Author: adesjourdy

 

Recently, a major US-Mexico border was closed after a group of five hundred migrants overwhelmed patrol on the border. The United States authorities responded to the chaos by throwing tear gas, a chemical weapon that causes severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and sometimes blindness to disperse the migrants. The tear gas sent families, some with young children, running in fear.

Each year, thousands of non-citizens seek asylum in the United States. The requirements for asylum are that the person cannot return home safely because of persecution of race, religion, nationality, member of social group, or political opinion. The United States has a duty to help these people seeking protection, “as a signatory to the 1967 Protocol, and through U.S. immigration law, the United States has legal obligations to provide protection to those who qualify as refugees…either from abroad as a resettled refugee or in the United States as an asylum seeker” (American Immigration Council). However, the United States is not upholding its legal obligations to many refugees seeking asylum.

Embedded on the Statue of Liberty is a poem by Emma Lazarus called “The New Colossus.” The poem describes the United States as the land of the free where all are welcome, “‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”’ (Lazarus). The poem depicts the United States as a land welcoming of all immigrants in need.

The poem on the Statue of Liberty states an important ideal that the country should maintain. Instead of removing it from the statue, the United States should embrace this important philosophy. Historically, the United States was a place that welcomed refugees and provided homes to people in desperate need. Today, we close our borders and deny entry to those seeking asylum in contradiction to the words written on the Statue of Liberty. We have gone so far to use acts of violence such as throwing tear gas to stop refugees from crossing our borders. The poem should not be stricken from the statue because doing so would symbolize the end of United States as the land of the free. Instead, we need to keep the poem as a reminder of the high ideals that the United States was founded upon. Why would we change our values now when there is so much violence and atrocities occurring around the world. Innocent people who were born in an unfortunate situation desperately need our help. The United States should open its arms to provide these people with better opportunities and safe living.

One country that has a tremendous amount of refugees fleeing is Afghanistan. Currently, there are almost 2.5 million registered refugees from Afghanistan (UNHCR). These refugees face harsh conditions that no one should experience. Many refugees report anxiety, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and trauma from the events they undergo. Furthermore, the available refugee camps provide a poor living standard. In refugee camps, the Afghan refugees face malnutrition which allows for disease to spread easily amongst refugees. There is always a shortage of food and clean water. The shortage of supplies leads to fighting amongst refugees in each camp. During the cold winter months, refugees have little to keep them warm. There is human waste everywhere and no proper sewage systems. Aid to these refugee camps is extremely limited and necessary medical supplies and attention are not provided to suffering refugees.

It is disappointing to hear that innocent refugees who have no place to go and cannot receive the help they need are rejected entrance into the United States. According to Absent Afghans, “health conditions within refugee camps are simply inhumane” (Absent Afghans), however, there are no other options for these refugees. They cannot return to their homeland because of the violent acts of the Taliban. Only refugee camps provide a home to Afghan refugees, but this home is “simply inhumane.”

During Donald Trump’s administration, the number of refugees allowed into the United States became “the most restrictive limit the United States has set in the 70-year history of refugee resettlement” (Lind). The Trump administration declared that no more than 45,000 refugees will be accepted into the United States during this current fiscal year which began on October 1, 2018. This amount of refugees “is less than half the total of the last years of the Obama administration when the government set its refugee “ceiling” to at least 100,000 refugees in the last two years” (Lind). The Trump administration has indicated that it would like to slash these numbers in the future. This new restrictive refugee policy shows that “the US is rejecting the very idea of a “global refugee crisis” — instead taking it for granted that countries have a responsibility for the lives of their citizens, and that if those countries have failed, people who are similar to the displaced citizens ought to step up to help” (Lind).

Refugees around the world face atrocities both from their own countries and refugee camps. However, the United States is refusing to assist these refugees in need. While most people in the United States appreciate the plight of the refugees, the United States chooses to remain on the sidelines when providing a sanctuary to these refugees. It is time that we fulfill our responsibilities as a country by providing help for the poor, the weak, the homeless, and the tired. The poem, “The New Colossus” serves as a reminder of the lofty aspirations of the United States and should never be removed from the Statue of Liberty.

 

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https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/25/us/san-ysidro-port-of-entry-closed/index.html

Works Cited

Grinberg, Emanuella, and Mariano Castillo. “US Authorities Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Migrants at Border.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 Nov. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/11/25/us/san-ysidro-port-of-entry-closed/index.html. Accessed Dec. 11, 2018.

“Asylum in the United States.” American Immigration Council, 27 Nov. 2018, www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/asylum-united-states. Accessed Dec. 11, 2018.

“Life Within Refugee Camps – Absent Afghans.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/absentafghans/life-within-refugee-camps. Accessed Dec. 11, 2018.

Lind, Dara. “The Trump Administration Doesn’t Believe in the Global Refugee Crisis.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 4 Dec. 2017, www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/3/16379016/trump-refugees. Accessed Dec. 11, 2018.

United Nations. “Afghanistan.” UNHCR, www.unhcr.org/en-us/afghanistan.html. Accessed Dec. 11, 2018.

 

The Syrian Refugee Camp Stimulation raised awareness to the harsh living conditions of the Syrian refugees. I was surprised to find out that 75% of refugees are Syrian women and children. Refugee camps provide free contraceptives donated by health services such as UNHCR to married couples. Despite the availability of free contraceptives, the percentage of Syrian women using contraceptives decreased to 34.5% compared to 60% before the war. This is an alarmingly low percentage and is resulting in many unwanted pregnancies. One baby is born every hour by a Syrian refugee woman. The problem maybe in part due to the lack of awareness of the free contraceptives available at the camps. Furthermore, I was shocked to find out about the limited education available to Syrian refugee children. Only 61% of refugee children attend primary school compared to a global average of 92%. 23% of refugee children enroll in secondary school, and refugee girls are half as likely to attend secondary school as their male peers. Education is an important aspect of future success for Syrian children; however, with limited books, desks, educational facilities, and teachers it is difficult to provide education to a greater percentage of Syrian children. A story read during the stimulation that greatly affected me was about a young boy and the items he chose to bring with him when fleeing his home. Instead of bringing essential survival items like food or water, he chose to pack his books. The young boy was uncertain if there would be schools to attend at the camp so he wanted to be able to study from his books. His main concern was his education which shows the young boy’s determination to learn. Another alarming problem at refugee camps is the shortage of food. There is rarely enough food to go around which leads to fighting amongst refugees. Chronic malnutrition makes the refugees more susceptible to diseases, especially in confined living conditions surrounded by other malnourished refugees. The Syrian Refugee Camp Stimulation pointed out many of the atrocities refugees experience, and I cannot imagine facing the same difficulties and struggles

The refugee crisis pictures in the library displayed the current harsh situation for refugees. Many photos included families with young innocent children and no place to go. One image that struck me was a drawing drew by a child of people on a boat wearing orange life vests. The image symbolized the sea that the families recently crossed and their journey. However, the image could also represent the freedom and safety families crave for their future. The normalancy of drawing comforted the children in refugee camps and allowed them to express their innocent desires. Their parents regained some strength as they saw their children drawing in safety. Other images exhibited wounded refugees seeking aid; however, there is limited medical resources and doctors to help them. Unfortunately, the amount of refugees let into the United States fleeing war, violence, and persecution is at an all time low of 30,000. The United States is denying help to many refugees who desperately need it which does not uphold to their reputation of a generous country who provides safety to all. The images on the refugee crisis exhibited the hopes of the refugees for a brighter future and their innocence among the evil that struck their homes.

The art exhibit by Mohamad Hafez contained many powerful and emotional pieces. The unique three-dimensional artwork allows for the viewers to fully understand the rough conditions in Syria. Many of the pieces of work used materials like plaster, paint, found objects, and rigid foam to create destroyed buildings. However, a common theme in many of the pieces was light shining on a center focal point. In the piece, Why Have You Forsaken Us!? there is light shining on a woman praying in possibly a cathedral, depicting that there is beauty surrounded by destruction. The pieces of artwork can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the viewer and their beliefs. The artwork made me realize how fortunate people are to be born in the United States, but we must fulfill our duty to aid innocent refugees. The political turmoil of the Middle East is an atrocity that affects many families who packed up their lives with only what they could carry and fled their home. Furthermore, one of the pieces, His Majesty’s Throne depicts many influential leaders combined into one person. One of those people is our president, Donald Trump. He chose to lower the amount of refugees allowed into our country and deny much needed help. The artwork by Hafez shows a visual of the destruction in Syria and allows the viewers to put themselves in the shoes of Syrians. It makes us wonder how would we feel if that was our demolished house in front of us or if that was us fleeing for our lives from dropping bombs. It is not any refugees fault for being born in a corrupted part of the world, but it is our fault if we choose to not help these refugees.

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Trump Administration Caps Refugee Entrance to the U.S. at 30,000 People -an All-time Low

After googling “Are smartphones ruining society?” I read the article “Why your smartphone Is Destroying Your Life” by Anna Akbari. Throughout the article, Akbari presents data to persuade readers to disconnect from their smartphones. One piece of data that stood out to me was “a visible phone in a social setting measurably decreases the depth of the interaction, creating more superficial social exchanges” (Akbari). It is extremely concerning that smartphones change how people socialize when they are present. When we look around, most people have their heads nuzzled in their phones causing them to miss out on the world around them. We are allowing our smartphones to become more important than our relationships and interactions with other people. People will no longer be as empathetic to others if they constantly choose to only interact with their smartphones. Furthermore, I read the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean Twenge. One serious problem of using smartphones that the article discusses is the more teens use their smartphones then the more likely the are to report symptoms of depression. They do not spend as much time with friends as they do on social media causing them to feel lonely. A study on eighth graders revealed that “Eighth-graders who are heavy users of social media increase their risk of depression by 27 percent, while those who play sports, go to religious services, or even do homework more than the average teen cut their risk significantly” (Twenge). Children are growing up too dependent on their phones and social media to entertain them. They are risking their mental health by staring at a screen all day and increasing “their risk of depression by 27 percent.” Smartphones are causing children to miss out on the world and all the amazing opportunities in front of them. They should instead be dedicating their time to building strong relationships with other people, playing sports, doing homework, or doing anything else they enjoy. It is time that we realize that smartphones are detrimental to our mental health, and we need to put our screens down to interact with the world surrounding us. The sources I used are credible because they are from notable publications, but that does not mean they are not biased.

“Why your smartphone Is Destroying Your Life” by Anna Akbari

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” by Jean Twenge

 

 

 

Digging deep into the lyrics of songs can unleash numerous hidden messages. Artists create songs with the intent of entertaining the listeners, but also to tell a story. Throughout my high school experience, the song “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys inspired me. At first this song was just another typical song sang by a talented singer with an enjoyable beat. However, after having a terrible day where nothing went right for me this song saved me. That day, I got to school late after waking up sick, received a bad grade on a test, forgot my project that was due at home, and brought an empty lunchbox to fill my grumbling stomach. Listening to the song again after my unfortunate day, I realized the meaning behind it. The song introduced a lonely girl who is dealing with the many catastrophes that life threw at her. However, what differentiates this girl from others is that “this girl is on fire” (Keys). She is determined to succeed and is never willing to give up. The song embodies the power of female strength and independence. It encourages women to seek out strength from within themselves and embrace it to shine bright like a flame. It is up to the individual woman to decide her success in life; all she needs is a fresh start and a determined perspective of the world. I desired nothing more than for that miserable day to be over, but I believe everything happens for a reason. Those series of unlucky events led me to discover the meaning behind a song that forever changed my outlook on life. I do not allow little events to get me down. Instead, I use those events to push myself towards success. I realize that tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start to thrive.

Music Video Link for “Girl on Fire” By Alicia Keys 

Link to Alicia Keys’ Letter

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton