Talk about Immigration
Jan 31, 2018
Family horror stories are becoming routine in communities across the United States. In my hometown, Asheville, a family man is picked up by ICE and taken to South Carolina for deportation. This man has been here for 10 years working and contributing to the community. He and his wife are raising a family of US born children. In Youngstown OH, a businessman is picked up by ICE, and threatened with with deportation to Jordon. He’s been here for 30 years. He’s married to an American and has four American daughters [see Now This].
It All Begins With Conversation
These are two of hundreds of cases of families being terrorized and torn apart by conversations that are fueling fear and hate. What kind of conversations are you having about immigration these days? Are they raising your blood pressure or stimulating connection and understanding? Are you dead set on your viewpoint or open to exploring alternative possibilities?
How Can You Change the Conversation?
Know the history and facts about volatile topics. The National Dialogues on Immigration hosted conversations grounded in the history of American immigration. Just Facts is also a good site to discover “just the facts” about immigration in the U.S.
Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine are using film to share stories of immigrant families. They hope these stories will spark dialogue, especially among conservative people, about immigrants in the U.S. They have five stories in their series called Resistance through Storytelling.
And what about the national conversation on immigration? Beyond partisan politics, what do we want our immigration policies to do? What do we want them to help us achieve as a county? How might having a shared desired outcome change the way we talk about our immigration? If we can have conversations that allow us to explore solutions that truly support the values of our country, we just might discover what makes America great again.
PLEASE SHARE: If your community is having conversations about immigration, especially across divides, please let us know what’s happening. Share the website or online article.
