French Montana Becomes The First 'I Stand With Immigrants' Ambassador

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French Montana Has Been Named Ambassador For I Stand With Immigrants

French Montana, who immigrated from Morocco to New York City as a child, has officially been named the first ambassador of I Stand With Immigrants–a campaign initiative that highlights empowering immigration stories and the ways immigrants have positively contributed to the country.

The rapper opened up about his own immigration journey in a newly released video, where he discusses the struggles that he personally faced in a foreign country and how those hardships shaped him into the person he is today.

“You’re trying to fit into this world that you knew nothing about. You’re trying to mold yourself around this world that somebody just pushed you in,” French explains in the video. “When I first came here, they used to show us the skyline; I thought I was going to go to some big penthouse in the middle of 42nd Street. They took us right to the back of the Bronx. You know the Bronx: You got Little Italy, you got the Jews, you have the Africans, you got the Puerto Ricans, you got the Jamaicans. Honestly, that’s the best thing that can happen to a person coming up: You get to experience all kinds of cultures.”

French just launched the Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship Program in partnership with The Knowledge House and immigration advocacy group FWD.us. The program aims to support immigrant youth living in the Bronx by providing education resources for them. Montana also partnered with FWD.us—the organization behind I Stand With Immigrants—on a special edition I Stand With Immigrants T-shirt. The piece is available online for $25 and a portion of the proceeds will go to support DACA renewal fees.

Check out the video for yourself down below to hear more: