‘The American story is the immigrant story’

It is fitting that I started reflecting on this Independence Day commentary on Memorial Day—thinking about those who came before me.

I’m a first-generation American, and when I reflect about what it means to be an American in 2019, my thoughts immediately jump back to my grandfather who was born in China and my father and mother, who were also born in China, and immigrated to California.

Like all immigrants, their experience of making a life in a new land consisted of persistent challenge and unlimited opportunity. My grandfather, Walter Fong, born in 1903, came to America searching for that opportunity. By the 1930s, he lived in Sacramento, working at a poultry shop and eventually owning one. Over the next 50 years, he built a chain of local grocery stores, Farmers Market, and died in 1990 a multi-millionaire.

I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, watching my family work hard in my grandfather’s grocery business to provide for us. I think it was then that I developed a love for the retail business that became my first career out of college. Since both my parents were born in China, our first language was Cantonese. I saw my mom struggle to read English so she could pass her driver’s license test. There were many times that I felt the sting of prejudice. It hurt, but only made me more determined to succeed.

When I moved to the Bay Area, I worked in San Francisco as a merchandise buyer. The city is a showcase of immigrants, a passing parade of people living the American Dream. As a young businesswoman 30 years ago, that was exciting to see and experience. As a first-generation American myself, I was one of them. I felt blessed.

I married a second-generation Japanese American. His mother was born in Japan and came here when she married my husband’s father. My father-in-law and his family were housed at Tule Lake during the Japanese internment during World War II. Many of their friends and relatives lost everything, and yet when they were released, they did not complain but set about rebuilding their lives.

Over the last century, many immigrants have faced prejudice in their new country. That’s why it’s notable that most small businesses in the U.S. are started by immigrants. Operating a small business is fraught with its own perils, so having to handle this kind of hostility makes the job even harder.

For immigrants, owning a small business is the fastest way to rise to the middle class—the shortest route to be a “successful American.” Certainly, this is what immigrant families want for their children and themselves—to be called Americans.

That’s why the nationalism rising in America is deeply troubling. The internet has made us a global community. The millennials, our newest generation in the workforce, don’t see color. Demographically, Sacramento is, itself, now a majority-minority city.

The American story is the immigrant story. With determination, perseverance and luck, anyone can be successful here. My love for this country is wrapped up in the opportunities that come with being an entrepreneur.

So, in 2019, when I reflect on what it means to be American, it’s still about opportunity. I’d tell anyone that the American Dream—so rooted in small business ownership—is alive and well. We need more immigrants committed to success. So please come, you are welcome and needed here in America.