06/17/2025
Most people know me as Allan, the guy that sells houses. But before all that, I was and still am the son of immigrants. My mom, one of four siblings, came from El Salvador in the early 70’s was the first in her family to make the journey to the U.S. a brave, God-fearing woman who crossed through Guatemala & Mexico with my late godmother, Berta Burgos. Two women. Almost no money. Just enough food to survive. But their will to live, to dream? Un-f**king-breakable! On their journey, a rainy night, in the middle of TJ/SD border my mom fell to her knees, exhausted in the mud and told my god mother to “Go on without me!” But my godmother refused. “No. We’re going to make it. Get up, NOW she told my mom” And she did. And they kept going! My father, nearly died crossing in the trunk of a car for hours of heat exhaustion, just for a shot at a better life. He learned roofing. Got his General Contractors license after failing multiple times! But not only did he cover multiple homes is their little small Panorama City neighborhood, but at 80 years old, when mom said they needed a new roof, he still said, “Nobody’s going to put a roof over my head but me!” So my brother and I got up and helped him put on what would be his last roof, we hope! He’s a legend in the neighborhood. Ask the vecinos! Now these guys are my role models! Bigger than Bo Jackson, bigger than Magic my favorite sport athletes! This isn’t about me or politics.. It’s about people. About sacrifice! About love so powerful it would walk across countries for their family! My parents didn’t come here to break laws, they came to build a life. They worked hard, paid taxes. They became citizens, homeowners and providers! They gave me and my brother more than we needed and gave us hope! This weekend, I marched in Downtown LA. Not in anger, but in truth! Because ICE raids aren’t just policy. They’re tearing apart families like mine. Silencing stories like theirs. We do need immigration reform, but with humanity at the center! That starts with empathy. With listening. With seeing people, not labels! The America my parents believed exists I believe still exist! It lives in people like them. I am that story. -Allan Vides