Its officially the day, I am traveling back to the US. The time has been great and as I am sitting at the airport, I constantly confronted with privilege of nationality. While I was eating breakfast, I struck up a conversation with a Polish woman working in the airport. During our conversation, I suggested she visit the United States, to which she replied, "I would like to but its very hard to get a visa to come."
This isn't the first time I have heard in the US and the UK. I rarely think about how important nationality is. People in the US rarely do. But it allows me certain privileges people in most countries don't have. It is easy for US citizens to enter other countries, not all but most. That means I have access to experiences and knowledges most don't. This is humbling and saddening. I have to understand the US got to this point by basically terrorizing the world. How many lives lost and families fractured, all for this global status? I reminded of why I study sociology. My journey has been about equality and equal access to all. I started my journey as a way to understand sexual assaults on college campuses. Traveling has provided growth but there is always looming question. Students often ask (in their student way lol) how do you negotiate having unearned privileges. It is something to ponder. Anyway, I had a wonderful experience and I am thankful for the individuals and institutions, (particular the Department of Psychosocial Studies, Birkbeck College) for guidance, knowledge, conversation and overall friendship. It is a lot to process, but I reached my goal of getting a better understanding of race and gender relations in not only the UK but also in Europe as well. Learning is an ongoing conversation though, and the experiences I had in UK is merely the beginning of one I hope to continue next year. Thanks to all the people that read and supported me on this journey. I hope that enjoyed reading as much as I have sharing. Until, next time. Hopefully, I will be back at it again in January when I take a group of students to Cuba. Cheers
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This my last day going around London and its weird because I feel like I live here now, even picked up a few words (mate, cheers, mum, wee bit lol). I planned to go to the National Archives, but didn't have time.
So, I met with a friend for breakfast in the Shepard Bush area and then we went to the Kings Cross area. One thing I have not mentioned is how striking the architecture of the buildings are. Many universities, hotels libraries, and businesses are in the beautifully designed buildings. These buildings give a sense of grandeur and history. It’s been one of the highlights of the trip. I just sat around and took it all in. The buildings, people, sounds, etc. I sat beside two your children in McDonald's (wasn't eating just using Wi-Fi) and we a sea gull either kill a pigeon and try to carry its body or just try and move a dead one. The children screamed, “Mummy that white bird killed a pigeon.” I reflected my experiences and wished that my ancestors could see what I see. Feel the cold, wet air, Eat baked beans for breakfast (yes they do that here) touch the architecture, and hear the symphonies. I think much joy would it have bring my grandmother to cross the sea and experience things that she only saw on television. Interact with the physical scale of the past, so I understand that this is a privilege. I guess like this blog is somewhat of a responsibility to the past. Sharing my experiences everyone and hoping they learn, but feeling its responsibility to bring with me the hopes of the past, present and future. Today, I attended Precarious Citizenship: Young People Who are Undocumented, Separated and Settled in the UK, a one day conference on the lives of undocumented youths in the UK at Birkbeck College. Since I arrived in London, migration and immigration are among the major topics that are discussed on the BBC news
The conference explored the lives those often pushed to the margins of society by citizenship process that offers little protection. It addressed their situation in relation to a number of social institutions. Just like in the US. While, the conference had all great speakers but it was voices of the youths that were the loudest. Their stories of social neglect, fear, instability, confusion, exploitation, and disconnection stay with you and haunt your memories. How can you forget someone saying the police burst into the place she was living arresting his mum and placing her into government custody. They spoke, moved, sang and read like an old Negro spiritual. You can't get housing, work, or healthcare if you are undocumented. Your life is in perpetual transition. Constantly move from house to house, job to job. It’s frantic, and scary. Many of the youths do not quite understand their citizen status until they are 18 and forced into a reality they that they cannot become citizens and they cannot go back to land they don't know. They are caught in the spaces in between. To gain citizenship and naturalization for undocumented youths is a long and complex (too complex for me to understand or explain lol), and even if you are born there you do not get citizenship. You have to reside there for 8 or 10 before 18 (many do), then start long, expensive journey within built institutional discrimination. Among of things required, you have to be in college (which is expensive), pay 1000 British pounds (about $1450) for a passport, and have "good character." You can’t have police records but for those on the margins this is difficult since you are often targeted by the police. Just like in the US, it is a vicious cycle where race, gender, ethnicity, and country of origin matter. But the story of undocumented, migrant and immigrant youths isn't just their story, it’s also the story of how Europe and the United States have exploited, used, manipulated and underdeveloped countries worldwide through colonization, neo colonization, covert operations, war, transnational corporations and cultural dominance. The problems that force people to leave their countries are often a result of this and companies take advantage. Many undocumented people get to these because promise them jobs and better lives. What actually happens exploitation in sex work, sweatshops, farms, and general businesses that exploit their labor. But rarely do I hear businesses being severely punished or held accountable. These countries essentially try to throw a rock and hide their hand (an old southern US saying). They create policies that doesn’t account for their role in the history of home countries (Why aren’t their jobs and resources, what forces causes them to leave) or account specific needs of undocumented youths. When describing Brixton, I asked Langston Hughes question in Harlem, What happens to a dream deferred, but in for these youths it’s not about dreaming because are denied access to the institutions needed to accomplish those dreams, it's about getting their story told. I am reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you" |
Myron Strong
professor. learner. traveler. emerging artist Archives
November 2018
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