2008 Woodie Awards
Young: Life on the border
Jenn Young
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Opinion
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Most of the visit was spent in El Paso, a city divided from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, by a meager river fortified by cement walls and barbed wire. The North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994 opened the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Taking advantage of this, American companies outsourced to factories in Mexico along the border, hundreds of which have sprung up in Ciudad Juarez. This led to a huge population influx across the border as individuals and families from southern Mexico and Latin America have moved north in the hopes of finding jobs. The overwhelming population has plagued Ciudad Juarez with high unemployment rates, homelessness and poverty.
In a state of desperation, many people turn to illegal trafficking of people and illicit drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The underground drug scene in Ciudad Juarez has led to intensified gang violence and femicides - the brutal rape and murder of young women. While we were staying along the border, nearly a dozen people were killed as a result of the drug wars. These atrocities do not only affect Mexico, as El Paso and Ciudad Juarez are extremely interdependent. To ignore the problems of one is to neglect the other.
In an attempt to move away from the violence of Ciudad Juarez, families are immigrating into the U.S. in an act of self-preservation. I did not meet any people along the border who feel there should be no regulations on immigration; however, almost unanimously people feel immigration policies must be changed. Life in El Paso for an immigrant can be tough as unemployment, labor exploitation and language barriers restrict his/her potential. Grassroots campaigns strive daily to provide opportunities and social justice for hard-working individuals with intentions of bettering their lives.
In El Paso our ASB group worked closely with AVANCE Inc., a nonprofit organization dealing with parent and early childhood education. This organization has provided a framework for English instruction to parents with young children, has helped families prepare their children for school and has allowed families to grow and learn together. There was a cultural exchange in which the students from the university and the students from AVANCE presented information about individual backgrounds and lifestyles as a way to better understand one another. In connecting with the women from AVANCE, I was able to see that people have sacrificed everything to become part of the U.S. The U.S. government has the responsibility to fulfill its claims of liberty by welcoming immigrants on an individual level.
Rosa Guerrero, a woman famous among the people of El Paso, used a Spanish dance to represent the multiculturalism of humanity. As she began to move to the music, she explained that her shawl was from the Moorish culture of Spain, her castanets from Egypt, her fan from China by way of the Philippines, her foot steps Celtic and her grand arm gestures from Jewish and Arab dance. This dance, which represents the beauty of cultural cohesion, should be used as a model for the U.S. If any one element of this dance was lacking, it may not be as beautiful and unique. This is also the case of the U.S. To undervalue any part of American culture, which now more than ever includes Latino influence, would be to diminish the potential of the U.S.
I have seen that American culture and Mexican culture can not only exist peacefully alongside one another, but they can meld together to form their own beautiful culture. This is a regional representation of what could be the entirety of the U.S. and the entirety of the world. Intercultural dialogue will allow people to understand and connect to one another on a personal level, which will lead to a stronger sense of solidarity and a greater compassion for humanity.
Jenn Young is a sophomore history major. She can be reached at jyoung22@umd.edu.
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