The definition of American is elusive.
But in L.A., a city shaped by immigrants, we know that it does not refer to a race, an ethnicity, or a birthplace.
These are your stories, which together are helping us to continue the conversation about Americanness and who it belongs to that we started with our Race In L.A. series in 2020.
We’d love to hear from you
We want to hear your stories: about your families and how they built their lives here, about your struggles and successes, about the things that make you American and the ways in which you feel your Americanness is questioned.
Your Essays
-
When you grow up in Anaheim close enough to watch Disneyland fireworks every night while your family can’t afford to go, you can’t help but feel like you’re on the outside looking in. -
After nearly two decades spent waiting for a visa, an artist dad’s long-held dreams fueled his family’s journey to California.
-
“The gains made by emigrating to America can be fragile and fraught with loss,” writes a Salvadoran American daughter of immigrants. “Yet I would not be here had they not made the decision to leave.”
-
A quest to trace family roots reveals the stories of ancestors “who left the South and never looked back.”
-
Ragtag teams of working-class kids played baseball with a flat tennis ball until dusk, "when we had all the time in the world.”
You have the power to make local journalism strong!
Help keep LAist independent, paywall-free, and ready to meet the needs of our city by making a donation today.