Immigrants share stories of hope, hardship, and success
People from various countries shared stories of hope, hard times, resilience, and success at a celebration for National Immigrants Day on Oct. 31 in Annandale.
The event, organized by the Asian American Community Center, was held at American Legion Post 1976 and also featured Asian food, entertainment, and a display of dozens of international flags on the hill at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space.
President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation in 1987 establishing Oct. 28 as National Immigrants Day, the anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty.
“This holiday hopefully serves as a reminder that all Americans should embrace the hard-working immigrants who have, and still do, make America strong,” said Annandale Rotary Club Past President Jim Holcomb.
Ricardo Noserale told how he grew up on a farm in the Philippines, never dreaming he would become a successful businessperson in the U.S. Today, he owns Noserale Home Improvement and is president of the Falls Church Rotary Club.
Dwitra Zaky, an immigrant from Indonesia, consults with U.S. agencies on language and culture to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia. She founded a boutique that brings traditional Indonesian designs and craftsmanship to Western markets.
Kee Jun, the president of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia, spoke about how her parents brought their five children to the U.S. from Korea in 1972 with just $500.
“They were determined to build a better future, and through hard work and countless sacrifices, they provided opportunities for their family by instilling value, integrity, independence, and faith,” Jun said.
While many European immigrants were welcomed to the U.S. at Ellis Island, the flip side was Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, said Holcombe, who taught history for nearly 20 years at Stuart (now Justice) High School after a career as an executive at pharmaceutical companies throughout Asia.
Angel Island was a place where strict, discriminatory immigration regulations under the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented Asians from settling in the U.S. Between 1910 and 1940, more than 300,000 Asian immigrants were detained at Angel Island, Holcombe said.
Megan Thy Nguyen, the head of programming for George Washington University’s Vietnamese Student Association, asked the audience to “imagine the courage it takes to board a boat, cross an ocean with nothing in your pockets, learn English without subtitles, and build an entire life from zero.”
Connie Chi Park, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and the leader of the Virginia chapter of Make Us Visible, recounted the story of Florence Finch of the Philippines.
Finch risked her life during World War II to bring food and medicine to American prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation. She was eventually captured, imprisoned, and tortured. After the war, Fisk came to the U.S., enlisted in the Coast Guard, and later received the Medal of Freedom for her courage.
Her story reminds us that “immigrants have not only helped build America, but have also served and defended it,” Park said. “But not every immigrant story comes with a medal or national recognition. So many stories go untold.”
Park said there are so many people “who have made tremendous sacrifices for their families, worked hard to build new lives, and contributed to their communities in ways that may never make the headlines.”
“But alongside those sacrifices are also stories of joy, friendship, and opportunity,” she said. “Immigrants have built businesses, raised families, preserved cultural traditions, and created communities where people can thrive today.”
People from various countries shared stories of hope, hardship, resilience, and success at a National Immigrants Day celebration on Oct. 31 in Annandale.
The event, organized by the Asian American Community Center, was held at American Legion Post 1976 in Annandale and also featured Asian food, entertainment, and