BY HERBERT ROMERO

Leader of Neighbors Helping Neighbors | Vecinos Apoyando Vecinos

As a proud Salvadorian and neighbor in this beautiful valley we call home, I carry with me the stories of resilience, struggle, and unwavering resolve that often defines the immigrant journey.

My parents brought me to this beautiful and brave country with hope in their hearts—and I am forever grateful. My grandmother, aunts, and uncles fled the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s and built new lives here, eventually becoming proud American citizens.

Their stories are not unique. This country is made strong by positive, hardworking, family-centered people from South America, Central America, and México—¡nuestra cultura!

Our immigrant communities pay taxes in every way—sales, payroll, property—yet often receive no return for their financial contributions. Too many are taken advantage of, their rights violated, and their dignity ignored.

And yet, many persevere. They stay. They follow the long and often painful legal process to become residents, and eventually, contributing citizens. They build businesses, raise children, volunteer in schools, and support one another—just like any good neighbor would.

Brené Brown reminds us in her book *Rising Strong* that privilege allows us to choose when we are affected by injustice.

For those of us who live without fear of being questioned, detained or separated from loved ones, we must recognize that this very ability—to tune in and out—is a privilege many in our immigrant community cannot afford. Our neighbors live with uncertainty every day, not just when it's in the news or convenient to care.

So, I ask you, as neighbors, to reflect with humility, to listen with open hearts and to speak out with love. Let us create a community where every voice is heard, every story honored, and every person seen.

With deep gratitude and hope,

Herbert Romero

Neighbors Helping Neighbors | Vecinos Apoyando Vecinos