Meeting 1: Define American

Jose Antonio Vargas speaking about immigration

It is that time of year again!  The Summer Institute has kicked off  again with high school and community college students from around the Bay Area converging at the World Affairs Council.

At the first meeting, students delved into the complexities of immigration policy. They examined the vastly different laws in the US and various countries around the world, including Japan, Canada and France.

After discussing the situation in the US, the students watched “Documented,”  a documentary by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Jose Antonio Vargas.  “Documented” illustrates Vargas’ victories and struggles living as an undocumented immigrant in the US and his quest to clarify US immigration policy and attain citizenship.

Watching this insightful film opened the door for a fuller conversation on defining who exactly is an American. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines American as: a person born, raised, or living in the US. After viewing the film, one student astutely commented on the difficulty in defining just what it means to be an American and that it might not necessarily mean the person is also a citizen of the US.

From the discussion, students came to believe that being an American can mean many things:
• Someone who “contributes to the economic growth of the country and believes in the democracy of the government.”
• Someone who “wants to make this country a better place.”
• Asking “not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
• Someone “chasing the American dream.”

How do you define American? Please add to our discussion by contributing your definition in the comments!

Teachers, if you would like to teach this module about Jose Antonio Vargas and immigration, we welcome you to use our lesson plan on immigration and this video of Mr. Vargas speaking at WorldAffairs 2014.

By Netta Ascoli, Education Program Officer and Samir Belkacem, Education Program Intern

 

Summer Institute 2011, Week Three (7/13): “Migration: A Trip to the Museum of the African Diaspora”

Image Courtesy of The Economist

On July 9th, 2011, the world’s community of nations swelled to 193 members, welcoming South Sudan.

As it is not every day that a new country joins the international community,  we felt it imperative to discuss this noteworthy event. After a brief lecture encompassing the history of Sudan, the students discussed the challenges to South Sudan’s development. South Sudan enters as one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world; therefore, typical development challenges such as infrastructure, health care, education, and energy needs are predicted to exacerbate the already challenging process of state building. Of particular interest was the role of oil in the country’s future. South Sudan has the majority of oil reserves in the area, but the North has the pipes and coastal access to export it. Quite a predicament, indeed!

To tie South Sudan back the week’s theme of migration, we dove into the topic of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sudan has over 1.6 million IDPs. How will these people return to their homes? What logistical problems does this create? Additionally, Sudan has nearly 400,000 refugees, including the “The Lost Boys of Sudan.” Will they return to an independent South Sudan?

Although South Sudan has many difficult questions to answer on its path to development, its leaders can be comforted by its tremendous oil reserves, a broad flow of remittances into the country from diaspora communities, and the  overwhelming acceptance of African leaders that it has received thus far, including from Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Omar al-Bashir, the current President of Sudan. Both attended independence festivities in Juba on July 9th in a sign of good faith. But will the new nation be able to sustain these relationships with ethnically, culturally, and politically diverse partners?

Students were also asked to reflect upon the greatest challenges facing migrants in leaving their home countries and arriving in the new world. Their responses ranged from conceptual and spiritual to monetary and political. Migrants leaving their home, they noted, may face persecution (political or otherwise), danger in crossing the border, and will likely be forced to relinquish their professional status. Migrants arriving face a different set of challenges, according to the students, including finding a new job, adjusting to cultural norms, and securing legal residency.

Our discussion on Migration was complimented by a visit to the Museum of the African Diaspora, in which students learned about African migration to the Americas through the multimedia exhibits on display.  Students created Caribbean-style rhythms, learned about traditional African-American dishes such as okra and gumbo, and watched videos which depicted the flows of migration and the struggle for civil rights throughout world history, including the stories of Nelson Mandela and Toussaint L’Overture.

In week three we attempted to tackle a very broad subject, which is also a major driver of global affairs today (as we well know in California, where a diverse immigrant community has become an important part of our dynamic community). Sudan is just one piece of the puzzle, but within it, we can find most of the reasons why people choose to leave their homes in the first place: violence, persecution, economic opportunity, and conflict.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out our summary of our discussion with Dr. Lisa Anderson, President of the American University in Cairo, regarding the events of the Arab Spring.