Unafraid is based on a true

story. The name “Monserrat”

originated when Yessica’s
parents wanted to name her
that. These were events that
happened to Yessica and she
wants to share with everyone
how she became unafraid. She
decided to also write this book
in Spanish especially for those
students who are also Illustrator’s Note: I illustrated this
undocumented, in hopes of book with simple drawings so the
bringing them hope and readers can focus on the writing
comfort. and the message it is trying to
send. The characters maintain
the same outfit, so the readers
can remember who they are.

Author’s Note: I wrote this book

for my parent’s and for everything
they have done for me. For the
risk they took by migrating with
nothing, to give us everything.
Also, in hopes of giving children of
color some hope and comfort.
 For Mom and Dad
Para Mamá y Papá

Copyright © 2019 by Yessica Cancino. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any
form or by means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

First edition 2019. ISBN 9-781234-56789-7. The illustrations were done in color pencils. Hawthorne press, 283 Merman St, New York City, New York 10033. Visit
us at www.hawthorne.com.
 UNAFRAID
Written and illustrated by Yessica Cancino

Hawthorne Press
Hi there! My name is Monserrat, and I am a Mexican. My skin is a different color than others, but does that make my value
as a person any less?
¡Hola! Mi nombre es Monserrat y soy mexicana. Mi piel es de un color diferente a los demás, pero ¿Eso hace que mi
valor como persona sea menos?
Let me tell you about my journey and my experience as someone with brown skin.
Déjame contarte sobre mi vida y mi experiencia como alguien con piel morena.
I was born in Mexico, and I lived there with my parents and my older sister. While I was growing up my sister was my best
friend, and we played together all day. When I turned 3 years old my parents decided that we would be moving to the
United States to look for a better life. When my parents told my sister and me, we were very excited but did not
understand the challenges this change would bring.
Nací en México y allí viví con mis padres y mi hermana mayor. Mientras crecía, mi hermana era mi mejor amiga y
jugábamos juntas todo el día. Cuando cumplí 3 años, mis padres decidieron que nos mudaríamos a los Estados Unidos
para buscar una vida mejor. Cuando mis padres nos dijeron a mi hermana y a mí, estábamos muy emocionados pero no
entendíamos los desafíos que traería este cambio.
Months later as a family we packed our suitcase, but we didn’t go to the airport like I thought. Instead, my dad crossed the
Mexican border, my mom went alone on a train and my sister and I went with two strangers who drove us to the U.S. We
were scared, but a couple days later we saw our parents again and we left to continue our journey them.
Meses después, como familia, empacamos nuestra maleta, pero no fuimos al aeropuerto como esperaba. En cambio, mi
padre cruzó la frontera mexicana, mi madre se fue sola en un tren y mi hermana y yo nos fuimos con dos extraños que
nos llevaron a los Estados Unidos. Estábamos asustados, pero un par de días después volvimos a ver a nuestros padres
y nos fuimos con ellos.
Our journey continued. We drove all the way to Washington State.
Nuestro viaje continuó. Hicimos un viaje por carretera hasta el estado de Washington.
We got settled in a house. We started our new life in our new home.
Nos instalamos en una casa. Ahora esta sería nuestra nueva vida y nuestro nuevo hogar.
When I was growing up, I was always treated differently because of the color of my skin, but I never understood why.
Creciendo, siempre recibí un trato diferente debido al color de mi piel, pero nunca entendí por qué.
Getting treated differently is not a good feeling, but slowly I started to believe that people with lighter skin were better than
me.
Recibir un trato diferente no es un buen sentimiento, pero lentamente comencé a creer que las personas con piel más
clara eran mejores que yo.
My momma always told my sister and me that no one could ever know that we were immigrants. We did not understand
what that meant, but we listened and kept it a secret.
Mi mamá siempre nos dijo a mi hermana y a mí que nadie podría saber que éramos inmigrantes. No entendimos lo
que eso significaba, pero lo escuchamos y lo mantuvimos en secreto.
When I got to high school, I kept the secret my momma told me to keep, but by this time I understood why. We did not
come to the United States legally so Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could break my family apart and take
us back to Mexico. I did not want to go back because Washington State had become my home.
Cuando llegué a la escuela secundaria, guardé el secreto que mi mamá me dijo que guardara, pero para entonces
entendía por qué. No vinimos a los Estados Unidos legalmente, entonces el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de
Aduanas (ICE) pudiera separar a mi familia y llevarnos de regreso a México. No quería volver porque el estado de
Washington era mi hogar ahora.
I was scared of people finding out I was an immigrant so I would lie to my friends and tell them I was born in Washington.
Temia que la gente descubriera que era inmigrante, así que les mentía a mis amigos y decía que había nacido en
Washington.
One day, I was walking home from school and I saw a crowd of people. It seemed like they were protesting. As I got
closer, I realized they were also immigrants just like me, and they were holding up signs saying, “Don’t separate my
family” and “Undocumented and Unafraid”.
Un día, caminaba a casa desde la escuela y vi una multitud de personas. Parecía que estaban protestando. A medida
que me acercaba, me di cuenta de que también eran inmigrantes como yo, y estaban sosteniendo carteles que decían:
"No separen a mi familia" y "Indocumentados y sin miedo".
I had never told my friends that I was an immigrant and I was very shy, so I didn’t like to talk to strangers. On this day, I
suddenly felt encouraged to talk in front of a crowd of protester and tell them about my life.
Nunca les dije a mis amigos que era indocumentada y que era muy tímida, así que no me gustaba hablar con extraños.
En este día, me anime a hablar frente a una multitud de manifestantes y contarles sobre mi vida.
That’s when I joined them because I was no longer afraid. The people just seemed so welcoming, it is hard to explain but
it just felt like home and it felt safe. I felt like I had a voice. They were people like me. They were also immigrants, but they
were not afraid to say or show it.
Fue entonces cuando me uní a ellos porque ya no tenía miedo. La gente parecía tan acogedora, es difícil de explicar,
pero se sentía como en casa y me sentía segura. Sentí que tenía una voz. Eran personas como yo, también eran
indocumentados, pero no tenían miedo de decirlo o mostrarlo.
After that day, I realized that even though I am an immigrant and I wasn’t born in Washington State, I have the right to
speak up and stand up for myself and my rights, I am equal to everyone else. Being an “illegal” immigrant does not define
who I am because I am a hardworking, loving, and respectful person. I am an American even thought I was born in
Michoacán, Mexico and have brown skin.
Después de ese día, me di cuenta de que, aunque soy indocumentada y no nací en los Estados Unidos, tengo derecho a
hablar, defenderme y defender mis derechos, soy igual a todos los demás. Ser un inmigrante “ilegal” no define quién soy
porque soy una persona trabajadora, amorosa y respetuosa. Soy Americana aunque naci en Michoacan, Mexico y tengo
piel morena.
Today, I am part of these protests and a protester. I am a voice for all my brothers and sisters that are living in fear
because…
Hoy, soy parte de estas protestas y un manifestante. Soy una voz para todos mis hermanos y hermanas que viven con
miedo porque ...
WE ARE UNDOCUMENTED AND UNAFRAID!
¡SOMOS INDOCUMENTADOS Y SIN MIEDO!
I AM BOTH.
YESSICA CANCINO grew up
in Kennewick, Washington. She is
working on getting her BA in
Elementary Education at
Washington State University. She
has two younger sisters whom she
loves reading stories to. This is the
first book she has written and
illustrated.

Jacket illustrations Copyright © 2019

By Yessica Cancino
New York
Hawthorne Press