Hi — can I tell you a story?

In the 1940s, a young Puerto Rican woman bravely walked out of a fraught marriage and took a risk moving her two young kids to the Bronx in New York City. Though she spoke limited English, she was able to secure a job working in a garment factory and enrolled her kids in New York public schools with the hope they would get to have the education she never did.

That woman was my grandmother, Sergia Santiago. When she left Puerto Rico, my grandmother began my family’s journey of social mobility via public education, encouraging my mother’s love for learning and supporting my mom as the first person in the family to attend college.

My grandmother was one of the strongest women I’ve ever known, and to this day, nothing will ever taste better than her homemade arroz con pollo.

When my daughters were young, my wife Melissa and I were very conscious of exposing the girls to their Puerto Rican heritage. One of our favorite books we read together was “When I was Puerto Rican” by Esmerelda Santiago, which tells the story of a family that must leave their home in Puerto Rico for New York in search of a better life — an immigrant experience very close to that of my family.

Mine and so many other family’s immigration stories are ones of great sacrifices made in hopes of a brighter future. It was because of the sacrifices my grandmother made to support my family that I had such amazing opportunities: graduating from three Ivy League schools and serving as U.S. Secretary of Education.

Now, I’m running to be the first Afro-Latino governor in American history. I am so proud of my Hispanic heritage, and I hope to honor my grandmother by making history as the first-ever Black and Puerto Rican governor of Maryland.

Our campaign has a major fundraising deadline coming up next week, and it’s crucial that we keep up the momentum to support our historic run for governor. If you can, please contribute today so that together we can make history: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blu-king_q3_em

Thank you for reading my story and believing in my campaign,

John King