"Home"

My dad was in the Navy, so growing up "home" was a new house every year or two, strung together with a new bedroom and new school.  My freshman year of college, I fell in love with what I thought was a deep and profound statement (aka described exactly how I was feeling transitioning into college) about "home" from a quote Andrew (Zach Braff) describes to Sam (Natalie Portman) in the movie Garden State:

"You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of a sudden even though you have some place where you put your shit, that idea of home is gone." [...] "You'll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I don't know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place." 

Is home where you physically live?

Is it where you feel you belong?

Is it just a memory, or a feeling of some sort?

Almost 25 years later, I still slightly confuse myself when I tell someone "I'm at home" or "I'm going home."  Most believe I'm referring to the apartment I now live in, and most times, I am, but there are the glimpses of my family home that flutter across as I say the word "home".

What do you consider "home?"

Out of the Shadows--Into the Streets

There's an event occurring on Sunday, March 10 that I feel very strongly about, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's called "Out of the Shadows--Into the Streets" and is a march for undocumented immigrants.  Here's an example of a flier that you may or may not have seen, as most are posted in Chicago.

“Out of the Shadows and Into the Streets” occurs for the 4^th year on March 10, 2013 and is a rally for undocumented immigrants to just join in the rally by walking in the streets and giving the attitude that “we are here, we are undocumented, we are unafraid, and we are unstoppable.”  Every year, the national "Coming Out of the Shadows--Into the Streets" day helps highlight the unheard stories in our immigrant communities, and put a spotlight on the stories of the people who this immigration system deems "illegal" and deportable.  

Barriers for undocumented immigrants primarily lay with the fact and fear that these people are just that: undocumented immigrants and can be deported if they announce their illegal status.  This leads to a lack of awareness of where to go for security and aid.  An example is found here, but I want to focus particularly on this excerpt from HuffPo:

Gang of 8 Senate Blueprint Provides No Real Pathway to Citizenship


Prerna Lal, Huffington Post

” …the blueprint glosses over the most punitive and problematic parts of the immigration system. The Senate plan fails to address the growing problem of long-term lawful permanent residents who are subject to deportation for minor crimes. Moreover, the blueprint does not modify the prolonged mandatory detention of non-citizens, which makes the immigration system must more punitive than the criminal justice system. The blueprint also fails to address Secure Communities – a misnomer of a policy that subjects immigrants to detention and deportation pre-conviction, violating the fundamental American concept of due process. Finally, the omission of legislation to resolve the issue of 40,000 same-sex binational couples who are forced to live apart, altogether, has much of the immigrant and LGBT communities up in arms.”

While Lal has some interesting points to the avoidance of obtaining citizenship, I like to think of this march as undocumented immigrants steps towards becoming a citizen, or if not the adults, then at least with the children.

Undocumented youth have very few organizations to utilize to help seek and advance their rights.  In addition, there is a need for an organization to serve as the “front door” for undocumented immigrants to go to when they need social service referrals, but they are afraid or unaware to go for help. 

IYJL-Chicago is an aid and provides resources, and it is my hope it will continue to help and provide an outreach to the undocumented immigrants through educational workshops, legal aid, social services, and an array of other intra-community resources such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the American Dream Act. When undocumented immigrants “come out” (which they're able to do at the march on March 10) and take risks, they help strategize and create stories to influence the immigration debate.

Fear can be dissolved by creating awareness. Knowing this, I encourage you to either join in, watch from the sidelines, or anywhere you're out of the shadows and participate in the "Out of the Shadows--Into the Streets" march!