As part of KCRW’s Love Letters to LA project, listeners have sent us paintings, voice memos, photographs, and handwritten notes. So far, we’ve received over 200 submissions.
Several of those were from students at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, including Jess, 17. We’re only using her first name to protect her family’s privacy as immigration raids continue across Los Angeles. She wrote about her family and the millions of immigrants who call LA home. Then she spoke with KCRW producer Andrea Bautista.
The following letter has been edited for brevity.
Dear Los Angeles,
Outsiders will say that you are unstable and ugly but they don’t see what I see.
The winds and fires came together to rip everything away from you. It was devastating to see your blue skies turn orange and your hills covered in ash but your community will help you grow.
How could I hate you? You are the dream my parents had. The dream of getting away from all the bad and the dream of a better life. You are where they met. Where they made a life for themselves and secured their children’s futures. You welcomed not only them, but millions of other families who persevered because your community gave them the strength to make this their home. Because of you, their children, like me, get to live a better life and continue their parents' dream. You provide them with a second home and a place they can find parts of their home country. The diversity within your communities and the love that brings us together is unmatched.
I love you always, Los Angeles. You are the reason I am the person you see before you. You shaped me in a way no other place could and now it is my job to honor you.
The following interview transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Jess: My name is Jess. I'm a student here at Roosevelt. I'm currently a senior.
I've lived here since I was born. I was born in White Memorial, that's here in Boyle Heights, and I grew up here, and then I moved to East LA, and now I'm right at the border of both cities, East LA and Boyle Heights. It's fun to be able to see two sides of where I grew up.
My mom is from Sinaloa, and my dad is from Nayarit, so they're both from Mexico. When they came to LA, they took their time to find work and accumulate some money in order to be stable for themselves. They ended up making their own business, and now they just make piñatas. I think the business is really successful.
Our neighbors, they'll come and be like, “Hey, can you make this piñata for such and such date?” I think it's really fun. I like that their business is a little bit known at least, and they have a lot of clients who are loyal to them, but they also sell to big piñata places. There’s a store by our house and some in Downtown LA where they sell to them, and that's also where they get their business from. They do everything, they do a bunch of orders. Some custom too.
“I love you always, Los Angeles.” Jess’ parents make and sell piñatas to their neighbors. Photo courtesy of Jess.
All my birthdays were always shared because [after] my birthday, the next day is my cousin’s. … And my parents, there was a time where they made us four piñatas, so we were each able to break two, and I think it was really fun.
I'm still really nervous to graduate because I grew up really attached to my parents. … Even now, I still depend on them for most things, so I feel like it's going to be hard, but I need to gain that independence from them. I ended up choosing Cal State Fullerton.
I'm most excited about starting my journey towards my career, learning some things, meeting new people, being around a more diverse area.
I'm aiming to be a criminal psychologist because I've always been interested in the criminal justice system and science, and being a criminal psychologist gives me the opportunity to do both. And for me, it's mostly the human behavior. … I want to find out the motives. I just want to understand.
Jess’ parents run a piñata business and create custom orders for their neighbors. Photo courtesy of Jess.