So, at the semester I came home. And even though I know how big education is to him and how much I let him down, his love and care for me didn’t change. But I couldn’t live with letting him down so I went to a community college, got my grades up and went to DePaul University.
Even now he still says, “let that be an example of a learning process. Don’t use that as a break down—a ‘you won’t make it’—just use it as a bounce back—you don’t want to go back to that dropping out stage. Use that as motivation to keep going forward.” He is a prime example of showing me that even though you might start off in a bad circumstance there is always hope to become better.”
"When we found out that a friend of ours couldn't take care of the kids, we adopted them. We have four kids and they are all adopted. They are my kids and I am so proud of each one of them."
"When the music comes on I just can't stop dancing!"
"This parade is all about love. And I love love."
"I had a group of friends in the sixth grade at the Catholic school I grew up in. We were all really close and I was going through some self-discovery at the time. I remember telling them that I was gay and they immediately stopped being friends with me. I never understood why it mattered so much to them to the point where we couldn't be friends. I didn't think it would matter at all. I was really sad about it and became super introverted. When you experience loss and bullshit like that early on it affects you, but it makes you stronger later on in life. There was a serious point in my life where I would never tell a stranger I was gay. But now I know that I am who I am and it's not going to change any time soon."
"I really didn't have too many friends from 3rd to 6th grade. I was bullied in elementary school because my skin was darker than everyone else's. They called me 'blacky', 'ugly', 'tar baby.' I will go home and tell my mom they were calling me all these names and she would just tell me that I have to stand up for myself. I felt she was distant from my hurt and my pain. I dealt with a lot of self-esteem issues, constantly wondering if I was beautiful and good enough.
I lost my only friend in 6th grade and soon after I got into a fight with someone for the first time. I finally stood up for myself and people saw that I wasn't a pushover and everyone just left me alone every since."
Once I got to high school things were a lot easier. I went to Rufus King and it was one of the most diverse high school in Milwaukee. There I learned that it didn't matter if you were white, black, Muslim because we knew that we all can work together, we all can be cool. It was the first time my skin color didn't affect my ability to make friends.
Those early experiences of being bullied taught me that we all deserve the chance to thrive and flourish no matter our background, skin color, sexual orientation, or anything like that. Systemic oppression tells us that because someone is different, because they are not like you, then they are not deserving of friendship, deserving of leasing this home, deserving of this job. My skin was darker than everyone else's and I was denied the opportunity to thrive socially. It should never be that way."
"I'm about to be a fifth year senior in high school. My freshman year I was doing good. I kept to myself and didn't really know anybody. I guess the more people I met, I let the popularity get to my head and made some bad decisions along the way. But I am going to make it out of high school this year. Just gotta stay focused and think before I do something. I want to go to college like my brother. He the only one in the family that made it out of high school and went to college. I want that for myself and I want that for my niece and nephew. I don't want them to be out here causing trouble, like these riots and what happened to the gas station. I want more for them."
“My family came here from Mexico in 1999. My parents had to leave everything behind—our home, their jobs, all of their family. I remember them working long hours in the field and never complaining about it. There were some nights when my parents could not make it home and it was just me and my brother. My brother was always super involved so I was home alone. And it felt a little lonely and there were times I felt sad. But back then my family would bypass talking about our feelings because we did not think we could feel that way, not after everything my parents left behind. Even when my grandparents were dying, my parents did not go back to Mexico to be there with them. They stayed here and continued to work long hours so we can have a good future. They really sacrificed a lot in order for us to have the best life possible.”
"I want my sons to grow up in a world where they know they can stand up for freedom. We never turn a blind eye to problems, we don't run from them, we fight injustice. So everyday I teach my children that they can always make a difference, no matter how small."
"The happiest thing I can think of is just being alive. Life gives me a reason to smile. I refuse to be sad my entire life. It won't do me any good. So I just focus on being happy."
"I lost my grandfather to cancer. I remember when he got really sick and he fell down the steps. They put him in hospice care, but we brought him home to be with family towards the end. We all watched over him in our way, walked him around in the walker, just making sure he was comfortable. I would always hear him singing 'Jesus On the Main Line' around the house. Before he passed he would always try to teach me how to stay humble and tell me I shouldn't take anything for granted. I know God blessed me with a lot of gifts and I am still learning how to make the most of them. It's a lot that I want to do in life, but I really wanna study medicine to help cure cancer."
"Even though I love basketball, I really want to be a teacher when I grow up. When I’m at home with my little sister and brother, they always ask me to play this game called ‘School.’ It be fun because I get to teach them all the stuff that I know and everything I am learning. I think if I become a teacher I can really make a difference some day."
"When I was a little kid I always had this dream of being a police officer. Then I was about 9 and my brother was in the park playing with a toy gun. The cops rolled up and started shooting. I guess the police thought whatever they thought, but he was just a kid. One of the bullets hit him and he ended up dying that day. Ever since then, I just stopped dreaming about what I wanna be. Don't really know anymore."
"It's a tough time when the person who should be the biggest role model in the country is teaching young boys that you can get away with treating people poorly. It's the most powerful, respected position and you have a man who has done all of these horrible things and that's not okay. So at the end of the day, I want my son to be kind and treat everyone with respect. And right now, he's pretty great at it."
"They say it's going to take 15 years of school before I am a neurosurgeon. That's a long time, but I am up for the challenge. And when I do become a neurosurgeon I'm going to help find the cure for Alzheimer's disease. I am going to save lives."
