The American Dream
Joseph Molina Flynn was born in Medellin, Colombia, and he experienced the pain of guerrilla warfare of 1980s Colombia before coming to America. As a young boy, he always had a strong sense of justice. His mother and grandmother (always his North Star) said that he should be “the people’s lawyer,“ but that was a far away dream for young boy living in war-torn Colombia. His dream of fighting for justice was only emblazoned when the guerrillas knocked on his door to announce that they had killed his beloved uncle. How can a young boy make sense of such evil nonsense. How can he and his family ever get over such a trauma?
I often say that “it is written.“ Sometimes, I think our destinies are established before we even come into this world. Joseph Molina arrived in America and began his life here in the great city of Central Falls. Educated in Pawtucket’s public schools, he dropped out of high school because, although he was among the top in his class, at that time, he was undocumented and without much hope of ever using his education. Like so many other talented immigrants, he did what he had to do to survive and to help his family: work.
He began working, and, as he matured into a young adult and as he was able to legalize his immigration status, he also faced another challenge: he realized that he was gay. America is great and offers many opportunities, and Joseph is grateful to have met the man of his dreams, Chris, an American who loves him and vowed to support him in his journey to become an attorney and to fight to vindicate all that he and his family, and so many others, had suffered. Joseph and Chris married, and they migrated to Michigan for Joseph to pursue his dream of attending law school.
Once a newly minted lawyer, Joseph knew his passion and destiny was to become an immigration lawyer, helping others like him and his family who were leaving war-torn countries in search of the American dream. His work, doubly important in the difficult era we call Trump, takes place every day throughout the courts and streets of Rhode Island where Joseph helps immigrants navigate our crazy and scary immigration system.
Learn more about the “ins and outs” of the life of attorney Joseph Molina Flynn by tuning in to this week’s episode of “Que Onda Con Donna.”
“¿Que Onda? con Donna” can be seen on YurView – Cox Channels 4 and 1004 – Tuesdays at 7:30pm, Wednesdays at 8:30pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8pm.
The author, Donna M. Nesselbush, is a founding partner at Marasco & Nesselbush Law, a Rhode Island State Senator and Municipal Court Judge for the City of Pawtucket. She hosts a Spanish language Saturday morning radio show on Latina 100.3 fm and the “¿Que Onda? con Donna” TV show.
