This is Not a Moment, It's the Movement

So last week I went to the post-trip meeting for our Alternative Spring Break. It was definitely weird to be back in the same room with the same people I’d spent so much time with over the break and to contrast my regular week as a student with the week I spent learning about civil, immigration, and human rights. One thing I learned, it’s much harder to stay dialed in to these issues when the pressures of life are calling you. Don’t get me wrong, I still care about them as much as I did during the break but being back really makes me admire all the people we met that volunteered for these organizations and gave up a day or a weekend in their busy schedules to make change happen in the world. Man, there were so many incredible people…

The trip I went on was based in Atlanta, Georgia, and I thought, Oh, a big city. It’ll be completely different from here. However I was really struck by how close to home it hit. As we were driving through some neighborhoods, it wasn’t hard to imagine myself growing up there. Atlanta may be notoriously tough on immigration, but these issues exist everywhere, and they can be talked about anywhere. I guess what really bothered me on this trip was that nobody gets to choose where they come from, but they do get to choose where they want to be, and it’s wrong when we turn a blind eye when they need help getting there.

Stewart Detention Center was the absolute worst. It’s a for-profit center that benefits from denying immigrants bail or bond. It treats people who are fleeing religious persecution and seeking asylum as if they’re dangerous criminals. The detainee who spoke to me had been there for two years… He came to America because his family was killed because of his faith, and he thought he would be free to worship here… I guess the government can’t decide if they want to send him home to be killed or allow him that privilege. It’s infuriating. Lately I pass church after church after church, and I think about him and how happy he would be to call one his home.

Let me just say, yes, I am an immigrant, but I came here the easiest way possible. I was adopted. My parents did all the hard work. That’s not why I wanted to go on the trip. I wanted to be informed about these issues because I wanted to be a more decent human being. I’m so glad I went. Did I enjoy the cold showers and the complete lack of privacy for six days? No, but I would not trade the knowledge I gained for anything. Knowledge is a privilege. It’s why I’m studying at a university. The goal isn’t just to make money one day. It’s to bring positive change to the world just like the people I met at these organizations.

As Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” …And he certainly knew a thing or two about a thing or two.

There’s so much I could say about the trip, but I’ll stop it here. Future Sydney, if you’re reading this. Please don’t let it have stopped here.