Leaving El Salvador for me was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I wanted to finish my studies and there wasn’t much hope to finish my studies in El Salvador. But immigrant youth who look like me experience discrimination.

For people who don’t know me, my name is Tony. I am from El Salvador. I left my country El Salvador in the middle of April 2004 and came to Boston in June 22, 2004. My reason for leaving El Salvador was because my family was scared that I would end up in gangs or be killed by the gang violence. Leaving El Salvador for me was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I wanted to finish my studies and there wasn’t much hope to finish my studies in El Salvador. When I got here I was excited to be here, but I saw many things that I hadn’t seen before. There is a lot of racism in Boston. It felt uncomfortable. It felt like I was in the wrong place. Violence is one of the things that is always going to exist. But immigrant youth who look like me are always experiencing discrimination

We are seen as the criminals. Many people think that we only come to harm people, but I know I came here looking for a better life just like everyone else. This city is one of the most beautiful places to live. But we seem to forget that “every man is created equal” and therefore we should treat each other with respect.

by TonyYouth member, Centro Presente in Somerville, MA