Daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America's 250th birthday

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America's 250th birthday A Milwaukee education advocate and daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America and its' 250th Anniversary. National Daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America's 250th birthday June 30, 20264:43 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America's 250th birthday Listen &middot; 1:57 1:57 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5865172/nx-s1-9830217" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript A Milwaukee education advocate and daughter of Mexican immigrants reflects on America and its' 250th Anniversary. Sponsor Message MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: NPR has been asking people around the country what the 250th anniversary of America means to them. Maayan Silver from member station WUWM spoke to an education advocate.

+ GISSELL VERA: (Speaking Spanish). UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Spanish). MAAYAN SILVER, BYLINE: Gissell Vera is ordering carne asada tacos on her favorite patio in the city of Milwaukee, La Fondita restaurant. The patio is punctuated by a string of international flags and a steady drumbeat of cumbia. VERA: The music, the colors, the language, all of it is part of me. And I am a proud American. SILVER: Vera is a U.S. citizen but comes from a mixed-status family. Her parents emigrated from Veracruz, Mexico. VERA: My family has particularly always been grateful for this country and the opportunities that it's provided us. Although there is always a fear and uncertainty of what immigration reform could - how it could impact us, we choose to live every day without fear. SILVER: She's 25 years old and says older generations were taught, for survival, to not speak Spanish. But now younger generations embrace Latino culture. Even so, Vera says there's a phrase she's heard many immigrants use to describe their relationship to the United States. VERA: Ni de aqui de aya, which meant that you're not from there, meaning Mexico, and you're not from here, meaning the U.S. It's almost like a limbo in which we existed. And I think that now I'm very proud to say that I am de aqui and de aya. So I am proud to be from here and from there. SILVER: She'll join her family for a cookout on the Fourth. Instead of hot dogs, they'll be grilling carne asada. For NPR News, I'm Maayan Silver in Milwaukee. (SOUNDBITE OF THE BUDOS BAND'S "HIDDEN HAND") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{309:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(81)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(770),o(154),o(175),o(93),o(448),o(253),o(128),o(130),o(755),o(174),o(756),o(254),o(77),o(774)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},783:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(309)}},[[783,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();