OpEd

OpEd

              The current refugee crisis is one that we all need to consider more. Many may believe that the refugee crisis is something that only affects refugees but, it affects us all.  We all play a part in either helping or hurting the current situation. I believe that we all have a duty to help refugees coming into our country.

Yet many argue that letting these immigrants into our country would only lead to destruction, tension and conflict that our country at its current state cannot afford. Yes, we may not be in the best place as a country but one thing we do have is resources. Resources that we take for granted that any refugee would die for.  Everyday items like food, clothing and other necessities are things we need to offer, we can surely do this. They are starving, they are unaware if they will even make it to their new host families, they are unsure if they will see their families. This crisis is not temporary, this conflict has been affecting our country for years now. So, what is getting in the way? I believe currently what is getting in the way of us using our resources is our prejudices, and fear of the unknown. Another reason this problem is that the refugees have little to no support. To truly succeed in building durable solutions for refugees we must look past our differences and see these people as people just as us, trying to build a better life. The areas for improvement center on helping other countries, showing support and seeing the refugees as the people they are and not as another task off the to do list.

One line that I read in another article I was reading stated: “Hope is not lost, but it is getting impatient, and we should be too.” This quote was one that I really liked because it shows that there is still hope for refugees out there, but hope begins with our action.  

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

This week, I have really been able to reflect on my research topic, as a whole. This week especially I have seen many food drives, many conferences and heard many talking about the issue of refugees. It is interesting to see how much people are actually talking about this worldwide issue and to see it's impact on certain individuals. Most of the things I have seen pertaining to refugees has been in the LA hall by the multicultural center. As I walked through the halls, it was interesting to see that students are setting up these stations, and are promoting a change. This really helped me to see that not only is this issue relevant but this issue may affect many more, close to home then we may believe. As I was looking through social media, I came by a quote that read, "Refugees have no choice. You do." This quote struck me and seemed to apply to all those who were out there setting up booths, having conferences and doing so much more to help these people. It was interesting to me that I was able to feel in the loop and to feel as if I knew what was happening around me, it was a good feeling. Also it seemed to give a little nudge as to if I really do have all this information now, why not do something about it?

Topic of Interest

Topic Of Interest

For my blog post this week on my topic of interest, I was able to find a website where they specifically talk about refugee resettlement in America. Here is the link:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr

This website has all the possible information you could want about resettlement. It has a tab for policies, unaccompanied children and many resources. It also has many success stories about refugees who came to America and are now well off on their own. I really enjoyed this website! Check it out!

Topic of Interest

Refugee Crisis

Recently, I was able to interview a man over email named Solomon. Solomon works for my the same company my Dad does named Mercy Housing. Mercy Housing is a housing corporation that gives affordable housing to those who cannot provide for themselves. Solomon specifically works with Refugees, and helps them move into their new homes at their properties which span across the U.S. I was able to ask Solomon five basic questions on his job with Refugees and his experience with the people. One of my favorite responses Solomon had was when I asked him what he would like others to know about Refugees. Solomon stated: "Refugees are the most hard working people I have ever seen. They do not take anything for granted; they work any jobs available to make ends meet, they are family oriented, and they would rather go hungry than not paying rent. Other than a few of them still relies on government subsidies, most of the refugees I have encounter for the past ten years have been very successful in their life; they go to school,  buy a new car within a year or two of arriving here, and most of them move out from Grace because they buy house." This was a true testament to me that, what I am arguing in my paper affects real lives. These people who I am advocating for are real people with real dream and ambitions, all we have to do is give them a chance to pursue their adventures.

AOD 3/31/17

Why Language Matters

I thought that this video was very interesting. One part of this video that I found to be very interesting was the comment she made that "The way we use words changes the way we frame things in our mind." This is something I found interesting because she told of how subconsciously our minds think of girl and women differently. The term girl she states implies, "there are inferior to men". I do think in a way this is a stretch and a feminism approach to this language problem. Yet I do agree that women and men should both be called appropriately. I like how she does recognize that often times it is not used in a bad way on purpose. I do think that it is a good idea to use language that elevates each other and builds others up. I think that often this is a huge factor in society today. We often demean others because it is so called "funny" or "kidding" terms, when in fact all this does is show us how wrong we are about these people. Overall, I did like her message on how we should consciously try to help and change others language to elevate others.

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

As I was going through my social media page this morning, I saw a very funny post about helping refugees. The post read:

America: We need to help Syrian Refugees

Syria: Actually yeah we have thousands of refugees who need a place to stay, America would be great

America: New phone who's this?

I saw this post and while I laughed about it, I realized that this is how many times we as Americans are. We set our minds and hearts out to doing something but in the long run, do we really do what we say we are out to do? Especially in helping others, I feel many want to help but do not know where to start. Luckily there are many organizations that you can donate to and that you can get involved with to help. I believe that again as we open our borders, we will have an opportunity for an experience of a lifetime to help others who truly do need our help. Syria is just one of many countries that need our help.

AOD 3/28/17

A Single Story

This TED talk made me really reconsider how I view others and how I many times have been affected by a single story. I believe many news articles and social media often only tell one side of the story which in turn leads to prejudices and assumptions that are not necessarily true. To tell only one side of a story is like only viewing an area from an aerial view, yes you may see the top and overall landscape, yet can you see the color of the leaves on the trees and things like this? No, no you can't, so in this way you never can have the full story. Many times I believe that single stories begin from prejudices or from what others have been brought up to think and taught. I believe telling a single story is something that we as a society has always done. The interesting part of this is that we through our different backgrounds all have multiple views from what we were taught on various subjects and such. We openly accept and do not question what we are taught therefore when something unlike what we are taught is shown or brought up, we readily attack  the idea or different perspective. I believe the only true way to stop single stories is to go and experience first hand for yourself. Tell others about your experience with certain people, or a certain place and tell unbiasedly. Tell based on observation and facts, not only on what you think people want to hear. We need to be open minded and take what we hear with a grain of salt.

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

When looking at my topic in closer terms, I again searched refugees on the web and found a picture of a map of the U.S. which showed where Syrian refugees were placed in America in the 2012-2015 time frame. I found it interesting that most refugees were sent to the East, specifically places like New York, Connecticut, etc. I found that interesting and decided to research more about why refugees are placed where they are. As I researched on many resettlement sites, we found that a states culture has much to do with where refugees are placed. Many states seem to have small resemblances often to the refugees home country. Things that this could be affected by would be things such as climate, specific traditions and many other minor similarities. I think it is cool, that often the government tries to place the refugees into a place where they believe it will be an easier transition and where they believe they can succeed. I'm sure all cases are not always like this, yet it is interesting to see that in most they do at least try in some way to accommodate to those who have come into our country.

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

This week, as I have been thinking of my topic of resettlement, I came across a quote that I really liked by Leonard Nimoy, he stated, "The miracle is, the more we share the more we have." It was interesting to see this quote when searching refugees. This quote truly does apply to refugees and specifically as to why we should help. I think many who believe refugees should not be allowed into our country are very worried about their own safety or their own jobs and so forth. But I wonder, if any have thought about how it could benefit them to help refugees. There are many people out there who have dedicated their lives to helping these people, and there are those living among us, who are refugees. Some may be close to us, and some we may never know, but nonetheless we should help them. Just as the quote says, "the more we share the more we have".  The more we help refugees and share the many resources we have the more it can bless us and the more we can see that they are not as different from us, at all. This quote also seems to remind me of one of the articles, I used for my paper, titled "You Invited me In". I really liked the title of this article because, we as Americans with our limitless resources should invite refugees in, and welcome them to a better life.

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

This week as I was looking on the IRC(international rescue committee) website, I was able to find a slideshow of pictures where I was able to see refugees right after they were let into the United States. Although these pictures were few, I was able to see many different emotions within these pictures. The pictures show one family and then a single woman mentoring the family through a service the IRC offers. The main emotions, I see in the pictures are happiness, sadness, and also a lot of anxiety. These emotions do not surprise me, because of all this family must have been through. The pictures tell that this family is from Congo who luckily were all able to come together to America to find safety and peace. Through the IRC this family was mentored and entered into the U.S. with help from their mentor to transition into the U.S. The family has many children with them and all the children look healthy and well, which is a huge plus. The family also looks as if they seem to fit into their new environment and enjoy their new home. I believe that through these photos we get a glimpse of what the future could be if we allowed more refugees into our country.

AOD 3/3/17

AOD 3/3/17

This article about Americans ignoring facts really caught my eye. One thing that I found very interesting was the information presented that once misinformed people are presented with information that challenges their beliefs, they generally do not change their minds. According to the article people did not only, not change their minds but were more attached to their mistaken beliefs, and even when presented facts, were more attached to their beliefs. I found this interesting because often times, I do see that even when information to me is presented that challenges my beliefs, I often think it could not be so and challenge the credibility of what I am reading before even researching the topic myself. The question at the end of this article really got me thinking the question reads: "How are we to correct misinformation if the very act of informing some people causes them to redouble their dedication to believing things that are not true?" I found this to be a valid question. How do we really inform people? And how do we know what the real truth is. I do not believe in the current state that anyone has a clear solution to this problem. I do know that in order for this to happen, it would require thorough research through every image or article read, and simply put no one has the time or energy to clarify and research everything they read to know of the validity. 

AOD 2/27/17

AOD 2/27/17

When I read this piece on the truth the thing I immediately thought of was how increasingly hard it is to know the truth today. So many things are constantly being thrown at us, it is hard to decipher what is true and what is false. This is especially the case in the current media. Often, I feel that with different media sources they do not tell the truth, they simply spread lies or tell the reader what they want to hear. I believe they are more concerned about selling their magazines, articles and other forms of writing to catch the public's eye. One specific line I like in this piece is the line that reads: "the truth is worth defending". I specifically like this line because I believe it tells that the truth is something that no matter how hard it is to hear, deserved to be heard. It deserves to have a place in our society today. One part of this poem also states "the truth is not red or blue". This phrase is very important to note in our current political climate. Everyone has their own beliefs and is entitled to them, both sides have truth. Yes, we all support one side or the other but we should not let our political views take over who we are or blind us from other truths in the world. 

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

I feel this week as if my whole life revolves around multicultural issues and topics. In one of my other classes, I was just asked to pick a book for reading club and I chose a book titled, Esperanza Rising.  You know that feeling when you buy something new and suddenly see it everywhere? This is how I now feel about learning about refugees. I seemed to dive into the topic and now I see signs or clubs or organizations everywhere trying to create solutions or see myself constantly being surrounded by multicultural everything. In this new book I am reading a young girl by the name of Esperanza, lives in Mexico and is very wealthy. One night she comes home, and finds that her father has been killed by bandits while on a hunting trip. As soon as this happens, her uncle decides that he would like to take the land, yet to do this he must marry Esperanza's mother. Long story short, Esperanza's mother does not accept his hand in marriage and her uncle becomes very angry. So angry that he threatens their whole family and burns all of their belongings. The family then must flee their country and comes to the United States for work. It is interesting to see that even though this is a fiction story it is actually very similar to many real world stories, I have read. One thing the story mainly focuses on is the families transition into the U.S. The family barely knows English and is sent by the government to pick cotton in camps, where they are very little. I  try to picture how this would be and can't wrap my head around it. Although many families are like this, and many take on these types of jobs just to be safe and have a little income. Refugees continue to amaze me!

AOD 2/20/17

A.O.D 2/20/17

After reading this blog post, I do not think that Marina Gomberg is very persuasive in the way she writes this letter. To me this letter comes off as offensive and also as very unprofessional. Using terms such as lol, and other things like this does not give Marina's argument the right professionalism and surely does not help support her argument. Also I do not think she is being respectful to the person who she is speaking to. She says she is writing this letter with all respect and support yet all she is doing is assuming his beliefs on the issues just because he is a man. From this letter I believe she wants James and the vice chair to change their thinking and also for others reading this to consider another way of thinking. This article did make me rethink some items of business and I did agree with some points but I believe that she could've written the letter with more respect and written it in a more professional way.

AOD 2/15/17

Just One

Tears streaming down her face, she was warned.

Warned but not prepared.

How could she be?

Whoever said words did not hurt lied. 

Words not only hurt but they stung, and stayed with her echoing in her mind.

She was given an explanation but refused to believe it. 

  

But no not all hope was lost. 

This was just one. 

One loss. One heartbreak.

One thing that was not going to stand in her way.

For ONE day she was not going to have to be warned or given an explanation.  

She would be happy and she would love JUST ONE. 

 So she persisted and she did. 

AOD 2/8/17

Millennial

After watching this video, I believe Simon Sinek had a lot of valid points. One thing that Simon said that I noticed in growing up was the use of social media. Simon describes it as that our generation has "put a filter on their world" making life seemingly like a dream and never difficult. I also thought it was interesting when Sinek talked about how our phones and how "likes", "texts" and other things can cause kids to not be able to form deep relationships. This is something I have seen in my life and believe that this could be true. It is a sad thing to be true. One thing I did not agree with is that millennials are the way they are because of failed parenting styles. I do not believe my parents "failed" in raising me. I believe they taught me the value of hard work, and the motivation to grab life, and succeed. Yet, Sinek tells of how we were always told how special we are and how that has made us entitled. I do not believe that this statement applies to everyone in our generation. I believe yes some of us were told we were special but I do not think this hindered us. I believe in many cases this gave us the confidence that we could be the change in the world.

Topic of Interest

Topic of Interest

As I was on the phone the other day with my best friend, who is currently in California, we began talking about immigration and letting others into our country. My best friend Cassidy, is studying at PLNU to become a journalist. She described to me her want to be a journalist for important and hard hitting news stories about real problems we face, such as women's rights, immigration and so forth. As I talked with her about her week in California she described to me that she was able to make a trip to the San Yisdo Port of Entry. She was able to actually be on both sides of the border and was able to stay in Mexico for 2 days and see what there was to offer. She described walking in with "me, my journal and a change of clothes." She took this trip on her own and was able to spend a day with deportees, from those who tried to cross the border. Although this is not exactly refugees, when I mentioned my paper again she told me that in fact there were many who's only longed to live in America. Many were very poor, and sought to go to America, to find a job and support their families. I believe there were many parallels to refugees in this case where many come from poor and small means and because of persecution want to come to America, and all we must do is let them in. As I talked more with her it made me again realize just how relevant this issue is in our society and how much we actually can see when we open our eyes.

AOD 2/6/17

Stereotypes of Men

I actually really enjoyed reading this article of the day. I had previously never thought of men breaking through gender stereotypes in such ways. I think there is a lot more to this fact then we think. Often times, I think that men are said to be macho and never allowed to cry. Yet in this post it talked about how if it were socially acceptable more men would like to talk about mental illnesses and so forth. One specific part of the post that I found haunting is when one of the guys mentioned that he hadn't cried in years but sometimes felt like he needed to break down. This made me sad because I feel like if there is even one guy that feels this way, there is bound to be others. I did think one thing that was awesome though was the support the men showed for each other, and how they lifted each other. This was a really interesting read and a different perspective which I really liked.

AOD 1/30/17

Revenge

This poem by Elisa Chavez was very shocking to me. The poem was so elaborate and dealt gave opinions on so many issues at once, I did not know where to begin dissecting it. Elisa in this poem talks about the issues of: gay vs. lesbians, gun control, generational terms, mixed races, suicide and much more. Elisa in this poem uses very bold statements about what she believes and how she believes the world can conform. In one line she tells, "Because real talk, you didn’t stop the future from coming. You just delayed our coronation." This line really stuck out to me. It sounded as if Elisa was stating that she could not be stopped. She sends a message that what is going to happen will, as the world changes, and as the world's view change. This article made me feel very anxious. I think the political environment is what motivated Elisa to write along with her personal experiences. After reading this, I have many questions about where she first read this? What does she mean she doesn't feel alive right now? I have many questions about what Elisa was thinking while writing this piece.

My Topic of Interest

Refugees

The topic I've decided on is Refugees. I decided on this topic because of all I have seen on this topic lately in social media and also because of all those I know who are personally involved. One of my best friends named Cassidy lives in California, and has had the chance to work with refugee kids through a ministry in San Diego. She explained the eye opening experience to me and told of how we really take our freedoms for granted. One quote she shared states: "The President can lock refugees out but he can't lock out love in." This was quoted by Jeremy Courtney. I also the other day saw  a post on refugees which included a picture of a father holding his child, a look of complete horror and sorrow on his face. The caption read: "It's often important to see the humanity in our actions." These two posts really hit me in the face. I think often times, we do forget that these people are people just like us. They are humans. Humans who need all the same things we do. Human who deserve a place of safety and a place to flourish and have the lives they deserve. I feel very strongly about this topic and would love to learn more about the specifics of the issue.

AOD 1/25/17

The 3 A's of Awesome 

My favorite A that Neil talked about was Authenticity. I like how he described this A as being a part of who you are. It's hard for me to think that so many do not truly show who they are in the world we live in. Neil also tells of how this A also incorporates letting your heart lead you. I liked this because often, I make my decisions based off what feels right, and let me heart lead me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I believe that following your heart can really help you see the value in everyday things. I love his theme which is to have joy in the journey and to not be discouraged. This Ted Talk was by far my favorite.

The N word (Death Sentence)

“Death Sentences”

         For the longest time, I could not think of why this AOD was titled death sentences. Yet now I realize that it refers to sentences in a literal form and how our language can really impact others. As I brainstormed these irresponsible phrases, the one that I could most think of was stereotypes used today in race. Today racial slurs are thrown around as they are normal ways of describing others. Specifically the word I am referring to is the N word. This word is used now in every day talk and used in many songs we hear. Everyone no matter what is exposed to this word in our society today. Every time I hear these words, I do not feel they are appropriate even if they are not used against me. They are often rude and have a naturally negative connotation. The most  I was on twitter today and saw a quote: “Racism isn’t something people are born with, racism is taught.” I thought this was an interesting quote. The picture underneath then showed a picture of a white girl and an African American girl, next to the woman who was white it said beautiful, then next to the woman who was African American, it said ugly. This quote and picture really helped me to see that others often use these terms because they grew up hearing these slang words. This is unfortunate and makes me question on how we can truly stop others from using these words against any race. I also saw a quote that read, “Racism, Ignore it…and it won’t go away.” This was also an interesting quote. Personally, I am passionate about this because I believe everyone should be treated equally and talked about with respect. I believe that every human being deserves this respect for being who they are.

AOD 1/18/17

DeVo's Remarks

        I was astonished as I read this article on Betsy DeVo’s hearing. As I was reading there was much of the school policies I did not know or did not understand. Yet as I researched a bit more and looked at DeVo’s responses I was very interested. After I read the article, I came off with the impression that it seemed DeVo lacked in her experience in education or in a classroom period. This surprised me as she is now a hand picked woman for the education secretary. It seemed  that most questions that were asked DeVo avoided or she simply did not know what to say. At times, I wonder if she was told what to say. She also avoided many questions that attacked her accountability in controlling and helping schools. DeVo also stated that she believed the free market should govern schools. DeVo also stated she believes in certain situations we should have guns in schools which I do not agree with. I do agree though that in order to make schools better we should have more local control, and seek insights from teachers, and students. It did concern me though that when talking about taking away money from public education she refrained from answering. DeVo did stumble and unfortunately I was not as impressed with her as I would’ve liked to be.

AOD 1/23/17

AOD 1/23/17

The quote we were supposed to interpret reads, "...if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought." I think that this is a very interesting because it shows that your thoughts can affect the way you think, and your words can also affect the way you think. I have never thought of language affecting the way you think. I interpret this as that based on what you not only hear but even slight errors in the way you speak can affect how you see something. For example, if I see someone who is clearly a woman and call her a girl, this could change my own thinking and also others thoughts to perceive this woman as a girl. Our language and the way we speak effects us each day. Each day we can form opinions and express them in the way we speak and interact with others. I think often our language also "corrupts" others thoughts. I believe that what we say and how we say it affects how others perceive the concept or idea we are talking about. I also that in how we speak and what we hear leads to action. If we constantly talk negatively I believe this will make us a negative person, because action will become habit. I think this quote overall is very true and that in the long run language does corrupt thought and vice versa.

Article of the Day 1/16/17

 Dare Greatly

          I really enjoyed Brene Brown’s ted talk about shame. I picked up on many different and interesting points she made as to what shame was and to how shame conditions us. She mentioned a quote that I really liked called the man in the arena quote by Theodore Roosevelt, this quote states: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds..” I like this quote because I believe often times we as humans are very judgemental. We see others that are not like us and make harsh judgements from “outside” the arena, when we in reality have no idea what it is like to be the man in the arena. Socially we are conditioned to compare ourselves to others. But that is when Brene points out that our greatest critics is ourselves. Media portrays this as always being better than you were yesterday, or being prettier than the other girl, so on and so forth. I liked her talk because it showed that there is so much more to a person than what is seen on the outside we all have our inner battles. I think she addresses well that we as humans must make a step to be better and dare greatly.

I am statements

I AM

1. I am strong.

2. I am confident.

3. I am excited for my future.

4. I am working to fight for what I want most in this world.

5. I am motivated.

6. I am my father's daughter.

7. I am a volleyball addict.

8. I am an optimist.

9. I am at times afraid to speak.

10. I am seeking a career in elementary education.