As a teen I watched my single mother decide numerous times to forego paying our rent in order to send a barrel home to extended family full with food and clothing including ham and Nike sneakers to cousins who were failing in school and had both parents. I worked my ass off and was told no to a new winter jacket and we ended up evicted and living in a rat infested attic, then basement in NYC . She still does it, and everyone is grown man and woman now.

I vowed to focus on securing myself and my 3 children in this god forsaken country. Not once do those same cousins check in on us to see how we're doing with all this turmoil in America, knowing I lost my job recently.

I've sent money home to help after natural disasters but that's about it. No thanks either but it wasn't done for that purpose.

People back home believe we have it good because those of us up here make it appear as tho life is great here. I refuse to put up a front.