A Workshop, On Immigration and Politics, and Preparation

A Workshop

~38 Voices United members embarked on the March for DACA and TPS from Nov. 8th to the 12th. Aylin, Victor, and the others should feel accomplished! The 38 members that marched varied by age. Me, tengo veintiuno años. The others vary from around 18 to 25. Impressively, we are a very young group of activists. Our resolve to recruit the number we have is a commendable accomplishment of students participating in grassroots activism. Either Aylin or Victor informed us that we were the biggest group to be marching and handling logistics too.

As a prelude for our March, after classes, Dr. Tullia from the School of Arts lead an engaging lecture and discussion at a workshop on Gender Roles, Constructs, Colorism and Toxic Masculinity. Why? The reader may ask. To consolidate a interconnected movement such as Immigration Advocacy, it is crucial to be inclusive in attitude, action, and language to all compañerxs. Where all allies and sympathizers may be regardless of gender, and color they ought to be addressed in their dignified pronoun(s) and be treated as equals. There is honor in respecting the general humanity of a human being's gender. There is dishonor in the intentional and willful act to refute, disparage, or marginalize a human being's gender. Meanwhile, racist attitudes persist from minorities towards other minorities with darker skin complexion within the US and also in other ethnicities in countries worldwide.

As an activist in heart and spirit, question the status quote and tradition. Maschismo is a traditional dictate. It is very detrimental to both the binary male and female sexes and genders. The professor at workshop broke it down easily: its when men suck up all the air in the room. Its an inequity which causes economic, political, and emotional dependency. Also, note its sexist attitudes and assumptions.

Pinned are the articles:
1st Reading
2nd Reading

On Immigration and Politics

My mentor, Aylin Lozano, an immense influence for me going into immigration advocacy, realizes the political discourses surrounding immigration. She commands resilience and keeping political forces at bay. She is skeptical towards politicians being the spokespersons for immigration advocacy because they inadvertently try to merely amuse or attract attention exploiting immigrants' circumstances. Her judgement is reasonable and understandable. Her views have been an influence on me but I do have a different belief on the political trappings of all this. The following are my opinions and not the opinions of VU and its members (beliefs stated are of my own and do not need to be conflated with VU). I share the consensus belief that comms. strategy and engagement with Congresspeople needs to be conditional on the activists' and organization's terms because American politicians often tokenize immigrants. However, my firm belief is immigration is political and immigration advocacy requires an astounding political response; centrism does not advance change. Activism requires dismantling "restrictionists" and anti-immigration laws and defeat anti-immigration legislators through politics. Condemn them in media, dismantle their anti-immigration rationales through campaign efforts, fundraising, intense lobbying, organize collectively however strategically, and confront them in person for example the disgraced and intolerable Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. There are costly decisions to be made to compensate for political coverage and action. Political fervor is key to maintain momentum. Organizations which are timid, self-interested, and moderate are wasting space. Protests, demonstrations, and radically non-violent civil disobedience are crucial to send messages to make sure legislators reckon the power of the people. The goal is to demolish the system of abuse. Citizenship for All is possible if an advocacy front  pressures lawmakers to demolish the corporatized and carceral immigration system. This means lobby and pressure lawmakers and authorities; at the local to federal levels including Congress. At local level, VU can advocate change and pressure authorities and state level to disarm Tennessee's hostility to immigrants and refugees including ICE apparatuses. At the federal level, lobbying can be directly or indirectly engaging Congresspeople. 

Politicians have to follow a trustee model. According to the best and qualified judgement of an elected official, they should decide legislative actions and needs. Constituents are uneducated on immigration policy to begin with so Reps. and Senators ought to sponsor and co-sponsor pro-immigration acts deliberately regardless of what the constituents think. No matter what, applying a human face to immigration will never change people's negative or apathetic attitudes to immigration. Therefore it rests on the candidate with pro-immigration views to win an election, enter office as the tactful politician, impart maneuvers, and regardless of constituents' concerns, enact just immigration reform. Many citizens fail to realize that they too are immigrants (of few generations) and they need to be reminded of that sentimentally. It should not be conditional or debatable who deserves citizenship and who doesn't, it should be when and where is Congress going to put a vote to Citizenship for All. With the impending Supreme Court case and an uncertain future, the fight for broadening citizenship needs to be taken back to Congress which has authority over immigration laws.

I do not acknowledge the Republican party as ever becoming an ally and I do not concern appealing to Republican “persuadables.” Republican lawmakers will always counter reform; it is their belief to keep themselves in power meanwhile to keep others oppressed. Conservatives have done nothing but have caused the moral decline of our democratic republic all the meanwhile austerity and low taxes on the rich have widened the gap between the rich and poor. Conservatism is incompatible with the democracy the US boasts and thrives on. They have a value-laden system which insists Capitalism is God, and we must all submit to the forces of the free market. The poor are predestined to suffer eternally meanwhile the rich are destined to prosper affluently. So many wrongs are littered in this ideology. It does not stop at their racist views of minorities and immigrants. They believe immigrants need to be punished in the most brutal ways. To conservatives and the GOP, cruelty is required to deter immigration. Its very sinister. Mandatory detention, crowded cells, malnutrition, sheer deprivation, miscarriages, starvation, las hieleras, and separation of families (which is still going on). Currently, there are more than 9,000 children detained in correctional services at CBP and ICE facilities. If the numbers estimated and reported in 2018 hold up technically we have closer to 11,000 minors detained - constituting the biggest detained/incarcerated population of minors in the world. So do not be fooled, the Republican party is not the party of "family values." The Republican party is the party of Trump. It is demented, evil, and sick for its violent and racist policies and attitudes to immigrants. It is clear the Democratic Party is the only political party which we will ever succeed in advancing Citizenship for All (or at least plant the seed for just immigration reform).

I am convinced also that no matter the honorable efforts to plant a human face to immigration, white rage and the stigma castigated onto foreigners being dehumanized as "illegals" will never allow a transformative change for immigration reform. It requires a political response towards Representatives and Senators for the advancement of Citizenship for All. The fight will need to continue. DACA and TPS are in jeopardy by the conservative majority in the Supreme Court. It is uncertain what the future holds until spring of 2020. Whatever the case both DACA and TPS are mile markers, next is to push for Citizenship for All.

Remember, immigration is intrinsically and completely political...

Preparation

Preparation was annoying. First off the thought of a 5 am flight I knew it was better to just stay up the damn night and morning. I had to remind myself to pack frugally. I had to unpack and pack like more than 5 times because my clothes being more than XL took up considerable room, and I am god awful folding clothes.

Since the weather in Baltimore to DC remained in the low 60's, and constant 50's, with frigid lows in 30s at night, I packed thermal base layers (2 for a 5 day period). I only brought wool socks 5 or 6 for the entire 5 day march. Packed 3 long sleeves; 1 for loungewear, 2 for activewear and 1 thick flannel shirt as a underlayer for a coat, gloves, and a beanie. Packed 3 short sleeve shirts. 2 pants, one cordoroy and the other pair or pants was wicking active wear (Columbia, Orvis).Wore the baselayers more than once since they were good for entire trip. For hygiene, I just went to Target and purchased portable, travel-sized hygiene products. Bought trail bars like Nature Valley bars and Bevita breakfast biscuits. Lastly, I brought my sunglasses since the weather was sunny for most part.

List:
2 thermal base layers
5 (6 max) wool socks
3 long sleeves
3 short sleeve shirts
1 flannel shirt
1 Columbia jacket
Gloves
Beanie
Portable charger
Plastic ziplocks
Towel
Sleeping bag (compression sack)
Sleeping pad
Rain Pancho
Book reader light
Earphones
Snack bars
Water bottle

I will soon post on the emotional, physical, and mental impact the March had on me soon. The next blog post will be Home is Here