Update: On Monday night, the Dallas skyline will be lighted gold in honor of the #BeGolden campaign. This story originally appeared on April 6, when the campaign was announced, and has been updated.

Alfredo Duarte arrived in America crammed in the trunk of a car with five other people.

The year was 1975, and Duarte, then 17, sought a better life from the one he knew in Mexico. His family was so poor that they couldn't afford shoes or new underwear.

Now, 43 years later, Duarte has his own company, Taxco Produce, which employs 110 people. The former unauthorized immigrant is now a U.S. citizen.

Edward J. Burns, bishop of Dallas, gives the invocation at a Draft Day ceremony at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep on July 28, 2017 in Dallas. Burns, as well as other faith leaders and local government officials, are leading the #BeGolden campaign. (Special Contributor / Jeffrey McWhorter)

"Two years ago, I became an American citizen because of the way things started turning with the new government and the feeling of the country," Duarte, 60, said. "Right now, the perception toward immigrants and immigration is not very friendly."

Duarte is not alone in that sentiment. That's why he's excited about a new, yearlong campaign sparked by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and joined by other faith leaders, local government officials and organizations including The Dallas Morning News and its parent company, A. H. Belo Corporation.

It's called #BeGolden, and the message is simple: Treat others the way you want to be treated, à la the Golden Rule, with a specific focus on immigrants.

"We need to be reminded to be golden," said Bishop Edward Burns.

"What we're seeing in this country is a rhetoric toward immigrants that's heightened to the point of increasing the fears within our society and our communities. And it's important for us in the church to continue to acknowledge the dignity of every person and their God-given rights for a better life."

The campaign encourages people to gain a better understanding of why the immigrants in their communities came to the U.S.

It's experiences like Duarte's.

He didn't know anything about American culture when he arrived in Los Angeles by car. He picked up English words by listening to music and watching TV shows like I Love Lucy. He worked odd jobs -- as a machinist, as a house painter, sending most of the money to his family in Mexico.

In time, he married, got a green card and slowly established a life in America. He had two kids. In 1983, he moved to Dallas and, soon after, started Taxco Produce.

Throughout the year, #BeGolden will feature video testimonies and events to further the discussion, with updates and information appearing on www.begoldenjourney.com, as well as social media via #BeGolden on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"What it's trying to do is change the perception," said Duarte, who's part of the bishop's immigration task force. "To make people see us, immigrants, a little bit differently. That we're not threatening anybody. We are part of this economy, we want to be part of this great country and we have invested a lot of time. We have our families, we've got our homes, we have kids that are American citizens. We need for people to feel different about it. We can find a way to fix the problem."

On Saturday, Burns was joined by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to talk about #BeGolden at the Dallas Festival of Ideas. On Monday night, the Dallas skyline will be lighted gold in honor of the campaign.

"There are some who are in fear of those coming to this country," Burns said. "They listen to the rhetoric that they may be criminals. That they're going to come and get our jobs. That they're going to come and take our resources. That they're going to come and there's not going to be enough for us.

"The immigrant community, they're coming here because they're in need," he said. "They want security. They want safety. They want a better life for their children. They want the best for their families.

"Everyone in this country wants that."