Dear Omi,
Thank you for your grit. Thank you for your perseverance. Thank you for leaning into the improbable odds of escaping Hitler’s genocide and surviving nine years in the unplumbed and overcrowded refugee ghettos of Shanghai. Thank you for your tenacity to hope that your family could one day thrive where democracy and justice work hand-in-hand with compassion to welcome the tired, the weary, and all huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
When I was ten-years-old and couldn’t put a camera down, you called Michael Eisner's personal secretary (no relation, but nothing stops Omi) and told them to make room in Hollywood for your grandson Benjamin. Ever since then, I have dedicated the unwavering determination and persistence you taught me to tell liberating stories that stand up for our basic human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Thank you Omi for being my number one fan forever.
Benjamin