#ADayWithoutImmigrants: Time for Change is Now
We are all immigrants. And yet some of us live with more fear than others. Why the struggle and how best can I explain why #ADayWithoutImmigrants is important to me.
That Immigrant Fear
There is so much activism talk right now that it is almost hard to ignore. Everything we do feels fueled by a cause that means the world to somebody. If you are one of those people that really feels compelled to do something good with the energy brewing from every one of these worthy causes, find your calling and go after it. The time for action is now. The time for change is now.
I am a woman of color, who is also an immigrant. Hence, for me, I find that being a minority when it comes to all of these 3 things is my calling and purpose, because I live it on a day to day basis. I have the direct experience that makes standing for it purposeful. One of the greatest blessings in my life is that I live in California - where just about everything is respected. So, in general, most of the bias I face is unconscious. However, despite the openness of where I live, being an immigrant is a bias I find very hard to explain. Being a woman and/or a person of color is a bias related to how someone perceives you. It is a reaction/feeling/impulse, unspoken for most part. Being an immigrant, on the other hand, is not only a reaction, it is also enveloped in regulations and laws of the government, processes within your company, and how you are perceived or even what you perceive of yourself.
I am a legal immigrant on a work visa. I chose the legal path to migration - without the knowledge that when you are from a country like India, the permanent residency process can take a very, VERY long time. It has already been 10 years and counting for me and my wait continues, just to get my Green Card. Sadly, I am not alone. There are thousands of others stuck in the legal immigration system as files and numbers. Fortunately, I love what I do and for who I work - so my issue is simply that the process is taking forever and I feel very stuck at the lack of movement. Imagine if I hated my job and needed to be in it just for the work permit. I know people who want to change their jobs or find other positions, but the process of starting over discourages them from making a change. What a miserable place to be in!
Can you imagine feeling displaced at the thought of being promoted at your workplace? I get the jitters thinking about a promotion. Not because I don’t deserve one. But, because it would call out my immigration status to the government. And the process of getting an amendment on my work visa would become burdensome. Also, given the current rate of 6-8 months at which our legal immigration system processes amendments on a work visa, is the promotion something that will cause me more angst or will I truly be happy about being promoted? (An amendment basically means more wait than an already frustrating wait and you can't travel for that entire time.)
It is hard to describe what it feels like other than to say that it prevents me from being able to live on my own terms. Being able to feel free, the peace of mind, being able to travel stress-free, being able to experience and live the American Dream in the way it was designed. I want my Land of Opportunity story. I came to this country as a young girl with the hopes and dreams of making it on my own. It took a lot of guts to move half way across the world leaving my loved ones in pursuit of a comfortable happy life. With courage, perseverance and will power, I am where I am today, living independently and not in want for anything. I am a firm believer in hard work and success at the end of that struggle, but as a legal immigrant just waiting in a sluggish system, I feel deprived of a full chance.
Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo was interviewed by David Rubenstein on Bloomberg TV in which she explained this immigrant fear. Check out the video with this amazing trailblazer. So inspiring!
If you think it's too long, would you at least take a chance and watch from minute 22? I completely and totally related to her experience as an immigrant at 23:10, when she spoke about how this fear drives her work. In her words: "I am always afraid that if I fail; I may have to go back to something that I don't want to go back to." Out of all the biases, this one stood out for her the most, because it literally means your life can change in a minute: things like having to move, looking for a new job, etc. It truly made me feel that no matter how accomplished you might be in your career, this fear is so inherent and unexplainable.
This immigrant fear is one I want to be rid of, to be free of, and yet this helpless feeling continues - no matter the support I have. With this issue, I am completely in the hands of an immigration system waiting to be reformed. I hope to God it becomes a priority some day because really I just want to be and do the best I can in this country. And, I want to feel like I have been given every opportunity to do so. I wish for immigration reform in 2017 every single second of my life. I am manifesting that it is right around the corner. If you feel this issue calls out to you or know of anyone that is going through something similar and would like to talk about it, please have them get in touch and/or take action in this good fight with us.
