I grew up dreaming of America—the movies, the music, the speeches that moved the world. And then, one day, I landed in New York City.

I built a life here. I chased my dreams here. I found myself here.

And then, one day, it all changed.

(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)

We took democracy for granted.

It was something distant—revolutions, uprisings, silenced voices. Tragic, yes, but foreign.

Until it wasn’t.