T he immigrant community carries so much and they do it proudly. My family came to California, where I was born and raised, from Mexico. Immigrants have always been deserving of equality and protection that unfortunately isn’t always taught. For a lot of our communities, there’s so much give and very little take — and the public narrative is the reverse, that immigrants take so much, and it’s just not true. Not in comparison to how much they give. If there’s a little bit that we can provide them when it comes to their protection, their safety, their equality, it’s essential — the same way that they’re essential to all Americans in our everyday lives. So much of what shows up on our dinner tables is like, without them, we have nothing.

Back in 2023, when I got to perform on the Coachella mainstage, it was a moment that really marked me. We hear about Coachella like it’s just this festival. But it’s actually a real place, a blue-collar, very hard-working immigrant community that is so proud of their city and what they do. A lot of those people are working the grounds of the festival. So why not spotlight that? Why not share in the spotlight that I have on this great stage? Every single time I was entering or exiting the festival, they’re like, “Hey, girl, what’s up!” There’s a sense of community. It’s that feeling that I get when I’m at a high-level work dinner, and the cocineros [cooks] in the kitchen are like, “Our girl’s here! You get extra postre [dessert].” You’re calling the valet for your car and it’s your people. There’s this embrace where it’s like, how could I ever forget where I come from? Because my grandfather was the valet man. My other grandfather was the man in the back washing dishes and flipping burgers. And my grandmothers were the women working in the factories. For me, it’s so close to home. It’s a part of me.

There’s a lot of things that divide us today as a country and always have unfortunately. But when we remember that we are a part of something so much bigger it unifies us. My boots-on-the-ground experience with organizing started when I was going to the DMV to help translate for my grandparents — that’s the experience that I had as a granddaughter of immigrants, seeing them work so hard and watching individuals like my grandpa not want to retire because he took so much pride in the work that he did and who he was to his family and his community, how he showed up for them and being able to provide. So once I started that kind of work, I was just so moved and so passionate about educating myself on how we can start to mobilize. I’ve worked with organizations like NDLON and the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, but there are so many groups going great work. With the labor movement leader Dolores Huerta, someone who also is a proud Mexican American, who has dedicated her entire life to this stuff, as my inspiration, it’s been a beautiful journey, but also a painful one knowing that there’s still so much work to do.

BECKY G is a singer, actress, and advocate for immigrant rights. Her latest singles “Marathon” and “Sorry Papi” are out now.