08/26/2026
trigger warning: US politics is tearing my family apart
a burrata, seared prosciutto, arugula, onion, cherry tomato salad with lemon vinaigrette and balsamic glaze from the carraba’s w**e dinner i attended a couple weeks ago because im so distraught i cant eat right now
last night, my step-dad was arrested after running a stop sign and is now being held by ice. we have limited information right now and we are falling apart under the pressure.
i want to tell everybody about my step-father and the kind of man he is.
my step-dad is an afro-brazilian immigrant who’s been present for more than half of my life. while i still have a good relationship with my bio-dad, i consider my step-father a bonus second dad. he is a hardworking, loving, caring, and doting family man that brightens up every room he’s in. through every phase, milestone, good and bad days, and hardship, he has always dropped everything to be there and support my family and i. a man who’s never cared about differences like politics, religious beliefs, and unshared experiences, he would give the shirt off his back for anyone who needs help, no questions asked. even when i became a young adult and constantly exercised my independence, he’d stay up until all hours of the late evening and early morning just to make sure i made it home safe. he would walk through the worst calamities if it meant he could be our father, husband, and a grandfather to my nieces and nephews.
my step-father is the pinnacle of a family man. the pinnacle of a community man. if you were hungry, he’d feed you for as long as you need. if you were homeless, he’d offer refuge in our home until you can get back on your feet. even during times when i wasn’t living at home and wasn’t speaking to my family, he always made sure to text me and remind me that if i needed him, he would drop everything to be there for me no questions asked. my step-dad is a beautiful example of what humanity can be, and i am so viscerally and deeply inspired by him, i’ve dedicated my life and all the effort in the world to be as compassionate, loving, and empathetic as he is.
as of right now, we don’t know what’s going to happen. my mom was able to speak with him a few times since he was picked up, and as far as we know, he’s not being mistreated. my heart aches every second with the primal fear that i won’t ever see him again. i regret every second that i haven’t spent with him and my family will be broken and torn apart if he can’t come home.
the brazilian community where we live has banded together and raised funds for my mom, and got her in touch with one of the best immigration lawyers in our city. i am so grateful for the village i never realized we had. i am so grateful for my step-dad.
i will never understand how anybody could hate other people so much, to tear apart families and ruin lives for the sake of white superiority is a disgusting and unforgivable act. because of my step-dad, i can’t bring myself to hate anybody but right now i am so angry and confused about the hatred that is so rampant in this country.