White with Brown Roots: On being the American Daughter of my Mexican Immigrant Dad

Daddy’s graduation day from University of Illinois in Chicago. He looks tired because he was working non-stop!

I’m first generation white, on my dad’s side. He immigrated to the US from Mexico as a young man and worked incredibly hard to assimilate. He took speech therapy to “overcome” his accent, believing that it would give him more opportunities. He worked 3 jobs, literally around the clock, while also attending college when I was little. I remember…