This Land Was Made For You And Me

Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

For a very long time last year, I wasn’t very active on writing on the blog or on social media. There was a reason for this. I was not in the best state of mind and it was not solely due to our kitchen.

Every time I sat down to open my laptop to write, I became debilitated. I felt overwhelming sadness and “wrongness” and helplessness and… anger. I felt repulsion and self-loathing at the thought of talking about first-world problems and consumeristic ideologies when we had (and still have) a real crisis on our hands.

I’m referring to what we are all watching unfold on television: the identity crisis of America.

Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you were alive during slavery? During the Holocaust? During the Japanese Internment? During the Civil Rights Movement?

Guess what? You’re doing it. Right. Now.

Where is the shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere? Where is the land that accepted the tired, the poor, the homeless, tempest-tost? Where is the land of the brave who cry out against abominations and perverse plights on humanity?

Where is my country? This isn’t a left or a right issue. It’s a moral issue.

I’ve always heard that talking politics is a no-no on blogs, because you may upset future collaborations with brands and companies. Wanna know what else is a no-no? Complicity by silence.

As a daughter of immigrants and first-generation American I simply cannot stay silent on the matter. Growing up in New York City, I saw firsthand how much diversity contributes to this country. The revitalization of America comes from our immigrant population. The fusion of cuisines that create new, hip restaurants are a by-product of the cultural richness of immigrants and the fresh ideas they bring to the table (no pun intended).

Our nation was built by immigrants. How can we turn our backs on them?

As the 24/7 news cycles have repeatedly shown distraught audio and images of immigrant children separated from their parents, my heart has broken further and further. It is impossible not to compare what is happening in our country to the authoritarianism from WWII Germany.

• Immigrants are “an infestation” and the source of the country’s problems
• Placing people in “camps”
• Attacking the free press
• Placing high value on “loyalty”
• Fear mongering
• Creating an “us” versus “them” culture

I began writing this post exactly one year ago, right when the sitting President signed a sorry excuse of an executive order to “keep families together.” Since then, psychologists and doctors have compared the U.S. child migrant detention centers in Texas to ‘torture facilities,’ where soap and toothpaste are deemed “unnecessary” by government officials.

There have been migrant child deaths because of lack of care and empathy at these same detention centers. And the most recent heartbreaking event, a father and daughter drowning in the Rio Grande, attempting to flee violence from Central America.

Have we lost sight of what is important? Have we lost heart?

I thought I’d have to wait until 2020 for the helpers…except…I found my tribe. A tribe of fellow bloggers who are fiercely intelligent, and caring social warriors. We have organized an incredible fundraiser for RAICES, an organization that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families.

@CribsNotCages is the Instagram handle where our fundraiser is currently happening. Proceeds go to RAICES Texas, where a humanitarian crisis desperately needs YOUR HELP.

JOIN US

We have amazing donations in this auction. Lots of items for babies, children, beauty services and even website services. As of publishing, we have already raised over $18k for RAICES!

If you need me, I’ll be here practicing self-care with exercise, and exercising my First Amendment right by expressing how I feel about this travesty.

#Resist #CribsNotCages #NoChildLeftBehindBars #WayfairWalkout