Immigration: The REAL Story

The Hamilton Mixtape: "Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)"

For tonight's blog I chose to read "Who Can Stay Here? Documentation and citizenship in children's literature" by Grace Cornell Gonzales. Gonzales was a bilingual elementary teacher in East Oakland, California where, one day, she and her students experienced real fears of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid. Because many students and families were undocumented, the students were panicked that they would or that their family members would be taken away. She writes, "Half of my class came running back inside, panicked, hysterical, in tears, saying that la migra was coming in helicopters to get them." (p. 74) After this day, although never raided, she as a teacher felt the need to compile a library of books dealing with the very real topic of immigration for her students. In her search, she found several books that "...dealt with many themes: intergenerational ties and gaps, peer pressure and friendships, and, of course, language barriers and language learning." (p. 74)  She noticed there was a missing theme. She could not find a theme addressing issues of documentation and unequal access to citizenship, and she noted that many books did attempt to address the issue but found holes in the messages. She continues, "Many might consider the issues involved --deportation, the separation of families, economic and racial discrimination--too frightening or 'adult' for the children who will read the books." (p. 74-75) Since many of her students face issues related to ICE and deportation in their everyday life, she knew she had to do something about it. 

I am an American

She identifies three categories of books related to the theme. The first are books that are full of holes and misinformation for readers. For example, she identifies a book that implies each person and/or family has equal opportunity to apply for citizenship, and that it is seemingly super easy to become an American citizen. She also examined a book that teaches kids that no matter the struggle and the what it takes to enter the United States, in the end you will have a happy ending, be safe, and be able to stay.  The students in front of her face a very different reality and she sees that these can lead to a mind full of misinformation and confusion.

How Hard Is It To Become A Citizen of the U.S.?

The second group of books carry a theme of it's "someone elses problem" but it would never happen to me. She states, "They imply that the aforementioned dangers exist, yet avoid putting the main characters at any risk. The message they send is that deportation and the separation of families does occur, but that such things usually happen to someone else." (p. 76) Again, these books may hint at the possibility of something bad happening, but it doesn't happen to the protagonist or they end up "safe" someway somehow in the end, sending false hope to students living in a sad reality.

Aloe Blacc: "Wake Me Up"

The last group is the group that is most important, actually facing the problem and topic head on. Gonzales found books that deal with issues and the realities of becoming a citizen, possibly living in the United States undocumented, waiting for papers, unemployment and/or working illegally, racism, and violence. She found books that have happy endings but in a more realistic way that deals with what some of her students have to endure. 

Her claim is that these books should be included in both classrooms of undocumented students and also those that do not. Gonzales mentions that it is crucial for educators to start the conversation, read books related to immigration, and pose thoughtful questions to students. The discussion should be supervised and facilitated by a trusting adult, and critical thought and attention should be given to these very real-world issues.

In my Spanish 3 class, we do a unit on immigration and we watch the movie Under the Same Moon, a story about a Mexican boy who travels to the United States to find his mother (who is illegally in the U.S.) after his grandma passes away. Although I do not believe any of my students are undocumented immigrants, this movie and the music videos I posted along with the lessons and activities, help my students put a real face and personal experiences on immigration in our country, not just what they hear on the news.