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Letter to the Children of Immigrants
Long Z. (David) Liu
Sons and Daughters of our Immigrant Community,
When your parents first set foot in America, they carried with them more than just suitcases and passports. They carried hope. They carried the weight of generations past, the responsibility of continuing family honor, and the dream that their children, you, would live a life brighter and freer than they ever could.
The Sacrifices of Our Parents
For many of our parents, the American Dream was not about luxury. It was about survival. I know parents who worked from dawn to midnight in restaurants, washing dishes until their hands cracked from the hot water. I know mothers who stood for twelve hours behind a sewing machine in a factory, their backs bent, their eyes strained, all so their children could have lunch money for school. I know fathers who drove taxis through dangerous neighborhoods at night, silently praying they would return home safely, just so their families could pay the rent. These are not stories from far away. They are the daily sacrifices of countless immigrant parents in America.
Why They Endured Hardship
And why did they endure this hardship? It was not for themselves. They did not leave their homeland, their culture, and the comfort of a familiar life just to struggle here. They came because of you. They came so that you could sit in a classroom instead of a factory, so that you could speak proper English, so that you could grow up with the freedom to dream.
They Paid the Price So You Would Not Have To
They paid the price so you would not have to. Every drop of sweat, every sleepless night, every humiliation silently endured was a down payment for your future. They gave up comfort so you could have choices, swallowed their pride so you could walk with dignity, and bore the struggles of survival so you could focus on growth. The battles they fought were not theirs to win, but yours to inherit. And now, because of their sacrifice, you stand at a place where you can pursue knowledge, ambition, and success without carrying the same burdens they carried.
Rejecting Mediocrity and The Truth About the American Dream
Yet, too often, I see children of this generation wasting this gift. Too many are content with mediocrity, telling themselves that being “decent” is enough. But mediocrity is not what your parents came for. They came for greatness.
The American Dream is not a bedtime story. It is not a myth. It is a reality for those who are willing to work. Do not be fooled by the empty phrase, “I’ll just do what makes me happy.” How can you be truly happy if you live paycheck to paycheck, constantly anxious about whether you can pay next month’s rent? How can you find peace if your fridge is empty, if your parents grow old and sick and you cannot afford to help them? How can you be proud of yourself if you avoid talking about achievements, because deep down, you know you don’t have any? Real happiness is not found in temporary pleasures. It is found in building a life where you don’t have to worry about survival, where you can hold your head high because you reached your potential.
No Single Path to Success
But I must tell you something important: there is no single path to this Dream. There is no exact map, no formula. Each of you has a different talent, a different gift. Some of you may become doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, or leaders in your communities. Some of you may create art, build businesses, or defend justice in courtrooms. I became a lawyer because I had the passion and ability, and then I worked 14 hours every day for the last 20 years to get to where I am today. It was not easy. There were nights of exhaustion, rejection, and doubt. But I believed in myself. That belief and that confidence was the first victory for me. Without it, I would never have taken the first step.
Consider the life of Charlie Kirk. He was not born into privilege, nor did he inherit wealth or connections. He started with nothing but conviction and a willingness to work harder than others. As a young man, he faced rejection, doubt, and the voices of people who told him he would never make a difference. But instead of giving in, he used those obstacles as fuel. He built his voice, his platform, and his influence from the ground up. He traveled, he spoke, he organized, and he gave countless hours to the cause he believed in. He showed us that in America, where you start does not determine where you end up.
Charlie Kirk’s life is proof of what discipline and vision can accomplish. He did not waste his youth chasing mediocrity or temporary pleasures and he committed himself to building something larger than himself. He inspired young people to think critically, to embrace responsibility, and to value the principles that make this nation strong. And now, in the wake of his death, the Republican Party itself recognizes him as one of the cornerstones of our society, a man whose influence and legacy will be felt for generations.
His journey reminds us that greatness is never handed down. It is earned through struggle, persistence, and courage. Charlie Kirk began as one ordinary young man, but because he refused to quit, because he refused to live as a bystander, he became a leader. His life is a message to you: that you, too, can rise from nothing, that you, too, can become a cornerstone, not only in your community, but in this nation.
Discover Your Own Strengths
You must discover what you are good at. Do not chase someone else’s dream. Chase your own. If you love math, pursue it. If you are gifted in communication, sharpen that skill. If you are a natural leader, step forward. But whatever you choose, pursue it with discipline, with courage, and with the determination to go further than anyone expects. Because if you do not put your mind to it, no one else will. And if you refuse to try, you will never know how far you could have gone.
Respect Your Parents
And finally, I want to speak to you about respect. In all of our cultures, respect for parents is a cornerstone. It is not old-fashioned, it is the foundation of family. Your parents may seem harsh at times. They may demand more from you than you think you can give. They may appear strict, unwilling to compromise. But stop and ask yourself: is it because they don’t love you, or is it because they want to protect you? Some young men, out of anger, rebel by joining gangs, wasting their futures behind bars. Some young women, seeking independence too quickly, run away, only to end up pregnant before adulthood, burdened by struggles they never anticipated. These tragedies are not rare, and they happen because children mistake discipline for oppression.
There is a saying that respect must be earned. And that is true, in many relationships. But think about this: if anyone in the world has already earned your respect, is it not your parents? Who else would leave their homeland, their language, their comfort zone, travel halfway across the globe, and endure hardship so you could have opportunity? Who else would work until their bodies ache, endure discrimination, humiliation, and loneliness, and still get up the next morning to provide for you? If that does not deserve your respect, then what does?
Make Your Parents Proud
Make your parents proud. Too often, I hear young people say, “My parents are just trying to control me.” But pause and think: are they truly trying to control you, or are they trying to guide you so you do not grow up lost and weak? They did not sacrifice everything to raise a child who will waste away, doing nothing, complaining about everything, and becoming a burden on others. They want you to stand on your own feet, to be productive, respected, and capable. They want to see you grow into someone valuable to society, not someone who drags it down. Your parents do not wake up every morning thinking about how to limit your freedom; they wake up worrying about how to protect you from failure and prepare you for responsibility. When they push you, it is because they know life will push you harder. When they demand discipline, it is because they know that without it, you will drift into laziness. They want to see you succeed, not only so you can live well, but so that when they are old and tired, they can look at you and say with pride: “That is my son, that is my daughter.”
Sons and daughters, I tell you this with love and urgency: the American Dream is not handed to you. It must be claimed. Your parents gave you the foundation, the chance, and the opportunity. Now it is your responsibility to build upon it. Respect them. Work harder than you think possible. Discover your gifts. Have confidence in yourself. Strive not for mediocrity, but for greatness.