NEXT TIME I SING WITH YOU
This piece was the last one completed for this exhibition. However, the writing included erased my doubts when contemplating whether to include text with images. Something in my dad's writing, "NOW I KNOW THE ALPHABET NEXT TIME I SING WITH YOU," had me revisit that page in the book over and over again. I cried with the phrase and only imagined my young father happy he had learned his English alphabet and could recite with me as I was also starting to learn to speak. I think of the ability to learn a new language as another door opened, granting access to more people and opportunities for growth. However, it could also be a wall as it is quite literally one of the first phases of assimilation.
My father has always had a strong desire for “American-ness.” He told me about the times he watched the planes fly over his home as a child and wished he could be on the next flight to the United States. His fascination with 80s house music and his strange admiration for Ronald Reagan were his initial connections to American culture. He claims he was always “American” when he was not American. He has always been ready to reject his Salvadoran background in the name of being American, even if that meantleaving behind a family who had not entirely started the assimilation process.
The photo printed is of my father and the family he migrated to the United States with. They are gathered for a group photo, lined up, some holding onto each other and others still in mid-conversation. My favorite part of the photo is my dad’s cousin in the back, as his hands shape the letter S, noting that he is part of el Sureños, a gang in Southern California.This detail reveals the complex reality of immigrant life—the allure of belonging to something greater, even if it meant joining a gang. It starkly contrasts my father’s dream of American life, highlighting the challenges and choices many immigrants face.