To celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, Caroline Bergonia, Manager of Accounting and Finance at the Bush Center, shares how her grandfather's legacy paved the path for future generations.
Every morning when I come to work, I look with pride at a copy of an almost 60-year-old letter written by my Cuban American grandfather to his coworkers three days after he became a citizen of the United States.
“As a U.S. citizen, I will be able to share the heavy responsibility of helping the U.S. keep freedom’s flare burning here and all around the world,” he wrote in the letter, which I keep on my desk, where I can see it each day. It reminds me of where I come from and why we are all here.
My grandfather understood the obligation of citizenship from day one, and it’s a good reminder to all Americans that, as with most great things, the freedom we hold comes with great responsibility. We all have a role in promoting human dignity, human rights, growing as principled leaders and citizens, and encouraging tolerance for differing viewpoints.
These are the ideals on which our country was built. To ensure our freedom and advance freedom around the world, we must remain strong and true to them.
This Immigrant Heritage month, I remember how my grandparents – both immigrants from Cuba – truly lived these ideals. My appreciation for their experiences has grown as I have matured in adulthood and especially since having children of my own and working at the Bush Center. They would be so proud of where their youngest grandchild works.
My grandparents, Alberto and Maria Gutierrez, were both in their mid-30s and had four children under the age of 8 in August 1960, when they left behind their home, most of their belongings, friends, family, and livelihood in search of security for their family. As is the case with many people fleeing their country, they hoped it would be temporary and they could eventually return home to everything they had worked so hard to build. But in their hearts, they knew they would probably never go back.
My grandfather, an engineer with government contracts who often traveled to the United States for work, planned a trip for his family that would appear like a short vacation. He would leave Cuba first, using work as the excuse to go to the United States. Shortly thereafter, my grandmother, along with her four daughters, packed their suitcases with no true valuables as if they were going on a trip (as bags were often searched). Then they met my grandfather in Miami.
They eventually made their way to Dallas, where my mom was born and where they settled for good with their five daughters – and, eventually, 13 Cuban American grandchildren.
Being an American citizen was a huge source of pride for my grandfather, as he makes clear in his letter. He was an immigrant who saw many hardships. But despite that, he created opportunities for his family and all of those around him.
My grandparents both worked hard, and eventually my grandfather started his own engineering firm in Dallas, employing many other Americans over the years. Both of my grandparents were also influential in helping younger Cuban families settle in Dallas throughout the 1960s. They were deeply involved in their community and in Catholic Charities.
My grandfather felt welcomed with open arms by the American people, and, in turn, he welcomed those who came after them seeking a better life and gave back to those less fortunate that he was. He believed in hard work, community, and charity to those around you. And he truly valued capitalism, freedom, and democracy.
In his letter, my grandfather stated that he liked “this system of government in which the rights and liberties of the people are guaranteed” and in which “the right to keep the fruit of your labor [is] not merely words … but the real foundations on which the government lies.”
Many people who have always lived in the United States – myself included – can take this idea for granted. I am proud to work somewhere that fights for the idea that freedom is universal, and that democracy is the best way to ensure freedom. To quote the mission of the Bush Center, we must work together to ensure opportunity for everyone, advance free societies, and strengthen our democracy.
