This painting commemorates what I truly believe is at the heart of what it means to be an American. The American dream is founded on relentless ambition that drives thousands from around the world to reach the shores and airports of the United States. America was founded and fought for by immigrants. Immigrants bled and worked tirelessly to ensure the American experiment would succeed to this very day. And although history seems to forget, that battle especially includes immigrant women. It’s not easy to leave your country, the place you love and the familiarities you know left behind. It is a great sacrifice for a great risk. You have to navigate through unfamiliarity, through uncertainty, through language barriers, and through acceptance. This painting is a reminder of why we came. Why we took the risks. That in spite of everything, we can demonstrate that we do not come to this country empty-handed. We do not come to this country to “steal jobs.” We come to this country to contribute as doctors, judges, lawyers, engineers, artists, soldiers—-to be anything we dream to be. We contribute with our taxes, our commerce, and our labor. I believe America would shine brightly in defiance of a manufactured fear of immigrants and obsession with the control and domination of women. I hope this dream survives even in our country’s darkest moments.