Opinionated Post #1

This is the monthly aspect of the program where I, your adorable teenage activist, state my opinions on issues occurring within the world, country, or even just my community and try and spread the word. If this becomes big enough and y'all love the concept, I'll make a poll with ideas for my next Opinionated Page. Now, this is November's Post and I realize it is December. I was incredibly busy within the past few months so I am only now getting to discuss the issue that plagued November and has unfortunately dragged throughout this month as well.

November: Police Brutality

Courtesy of Tumblr

I know, I know I should have started off with something that isn't so controversial for my first "Opinionated Post"... but I didn't. Police brutality has been occurring within the world for an incredibly long time, yet within the United States, many are just beginning to realize the proportion of these events in history. What if I told you that in my home state of Utah within the past year there thirteen homicides due to law enforcement? This statistic also shows that within the past five years, 15% of homicides in the state were caused by law enforcement. You may think to  yourself, it must be justifiable! But what if it isn't? Recent incidents like the murder of Michael Brown, the brutalization and murder of Eric Garner, the murder of Antonio Martin, the murders of fourteen other teenagers , and the ongoing protests against the lack of indictments towards police officers beg to differ that everyone in this nation is safe from harm. Police officers have gotten away with murder, rape, assault, sexual harassment, and many other heinous crimes with self-defense claims and complete denial. 

In My Opinion:  Let me say this very clearly, I am a straight, white, middle-class female who comes from an affluent town that is primarily white as well. I recognize the privileges I receive because I am of a certain socioeconomic standing as well as my racial background. I say this only because recently the correlation of police brutality and race have grown quite close. This has left many to believe that institutionalized racism and other forms of discrimination are still entirely real within the United States. 

Courtesy of Dream Defenders

Honestly, at first when I heard about cases such as Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, I was shocked. Absolutely shocked by the fact that young teenagers almost the same age as me were dying across the country by the police. I put myself in their shoes whenever I heard a new case, which let me tell you is more than just a few. Could you imagine walking down the street with your friends, your significant other, or even just by yourself and feel like someone was watching you and feared you? Could you imagine playing with a nerf gun or a plastic sword as a kid and get shot by the police for it? Could you imagine telling your children not to "look suspicious" or like "thugs" even when they may be incredibly kind and intelligent kids? To me, it sounds like the plot of a dystopian novel. 

Courtesy of Huffington Post

What scares me the most about an issue like this is the believability of every event. I am no longer surprised when I hear about someone being beaten to a pulp by the NYPD or a protestor murdered because they seek the end of police brutality. It's unsettling to say the least that I have become desensitized by police brutality because it is constantly occurring. Say all reports of police brutality were actually submitted, including the ones that were unjustifiable, perhaps people would take a stand against this. This doesn't mean to discredit those that already have, there are loads of organizations, protests, and discussions about police brutality occurring at the moment. Yet there seems to be no punishment for these heinous crimes, and as long as there is no change in our executive branch, more lives will be taken, more people will be scarred, and more people will feel afraid in this nation.

Need more evidence? Check out the links on my new archive for Opinionated Posts: My Monthly Issues. 

The Darkness After... The End

I'll admit, I'm not the most reliable author when it comes to reviewing books. My emotions get in the way most of the time and my overall opinion can become quite biased. Since this is my last post discussing The Darkness After, I decided that I will try and remain as positive as possible. So in this final blog post I will discuss what I think I would do in the situation of a post-apocalyptic world, specifically one affected by solar flares like in The Darkness After. Now, just to put myself in the shoes of the characters I will be unable to use electricity, cars made after 1980, and any form of communication. 

And so it begins...

If the solar flare occurred at school:

The solar flare hit the world of The Darkness After in the middle of the weekday so I would most likely be at school when this occurred. At first, everything would be just fine, no internet = no online homework, no printers = no paper homework... so I would have no homework. It would be a lovely change! Now not all of the changes would be lovely in a school setting, take for instance the fact that there would be no heating, no cooling, and definitely no light going throughout the entire school. If you thought school was a dungeon before the solar flare your definition of horrible would change drastically. Many high schoolers who could drive legally wouldn't be able to due to the fact that most have cars built prior to 1990 and wouldn't be able to function. Yay for human power! Since there would be no bus systems, walking, biking, and other alternative forms of transportation would see a rise. 

What would Grace do?

Funny you asked! In this circumstance I think I would actually end up eating my entire lunch rather than the one or two bites I usually get in. Why is this weird you may ask? Well, if I have to buy enough food to last until the world recovered I would need to walk at least a mile in order to get to the nearest grocery store. 

That's right people, I'm actually getting cardio!
It may have taken an apocalypse but hey I'm getting in shape!

After I had entered said grocery store, I would buy as many unperishable items my poor high school student budget could afford. I would then store these in my bag as well as pepper spray, a hunting knife, and a roll of duct tape. I mean, c'mon you never know when you'll need duct tape. It can be used for all sorts of things, including shoes if you dare to wear them. It would be impervious to pack or purchase rope, matches, lighters, blankets, and a change of clothing/shoes in case of an emergency. Yes, blankets can be used in an emergency not just for bed time.

Now, if you expect me to attempt this journey alone, you are quite mistaken. I would grab my closest friends (names to remain disclosed) and head towards our houses. The issue here would be whether or not to live in the homes until we ran out of food. Another decision to be made is whether to break up and go alone. This is when a young and emotional Grace would ask herself, "Do I value my friendships enough to save them as well as me?" And as every horror movie ever has taught me, I would make the good decision (hopefully) and choose to stick with a small group of friends. But I mean, the chances of me making a well thought out decision in this circumstance is quite unlikely.

I'm assuming on behalf of the group that we would stay in the house with the most food and transition with or without families to other houses until all food resources were empty. From this point we would need to break out our imperishable items we bought at the beginning and go on a small post-apocalyptic camping trip!

Even the thought of camping is exciting!

Considering that I live in a highly recreational area, nearly everyone I know would have camping materials. We would need to stock up on gallons of water, whatever food we had, resources to built and keep us safe, and backpack up to the top of the mountains. Animals tend to live towards the lower areas of the forest (minus say birds and squirrels) as there are more resources by water which tends to flow in valleys. The animals we would need to watch out for would be mountain lions and bobcats, in which case the hunting abilities of my friends would come into play. I mean, I'd help of course but they can handle the beast whilst I paint my nails in serenity.

Now that I think about it, the possibilities of me surviving without electricity are much higher than I would have suspected. Even as I sit underneath lights, next to my phone, typing on my laptop, my faith in myself has increased a lot. Actually, in retrospect that was one of my goals to find out more about survival and conquering the world. I guess you could say The Darkness After has proved me wrong about my own abilities! Ha ha! So I did learn something from this experience! 

It's been a rad time, even though I was mainly complaining and moaning about the book most of the time. I'll see you when I see you, or I'll see the page views when you read my blog... nope that doesn't have the same ring to it. Well, whenever we meet again, get ready for another round of awesome blog posts!

The Darkness After I Read More of the Book

Sooo... remember how last time I was complimenting this book like no other and was really trying to remain unbiased and pretty positive? Well, about that, the seas of change are upon us and everything has differed now that I've truly gotten the feel about what this book truly is, or even better, what it isn't. Now I'm not going to say I hate it, not even loathe, despise, or ultimately abhor The Darkness After, but if I am to remain the transparent author I wish to be I might as well say...

I can't stand this book.

Don't get me wrong or anything, it is an okay novel, but that is all it is. It is a mediocre tale of something that could be much more memorable and how should I put it, exciting. The plot has gone static which is the equivalent of rye toast going stale. It's crunchy in all the wrong places and you just want to regurgitate the pages you've read in the hopes you'd get some time back for the time you spent eating it all up. It would definitely not be on my "Best Books Ever" list nor would it be on the "You Must Read This NOW!" list, hell The Darkness After is only on one list right now and it's the "I Wouldn't Mind If You "Borrowed" This From Me and Never Gave It Back" list. 

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but once an author mistakes "its" for "it's" or "were" for "wear" I'm already close to shutting the book forever. Perhaps it's an editor's mistake, maybe the publisher didn't notice, whatever excuse I don't want to hear it because it shouldn't happen over three times. That's right, call me a snob, but it is perfectly fine for any reasonable person to expect meticulous grammar from something they waited two weeks and spent around twenty dollars in total for.

I started this book optimistically until my friend Julia warned me of the road ahead, I took heed of the warning, yet I didn't expect this road to be so bumpy. If you truly want an unbiased (and probably less dramatized) version of this story, look for the Superwoman, bright and cheery blog of Madame Molly. Jules' warnings were simple, like "oh the plot gets stationary" and "April becomes a cry-baby" (we book nerds are blunt in our character analysis) but at least I didn't go into this book expecting a miracle child. Unfortunately, I gave this book more hope that I should have leaving me disappointed. Here are a few of my reasons:

1. Badass or Just Stereotypical Teenage Mom?
• April Gibbs started off as a dynamic, strong, and mysterious character whom the readers were interested in. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't be interested in a gal who kills a guy with only a knife and her pure courage within the first few chapters? Unfortunately her motives seemed to be holding her back. She needs to get to her baby. Oh yep she has a baby to get to. Oh did you hear about April? She has a baby to save! I. Get. It. Already. Maybe it's a lack of empathy considering I am no teenage mother, but do you really have to say "I need to get to my Kimberley" in every other sentence? I think not Scott B. Williams!
• April was strong! She was almost at a Katniss level of emotional detachment... but the writing style has made her seem basic and almost prepared for a post-apocalyptic world? Who is truly ready for a solar flare hitting the earth? Not me, that's for sure but that doesn't give the writer any right to make her static just because she knows how to wield a knife.
2. Just Kiss The Girl!
• Do you ever read something or watch a TV show and you just want to shove two characters together and make them kiss because they have so much unnecessary sexual tension? Yeah, that's Mitch in a nutshell with his one-sided relationship with April. Buddy, either you get over it and realize you'll never be a thing (so I don't have to hear the same whining over and over again) or kiss her already. It shouldn't be this hard just to tell a girl who you're practically rooming the apocalypse with that you have feelings for. It isn't middle school Mitchy-poo, if you're strong enough to kill two men with a bow you can build up the courage to talk to her about your feelings.
3. The <shudder> Writing Style

   

   My reaction to unrealistic dialogue

• I read monologues and dialogues all the time, it's an actor thing I guess, but that's what I do! I've read plays kids have written and some of the pros of the industry. But what really gets me is when dialogue doesn't sound even slightly realistic. You want proof? I handed the book over to my eleven year old brother and even he agreed with me that it didn't sound human, "slightly robotic" were his words. He said he'd probably read it for a while, but it would bug him too. Humans need to sound human. Period.

I guess I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to reading whether it be assigned or not. Either way, I hate to say it, but I'm rushing through this novel in the hopes of finishing it. I started off optimistic, but now it just can't get any worse. Perhaps you could say I'm heartbroken with all the opportunities this book missed. Maybe even a bit disheartened, but overall I'm just disappointed <insert disapproving parental look> but I will still maintain that slight sliver of hope that it will get better!

The Darkness After Checkpoint #1

In a post-apocalyptic world, who would you be? Would you be a leader who ruthlessly, and courageously defends your group? Or would you be a solo survivor, constantly looking out for yourself and only yourself? Or, would you be a surprising twist of a character who has more skills than one would imagine? If you said the last answer, you're probably a lot like April from The Darkness After. The novel tells of a world that has lost electricity due to a spontaneous power surge and narrates the story of a young secretive girl named April and the daring archer, Mitch.

I know what you're thinking, oh look another teenage dystopian romance! Nope. Not even close. April is a tough, independent, and sharp girl who is desperately trying to get back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and won't mess around doing so. She's admirable in the sense that she doesn't give into fear, rather April shows her fierceness within the first chapter when she escapes being attacked, and kills one of her attackers, and nearly runs out one of her other attackers! She seems a bit distanced from the world, allowing her to have the secrets that she foreshadows to in the first few chapters. Mainly, April is fierce and resilient making her definitely my first choice for a favorite character but we will discuss Mitch later!

My only issue with April, or maybe just the writing style of the author so far is the static and almost predictable inner monologues April has and the decisions she chooses. Although I applaud her for not showing weakness too often, the lack of emotional connection between the reader and the character of April is unsettling. By the time I got half way through the book her major secret of being a mother was a shock, but the narrative of getting to her baby was just laborious. Call it a lack of spontaneity, emotional connection, whatever you choose April gives the readers a cold shoulder.

Now, I can't speak too much about what I dislike about April because if I was in The Darkness After, I probably wouldn't last that long anyways. Considering that April had her first kill within the first chapter and Mitch had his in the prologue, there's a ability I lack that they all have. I don't think I could truly kill a person unless it was out of self defense. So I guess in that circumstance, maybe I could survive the ruthless world April and Mitch face, but I don't have that much faith in my self.

I mean, c'mon Grace in a dystopia just wouldn't work out.

Although I've always thought of myself as comic relief, I realize I overanalyze things to a point that I'm definitely more of a Hermione than a Ron Weasley. Yep, there's some Harry Potter referencing for you! I feel that I would be a death (I mean we've already stated I wouldn't last long) that people would remember and cherish, something The Fault in Our Stars heartbreaking enough. So if you've understood my multiple book references, I feel like I would be a comedic yet intelligent member of the group who would eventually screw up and wind up dead somehow.

Death by pun is truly a noble way to die in my opinion.

So far, I'm enjoying The Darkness After even though I sense a stationary plot beginning. I hope that the plot will remain spontaneous and that the characters won't dull out and become the teenage post-apocalyptic cliche we all know and moderately despise. I mean, c'mon you can only pull the Hunger Games plot out of so many books before it gets old. Although, the fact that April has a secret besides the fact that she has a baby and the ambiguity of Mitch's past and his motives leaves much room for character development and the makings of a great story! You can infer that April's mysterious past will be revealed, most likely to her dismay when most secrets are discovered, and that this will probably negatively affect her future. Mitch is a bit of a wild card; so far we know he's on his own, but he's searching for his sister. The fact that he's already killed a few people proves that he's willing to take risks to get what he needs. His sister may or may not even be alive, same circumstance with April and her child, but the hope that they have makes them act spontaneously. Get ready for some surprises folks!

How Did I Get Here

Ever wonder how Grace got to Utah? Well... this is kind of the gist of it all!

A Summer Analyzing Immigration Comes to a Close

As this summer slowly bids ado to millions of students around the world, the topic on every child's mind is about the upcoming school year. Concerns over classes, friends, and even arbitrary things like the perfect outfit to wear have been floating through the mind's of youth all over for the past few weeks. These petty concerns are the last thing on the mind of immigrants beginning school this year. In the past year, over 60,000 unaccompanied youth have entered the United States, most of which will join the American education system this year as well. The worries these upcoming students face are a trifle more frightening than walking into the wrong class on the first day. Say for example, not having parents to come home to, not speaking the language, and even never having an education in their lifetime. Talk about a reason for anxiety.

A chart describing the cities across the U.S. facing the highest net total migration.
Courtesy of citylab.com

A report on MSNBC's NewsNation with USA Today Columnist and attorney Raul Reyes discussed the issues immigrant children across the country will be facing this school year. As there has been a massive influx of children immigrating to the United States, many states are preparing larger classroom sizes and higher education budgets for this school year. This all stems from the fact that any American child, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to a free public education according to federal law. So this means that upwards of 50,000 children will be entering the school system this year, impacting classes across the country.

Raul Reyes pointed out that besides acculturating and assimilating to the American education system that many migrant students will have barely begun to do the same in their homes. Reyes stated that not only will these students need an education, they will also require counseling, social support, and even mental health services due to the chaos they faced coming to the United States. This is an additional ton of stress placed onto their shoulders as they begin the school year this fall.

In The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande wasn't educated until she was about ten years old. In Mexico she learned the basics of living, but nothing like a true school could teach her. In Iguala it was very rare for children to go to school unless they were from highly affluent families. Since Reyna and her siblings were nothing of the sort, they didn't get an education until they arrived in the United States in 1985. Like the children coming from Honduras and other Central American countries with poor education systems, assimilating into the daily routine of schooling was no easy task for Reyna and her siblings. Reyna's name was changed on her first day of school from Reyna Grande Rodriguez to simply Reyna Grande, a simple alteration that began her acculturation. Her sister Mago even began calling herself Maggie as it was easier for the teachers and students to pronounce. In order to become a part of the system, they had to give up small things that made them special in Mexico.

The process of acculturation
Courtesy of hispanic-marketing

Acculturation is one of the longest processes immigrants face once entering a new country. Once you enter a country it seems as if the culture is thrust upon you, either you catch on immediately or you eventually pick it up. For immigrants, the transition can be shorter than desired. By having to cross language barriers, economic differences, and ethnic characteristics many give up their previous culture in order to become one of the country they now reside. Whether it be simple things like last names in Reyna's case, or larger alterations like they way one dresses, assimilation often has immigrants leaving behind their culture for something new. Children coming into the country in the past year have to face the stress of finding their identity in a new country as well as finding a sense of belonging at school, which is often an unheard of system for them as well.

Many of the children coming into the United States at the moment are coming from countries with poor to no public education what so ever. According to the report on NewsNation, thousands of immigrants have come from Honduras, a country that the UN reports has the lowest ranking education in Central American countries. Yet, the integration of immigrants hasn't been a problem before in the school system, especially in states like California, New York, Florida, and Texas. These states have seen immigrants coming from all over the world in the last fifty years joining the school system.

As a student currently enrolled in federally required public school, it's easy to see the difficulties it takes to join public school. The city I live in is fairly affluent and advanced, so we have wonderful programs that help children become the best and brightest they can be. Every year there are new students, especially Hispanic newcomers to the school. This is no surprise, living in Utah immigrants find their way to my home state often. It's not hard to notice those who fall behind because of the language barrier, no matter how hard English learning programs try to enforce the language. It's an interesting predicament because the students can see the elephant in the room, but we tend to avoid it. That's where the stereotypes and lower pathways spurt from, avoiding the situation at hand.

Courtesy of thelifedivine

Although thousands of students must acculturate to the new society they'll be living in, we cannot have a stigma about these newcomers. It's important to help the modern immigrants of today into our society, whether they choose to assimilate or not. Many are fleeing violence, drugs, economic insecurity, and are just hoping for a better life in the lovely country many of us take for granted. Like our ancestors who immigrated here, the modern immigrant comes with a dream. These dreams are to be taken seriously, and never sidetracked just because of their status. Stigmas, bias, and stereotyping has only led us so far, and no one wants to find themselves on the wrong side of history years later. Perhaps my series has made you change your perspective on immigration, because it sure has altered mine.

We are all humans, and we are all dreamers, and that should be reason enough to let anyone achieve their dreams regardless of the status of their citizenship. 

Placing a Stay on Passion

Think of your passion. What drives you? What moves you to go the extra mile even if nobody notices? Is it playing a sport? Is it documenting events in order to become a journalist? Is it caring for people? Whatever it is, I would like to state that your passion is valid no matter who you are or what it may be as long as it is within good intentions. Now imagine having this desire, this dream, this passion of yours ripped from your hands for one and only one reason: you are an undocumented citizen.

Cesar Vargas, an undocumented immigrant
with dreams of being a New York lawyer
Courtesy of nytimes.com

That is the beginning of thousands of stories just like Cesar Vargas'; a passion temporarily put on hold due to the status of his citizenship. Cesar Vargas came to the United States from Mexico when he was five years old, nearly twenty-five years ago. Since immigrating from Mexico to New York State, Cesar Vargas had dreams of becoming a lawyer for the state. He had all the right credentials; he graduated college and law school with honors, interned for several highly powerful people, and passed the bar exam. The only thing he did not have was a perfect evaluation that checked both his background and his character. He passed the character evaluation with flying colors, the background check not so much. The committee recommended that Vargas not practice law, and sent his case and the cases of many other hopefuls to the Supreme Court and higher legislation.

Within the article the New York Times wrote about Vargas, they also discussed how several states are having issues about allowing undocumented immigrants perform law in the modern day. New York, California, Florida, and a few more states are considering amendments to the rules placed over immigrant status. The largest issues are the fact that under the program of deferred action, immigrants who were brought here illegally as children are authorized to work in any field, including law.

Vargas's focal argument is the fact that there is no clause about immigration in the admission to become a practicing lawyer. According to the New York Times, "The crux of his argument, he said, is a paragraph in state judiciary law that specifically precludes race, color, creed, national origin or “alienage” — being a foreigner — as grounds for prohibiting admission". So why are many like Vargas being denied the grounds to perform their passion over their immigration status? For that answer I suggest you turn to the news. Besides a few recent events, immigration reform is one of the single largest issues in the country. 

It was still a major issue back in the 1980's when Reyna Grande immigrated to the United States. Even as she grew up, it was clear that the dreams of immigrants were different than the dreams of citizens. Her passion for writing was never truly acknowledged until eighth grade. When she was in elementary school she entered in writing contests, but she never even placed. The results of her first competition were down putting to say the least, "Out of the eight books [Mrs. Anderson her teacher] chose, not even one was written by one of the kids at my table, the non-English speakers". Although like Vargas, being told she couldn't perform her passion only made her want to even more.

With the subject of immigration reform being so heated and controversial, it's helpful to take a few steps back and look at a few stories at a time to get a perspective on things. I'll admit, I didn't really start this project with a super open mind about immigration. Having middle class parents who work constantly to maintain that status, I always considered immigrants without green cards and paperwork to be freeloaders. Yet, we're all human, and we can never forget that. I stated that in my first piece and I will reiterate it once more. We all go through struggles, but no one deserves to be told that their passion or dream is invalid or should wait a little while.

In reality, we're all dreamers. From the ones we have subconsciously to the little things that keep us hoping for better, our goals are what make us human. As a teenager with barely a tenth of my life completed, the world seems like an open book. That's why it's so easy for someone like myself to relate to Reyna as she was growing up, optimistic, hopeful, and constantly dreaming. She wouldn't give up till she made her father proud, and writing was her freedom from the dreary horror she lived in. For myself, I adore helping people and trying to make things memorable. I'm quite the sentimental person, so I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor so that others could remember the time they got back on their feet with a little help. Reading tales like Cesar Vargas's make any dreamer gasp, how dare you stop someone from doing what they love because of something as arbitrary as their immigration status.

I know I had stated goals for this blog, one of those to have a goal for each post, but I've realized that each time I write, my perspective changes. Sometimes those goals sound lovely and highly attainable, but your dreams change, and so can your goals. But to all those with a passion, I wish you the greatest amount of luck because people will try to stop you. There will be barriers, some small and some large, but none you can't overcome. Perhaps the one dream we should all share is that in a year, two, or just eventually no one like Cesar Vargas, Reyna Grande, or even ourselves will be told we can't achieve something just because of where we come from.

Becoming Legal = Education and Citizenship

We began our discussion about youth immigrants in my last reflection, discussing the stereotypes of undocumented immigrants and the consequences this discrimination takes on in the modern day. Youth immigration has boomed in the last five years due to recent legislation allowing children considered refugees from unsafe countries to enter the United States and receive United States citizenship. Now, notice how I said children, not families. In the past year, over 65,000 children have immigrated to the United States from Central America all by themselves. Imagine traveling thousands of miles to a new country without your parents, hardly any resources (including food, water, and money), and the constant fear of being deported. Doesn't sound anywhere near exciting if you ask me. 

Nora Sandigo and a few of her children as they work on schoolwork.
Courtesy of veooz.com

While listening to NPR the other day, I tuned into a piece about a woman with 817 children. No, it's not the story you would expect. The podcast was about a woman named Nora Sandigo who became the legal guardian of 817 American children of undocumented immigrants. She protected these children in the case that their parents were deported; listing herself as the child's legal guardian and even temporarily sheltering a few children in desperate cases. Since the children were born in America and retain United States citizenship they face the danger of being sent into foster care or being adopted without a legal guardian in the United States.

When Reyna Grande came to El Otro Lado her father constantly reminded them about how impervious it was to keep the situation of their citizenship confidential. Unlike the children Nora Sandigo provides care for, Reyna and her siblings did not have any form of citizenship and could be effectively deported back to Mexico if anyone discovered their situation. Her father spent years and thousands of dollars to obtain green cards for his children so that they could become United States citizens. 

What I found interesting about both of these stories of immigrating to the United States was how both "parental" figures in each story found the importance of education. In The Distance Between Us, Reyna's father constantly reminds them about how a good education will affect their lives forever. When Reyna's sister Mago dropped out of community college, her father had a complete meltdown. All I could think of when Reyna graduated college was the fact that she truly made her father proud and stayed true to getting an American education, going to college, and making a living in the United States. Nora Sandigo tried to soften the pain of the children she sheltered by reminding them of how proud their parents would be because of their being in school, working hard, and not give up. 

Courtesy of arkansas.gov

Although in both cases there are many hardships of going to school constantly trying to hide your identity in Reyna's case, or just trying to forget your parent's situation in the case of Nora Sandigo's children. As many of these children come from non-English speaking countries, they must learn the language of their home in order to "reap the benefits" of being a citizen. Reyna described how even when she worked diligently in writing contests, her books, papers, and essays were treated differently because she was an "ESL kid". Likewise, the children Sandigo shelters have a hard time focusing and interacting with people at school. In many ways, these children had to acculturate to American citizenship and leave their past behind them. Whether it be by speaking a new language, or trying to forget about a broken family, immigrants to the United States face more issues being an American citizen than becoming one.

Even my Italian ancestry believed that by getting an education their children would have better lives in the United States. Since my grandpa and his siblings were very young when they immigrated to the U.S. crossing the language barrier wasn't as difficult an issue. It was an issue for my great grandparents instead. My grandpa told me about how when he was a little boy he would come home and tell his momma about all the things he learned in school each day, especially English. Every spelling test he took, short story he wrote, poem he brought home, all were heartily consumed by my great-grandparent's desire to learn the language of the country. It was difficult to say the least, even my grandpa still uses a bit of Italian in his speech, but everyone in my family benefits from the hard work my relatives made. 

Already having full citizenship to the United States being born here makes one appreciate how costly something like what I have is to other families, and all that they would sacrifice to have what I consider a birth right. Same with my education, I grew up appreciating it, but I never realized that if I lived in the Middle East or even in Central America, my learning experience would be totally different. As a fourth-generation of a once Italian immigrant family, I have fully acculturated to the life of being an American citizen. I have citizenship, I have an education, and I even have the native language down plus a foreign language! Not to mention, my entire family has citizenship in the country as well. 

So next time you find yourself dozing off in class, forgetting the proper conjugations in French, or wanting to move to a different country, remember how hard your ancestors worked like Reyna's father, Nora Sandigo's children, and even mine to even be able to have a second of what you're doing. It is a wonderful country to live in, but it takes more than a small effort to become a citizen, and even more to acculturate to what being an American citizen really means. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links to artifacts discussed in this reflection:

http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=335720816

http://www.npr.org/2014/07/27/335720816/one-woman-817-children-caring-for-kids-of-undocumented-parents

Immigration and How it Affects People

Since we last discussed, I've been all over the place trying to find the perfect artifact for our next discussion. I realized that in order to make this a cohesive series I needed to establish goals and objectives so I wouldn't get sidetracked or be prone to run on tangents. In the first installation of A Summer Analyzing Immigration, I discovered my long-term goal that I would like to achieve about the theme and overall objective of this blog. I also have a short-term goal that I will try to accomplish by the end of this post.

Main Objective of A Summer Analyzing Immigration: I will strive to examine the modern status quo on immigration, recent events, and even my own personal beliefs and prejudices.

Reflection Goal #1: Find commonalities and differences between the personal experiences of modern immigrants and those from a century ago.

Now with that recap finished and my goals reinforced, it's on to our discussion of the day:

 Stereotypes of Immigrants and Their Consequences

 

When you think of the word "immigrant" what comes to mind? Is it your great-grandfather who came over here from Germany back in 1921? Or is it your Hispanic neighbor that you've known ever since you were a little kid? If you instantly thought of  "illegal immigrants" don't feel guilty, it's a response most people directly go to when on the subject of immigration. In the United States, the main type of immigration discussed is that of undocumented migrants who come to America under the radar of border control agents and immigrant legislation. Yet if you did rapidly think of "illegal immigrants", the biggest question to ask yourself is do you really know their story or have you naively believed stereotypes?

Courtesy of ohio.edu

 The common stereotype of an "illegal immigrant" is a former Mexican citizen, typically male, with little or no education coming to the U.S. for work and often a dream of a better life. This stereotypical undocumented immigrant precedes to live off of services the federal government pays for and either becomes a "dreamer" who achieves white collar jobs and acculturates to United States living: gets a green card to live in the country, pays taxes, works and provides for himself and a family; or becomes a "freeloader" who works a minimum wage job, may join a gang, has a large family, and cannot support himself or family in fear of being deported. Neither of these truly represent the average life of an undocumented immigrant.

The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration recently conducted a study on immigration and identity. The study addresses the issues assistant professor Roberto Gonzales discovered with modern stereotypes of immigrants and how it affects young adults living under these labels. Gonzales found that research and support for immigrants was based on race rather than ethnicity and cultural background. Essentially, developmental and clinical research was basing its support off of racial stereotypes for immigrant youth. In order to break free from the common labels immigrants face we must begin to see them as not a single story but millions of unique and new tales in order to customize care and development for these families.

Later in the study, Roberto Gonzales explained his pathway for immigrant youth which he called "learning to be illegal".  His two-track pathway was pretty dismal; most immigrant youth ended up with a deflated sense of hope by being on lower educational tracks, getting into issues with law, unfortunate relationships ending in teenage pregnancy, and low availability of labor. The "dreamer" pathway results with the undocumented youth going to college and dreaming that legislation will change whilst concealing their identity of being undocumented. This deflation both pathways face lead to mental and emotional issues, as Gonzales states, "their daily lives are rife with stress and worry, and these stresses have important implications for their mental and emotional well-being. Nearly every person I interviewed talked about headaches, ulcers, toothaches, trouble sleeping, problems eating, thoughts of suicide, and even attempted suicide". 

In Reyna Grande's memoir The Distance Between Us, her family faces a tragedy that nearly 80% of immigrants to the United States face: the separation and disruption of families. The anxiety and emotional pain she and her siblings faced was deplorable. I applauded her father for his efforts to find a new life as an immigrant, yet leaving his children and wife for nearly ten years causing them the worry over the potential loss of a father was almost abusive. Reyna's recounts of her childhood dreams of meeting the "Man Behind the Glass" was heart-wrenching especially after she discovered her father wasn't the superhero she believed him to be.

As a child of divorce, separation of families and anxiety over developmental support is something I know quite well. Although I have always had at least one of my parents fifty percent of my life, having a separated family is never an easy situation. Knowing the issues my family faces; arguments, rivalries, siding of children, and occasional custody battles, it's no wonder a child like Reyna grew up in fear of what her life would be like. Sometimes it is easier to act like Mago, Reyna's older sister, and no longer care about one parent because they've affected your life so horribly. Although my family has not gone through the intense process of immigrating to a new country, even the pressures that follow a common divorce can begin to tear a family apart.

Robert Gonzales' study also discusses a generation often forgotten when it comes to immigration. In the Murrieta, California Bus Protest I mentioned in my last post the issue was about the undocumented mothers and children coming from Mexico, but teenagers weren't addressed. On the contrary, The Distance Between Us covered majority of Grande's life, especially that of her life as a teenager. By the time she was in high school she most likely would have been considered as a "dreamer" by Gonzales' standards. She was a high achieving student with hopes of becoming a successful writer, a talented player in the marching band, but she was still held back by her father's abusive alcoholic rage and grudges. Her aspirations never dwindled and she eventually achieved her dreams of becoming a successful writer.

Courtesy of Publisher's Weekly

My family on my father's side gave up their entire lives in Italy to move to the United States. Although it was nearly a century ago, the fear and worry about being sent back to Italy nearly drove my family apart. My grandfather told me about how his mother was willing to put everything on the table in order to make sure he and his siblings had a good life in America. My grandmother married a "proxy husband" who she had to marry before she would be allowed into the country. She had never met the man, but she fixed a fake marriage in order to enter the United States. Just like Reyna Grande's family, my relatives were willing to sacrifice the stability of their family for the opportunity to live in the United States. It took years to acculturate to living in the United States, but eventually my family like millions of other immigrants at the time became role models for the modern immigrants of today. It seems so simple, if immigrants of the past can do it why can't we?  

After this second artifact, I've begun to recognize the stereotypes and misconceptions about immigration that leave politicians and news reporters babbling for days. For instance, if you say immigrant even I would say someone who's moving into a country from typically a second or third world country. I could even say my great-grandmother who moved my family here from Italy! The moment you add a controversial term like "illegal" before immigrant, you get a whole different definition. The term illegal immigrant comes with discrimination, bias, stereotypes, and even lifestyle pathways according to Roberto Gonzales. Children, teenagers, families, and even their future generations are all affected by immigration. Whether it be crossing the border, maintaining a lowbrow status, gaining citizenship, or being deported, or even discrimination within the country, every stage of the immigration process takes a major emotional toll on millions of people all throughout history.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links to the artifact discussed in this post:

http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/immigration-and-identity



An Introduction to Immigration

Courtesy of Barnes and Noble

This summer I embarked upon my journey into Honors 10th Grade English with an autobiography written by Reyna Grande called The Distance Between Us. Her story is one about the hardships of immigration and the toll it took on her family, herself, and her future. Reyna and her two older siblings, Mago and Carlos, were only young children when their father made the long journey from Iguala, Mexico to Los Angeles, California. As I began diving into this lovely memoir, I confronted a personal questioning of opinions I had been avoiding for a while:

Should immigrants to the United States (or any country for that matter) be able to live in the country and receive the benefits of a citizen born in the country even if they migrated into the country illegally?

This five part blog post series will strive to examine the modern status quo on immigration, recent events, and even my own personal beliefs and questions like the one written above.

As I began meandering through the highly controversial jungle that is the topic of immigration, my thirst for information and reasoning to all of the tragic recent events began to rage. Since October of 2013 thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children have been crossing the United States border in hopes of a better life. Those coming from countries ridden by massive drug cartels in Honduras and other Central American countries wish to escape the gang violence that sends thousands of citizens on the merciless journey through Mexico to the United States each year. While watching the news with my family I tuned into a piece on All In With Chris Hayes on MSNBC about a man who took in a family of immigrants from Guatemala.

A picture of the anti-illegal immigration standoff
 in Murrieta, CA on July 2nd, 2014.

Mark Lane, a small business owner in San Diego was watching the news with his five-year-old son about the Murrieta, California bus protest when his son asked him why the people (the boycotters of the immigrants coming across the border) were angry at the buses. Lane told MSNBC, "Why do I have to explain to my five-year-old why people are mad at the buses when really they're mad because the people inside of the buses".

 Mark Lane researched more about those coming across the border illegally and found a local charity called Border Angels which services in having host families take care of immigrants once they got to the United States. The family he attempted to shelter made their way across Mexico after gangs in Guatemala repeatedly made threats to the boys of the family and raped their sister as another threat to join the gangs. Although the family eventually turned themselves in after a tiresome and abusive journey to the United States, the real issue Mark Lane faced was they way families, including the one he nearly sheltered were dehumanized to the public.

In the past several weeks many news sources have reported politicians stating their beliefs of disease like Ebola coming from migrants to the United States. Anti-immigration supporters have also stated that migrants from Central America and South America are "disease ridden" or "vermin". These statements struck myself personally as incredibly close-minded and slightly racist. When reading The Distance Between Us, Reyna Grande discussed how her ideas of cleanliness altered once she lived in the United States. As a child she and her siblings often faced lice issues, didn't bathe often, and could suffer stomach infections such as worms while living in Mexico. Once she visited her home country as a teenager she realized what poor conditions she had been living in as a child, and how fortunate she was to live in a country where all of these issues could be eliminated. When she visited her former friends in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico she realized the rift of opportunity between her old home and her new one, "They stood outside with me and blocked the entrance to their houses with their bodies, and I knew it was because they didn't want me to see the poverty they lived in... They didn't tell me much about their lives because I knew that they thought it could never compare to my life, now that I was living in that beautiful place they all yearned for" (Grande, 280).

The one statement that truly struck me from the piece about Mark Lane was when he was talking about dehumanization and the privileges some have over others, "We can't dehumanize people just because they lost the birth lottery. We won the birth lottery because we were born here; that doesn't make us better than them, that doesn't make them worse than us". The concept of a "birth lottery" moved me because it really shows us how lucky we are to be in the country we are. It even says things about different neighborhoods, cities, and even families, because sometimes you don't win in any of those categories.


Courtesy of Aljezeera

For Reyna Grande all I could think about was her hometown of Iguala; stricken with poverty, over population, unemployment, and violence. She couldn't control where she was born, neither could her parents due to financial instability, but by migrating to the U.S. she could at least dream of a different life than her friends who would live in such poverty till they died. In some aspects of the "birth lottery", Reyna did have privileges that others didn't. Her education, heavily driven by her father, was one that even her half-siblings didn't achieve. While she didn't always fare well with her dysfunctional family, she was able to find resources that supported her both in Mexico and the United States.

Living in the United States my entire life it seems as my problems will never be as great of those attempting to enter my home country for a new beginning. Knowing Reyna's story and the struggles of the family Mark Lane tried to shelter, it brings a feeling of undying gratitude to my ancestors for migrating here over a hundred years ago. Migrants from Central American countries and those from European countries nearly a century ago have more similarities than one would expect. What's interesting is the fact that modern Americans praise the immigrants from the early 1900s yet discriminate and highly protest immigrants from Central America. Our country was built on the diversity and adversity immigrants faced a century ago, but yet many think it will come to a screeching halt if we allow more Mexican, Honduran, Guatemalan, and other Central Americans into the United States.

Make note of the increase in the Hispanic population in the next eighty years or so.
Courtesy of The United States Census

I find it shocking that in a nation built on change and the dreams of our ancestors, we don't realize that immigrants, illegal or legal, are just a brand new bunch of dreamers destined to make our country the "melting pot" that it is. Animosity of the unknown future won't get Americans anywhere, especially when it results in people dehumanizing others just because they don't have the legal documents to enter the country. Many of these people are escaping the same and even worse things that our ancestors faced years ago.

 

After reading and listening to such trying challenges migrants face I wonder what sort of hardships one of the twelve million immigrants from Europe faced back in the early days of Ellis Island and the boom of immigration to America. My goal for my next observation of immigration is to talk to one of my grandparents and ask them what happened to them and their parents when they came to "the land of opportunity". Maybe similarities have already been found between the two, so I'd love to discover what they are! It's a common saying that's often accurate, history loves to repeat itself, but I don't suspect anyone would assume the modern immigrant from Central America to an immigrant from Europe in the late 1800s to the mid 1950s share as many commonalities as they do. The one thing I can suspect is that citizens of the United States have greatly lost the gratitude for the rights they have as a citizen, but I can tell you that I am not one of that majority.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links to artifacts discussed in this post:



on.msnbc.com/1ybfuQ5