Self-Awareness
DEI: Immigrants and Assimilation
CJ Liu interviews Antonio Sacre about his new MP3 “World’s Second Best Dad.” Antonio is an award-winning performer, storyteller, and author-in-residence at the UCLA Lab school.
Antonio shares his story of speaking Spanish to his non-English speaking paternal grandmother, and other ancestors who immigrated from Cuba. This was in contrast to his mother’s side, who immigrated to the United States several generations before. His maternal side had lived in Boston in a predominantly Irish neighborhood.
CJ shares her own experience of being a first generation Chinese person living in the United States. A big part of this was balancing her Chinese values with American culture. Chinese values include humility, patience, and modesty. Trying to balance this with American culture demanded her to present two faces of herself to others.
While assimilation may have presented challenges for both CJ and Antonio, it was also an opportunity for both of them to integrate the best of both cultures together.
DEI: Immigrants and Assimilation: YouTube Video
More on Antonio Sacre
Antonio Sacre tells stories.
His tales of growing up bilingually in a Cuban and Irish-American household have inspired children worldwide to gather their own family stories and become storytellers themselves. Antonio’s stories have been published in award-winning books and audio recordings. Professional Developments and Keynote addresses he has given have helped educators teach writing to students from per-Kindergarten through graduate school. Now his stories are being developed for film and television.
He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and two cats. Yes, he’s a cat guy.
To purchase Antonio’s books, click here.
Related Articles on DEI: Immigrants and Assimilation
