As a first generation Afro Latina woman born to immigrant Dominican parents, I had the best of both worlds, even if I didn’t realize it as a young girl growing up in the Bronx during the 1970s. At home, I was surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of my parent’s native land. But outside I had to navigate the pressure to assimilate and adapt to the world around me that shared different customs, language and beliefs. I grew up in a tough environment and like many Americans struggling today, things did not come easy for us. Overcoming adversity was less of a choice and more of a necessity.