Starting to Read Green Card Youth Voices

This week I began to read Green Card Youth Voices, as well as an introduction on Critical Race Theory. Reading both works, I really developed a stronger understanding of race in general and the way that people from different backgrounds experience and interact with others. Reading the Green Card Youth Voices book, I was able to really delve deep into these children’s experiences and all they have been through. What surprised me is just how much they had experienced at such a young age. It made me realize how fortunate and privileged I am to have never had to go through similar experiences. It made me ask myself questions- what would I do if I were in a situation like this? How would I react? What would my plans be in the future after experiencing such a situation? And what struck me in the book, particularly, is how positive the students were after going through terrible situations. I think of how many students have escaped violence in their home country, became separated by their families and made so many sacrifices to start a new life. The students often described how they left everything they knew behind- their towns, their friends, and sometimes, even family. Its hard to put myself in their shoes and imagine how I would react in such a situation. To see these students be so positive is really inspiring to me. Seeing them want to go into careers to help others and possibly even go back to their home country to make things better, is such a powerful statement about themselves and humanity in general. The part that really upset me, however, is to think that some students were often bullied or made fun of because of their accent or race. It really goes into the concept of Critical Race Theory, the other article we read. Last semester, I took a class on sociocultural influences in the education field and it something we studied deeply. To see that these students had gone through so much and still had to deal with problems in America because of their race is really upsetting. I hope that sharing this book with others will really open up people’s hearts and help them become more informed on the struggles immigrants face.

To learn more about Green Card Youth Voices and their mission, click here



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