[ [link removed] ]John Fetterman


Hey, John — it's Gisele Barreto
Fetterman!

I wanted to send you a quick message to ask if you'd be able to [ [link removed] ]send
$5 our way to
support my husband Joao's campaign for Senate.

If you're in a hurry and are in a position to chip in, then we'd both be
so deeply grateful for your support. But, if you have a bit longer to
spare today, I was hoping I could take a moment to share a piece of my
story with you.

With Hispanic Heritage Month coming to a close at the end of this week,
I've been thinking a lot about my heritage + my journey immigrating to the
U.S. Just before my eighth birthday, my mother came home with a suitcase
and told me to pack my favorite things. She said we were going on an
adventure. My mother decided that the violence surrounding us in Rio de
Janeiro was too frequent and normalized for us to stay, so we left in
search of hope and opportunity.

[ [link removed] ]The happiest memories back in Brazil with my late grandmother, Bibi

The happiest memories back in Brazil with my late grandmother, Bibi

My mother knew she wanted to give us a better, safer life. But it meant
leaving behind our whole world — our family, our friends, our home. We
moved to the U.S., a new country where we knew no one and didn’t speak the
language.

Like so many undocumented immigrants, we were forced to live in the
shadows, constantly looking over our shoulders. We worked hard and kept
our heads low.

But having to remain invisible for over a decade often made me feel like
we did not belong. I soon realized this feeling was shared by many other
immigrants and underrepresented groups.

Still, we were so happy and grateful to be here. We quickly fell in love
with our new home and community. My mother never once looked back. She was
an American from the day she got off the plane.

[ [link removed] ]In New York shortly after my family and I arrived in the U.S.

In New York shortly after my family and I arrived in the U.S. 

One night, we came across a curb that was covered in furniture — couches,
beds, dressers — all of it perfect in my eyes, but abandoned. When I found
out the furniture had been put there to be picked up by a truck, crushed,
and thrown away, I was shocked — especially since we had no furniture. We
had just come from a country with such poverty, where so many people had
so little. My eight-year-old brain could not understand why we were
destroying things that were perfect.

My family found value in these items that others deemed garbage. We ended
up furnishing our first apartment with found furniture from our
neighborhood. This moment sparked my lifelong pursuit to reduce waste,
fight food insecurity, and find the beauty in things others have
discarded.

As an immigrant, you have a different perspective. It’s a mindset that
extends, by necessity, beyond objects. Because it’s not just things that
are discarded and disregarded; there are many people who feel they have
been too.

[ [link removed] ]Rio

Rio ❤️

It is my life's honor to be the first-ever Latina to serve as the Second
Lady of Pennsylvania. Yet to this day I receive hate mail — even more than
my husband, an actual politician! The vast majority of this hate mail
refers explicitly to my immigration history. Just last year, I was
accosted in a grocery store by a woman who hurled racist slurs at me and
told me I did not belong in America.

In spite of those occasional tough moments, I wouldn't trade my experience
being a formerly undocumented immigrant for anything. My story makes me
who I am.

[ [link removed] ]Family

Family ❤️

Fun fact: Did you know in Brazil we speak Portuguese and not Spanish?

Thank you for reading all of that! I'm so thankful for the outpouring of
love and support from people like you.

By now, you probably know that asking for donations on behalf of Joao's
campaign does NOT come naturally to me. I always feel so awkward!!! So
trust me when I tell you that I wouldn't be asking for your support if it
weren't so deeply crucial to the future of our campaign. [ [link removed] ]But if you can
spare $5 or any amount at all today, it'd make such a
difference. And we couldn't be more grateful.

[ [link removed] ]Contribute

All my love,

Gisele ❤️

Gisele Barreto Fetterman
Second Lady of Pennsylvania (SLOP)

P.S. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of talking to BeLatina
magazine about my experience as a Latina immigrating to the U.S. You can
read the full article by [ [link removed] ]clicking here!


 


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