French Montana has been named the first ambassador of I Stand With Immigrants, an initiative that highlights empowering immigration stories and the ways immigrants have positively contributed to the country.
French recalls his early days of immigrating from Morocco to New York City in a newly released video. French talks about the struggles he faced in a foreign country and how they shaped him into the artist and man 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 said. “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.” He continued, “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.”
In honor of this new title, French launched a coding fellowship program, Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship Program, which will provide immigrant youth living in the Bronx with education resources.
“On behalf of The Knowledge House, I am grateful to be partnering with French Montana to bring our technology programs to Bronx youth from immigrant families,” said Jerelyn Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO of The Knowledge House. “As the daughter of immigrants, I know first hand how important it is to put resources in the hands of people as they work towards realizing the American Dream. Our technology programs have helped an average of 3 out of 4 of our graduates land their first job in tech. With French Montana’s support we can make sure hundreds of Bronx youth launch life changing careers in technology.”
