It Starts with a Conversation
Last monday, instead of taking the day off to sleep in or go skiing, students at the Jackson Community School celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by hosting speakers, leading group discussions and organizing a peaceful rally advocating for equality and social justice.
Visiting speaker Irving Aquilar, a former student at the Community School spoke to the junior class about the challenges of growing up in the USA without legal documentation. The students were fascinated by his story of crossing the border as a 9 year old, running from thorn bush to thorn bush, dodging search lights. Read the full story here.
Before Irving’s speech, most of the students in the room had never spoken to an “illegal immigrant.” Many openly admitted to harboring a negative opinion about the issue. Hearing Irving’s story first hand opened their eyes to a reality that they had never considered. In the span of forty five minutes, the vague idea of “illegal immigration” had been given a face - a tangible story. Here was a young man who had worked very hard to earn his place in America. He may not have arrived with a legal identity, but he was very much a real person, sharing the same dreams and passions as many of the students in the room.
After his speech, the students peppered him with questions about crossing the border, and his early life in Jackson. Roxana Wortman, Spanish Language teacher pointed out, "They saw Irving as a real person... not simply as a statistic created by media and biased politics.” By the end of the round table discussions, the students agreed that people like Irving deserve the right to pursue their dreams in the Jackson Community.
Later in the day, during the march on Town Square, Senior Marisol Hernandez reminded her fellow students that Dr. King’s dream is still a work in progress: “The Jackson community is made up of diverse individuals who haven't yet merged, creating a feeling of detachment.” Marisol brings to light the racial and socioeconomic divide that still exists in Jackson. According to a recent study, Teton County residents boast a median household income of $72,000. but for immigrant households, it’s just $26,000. This inequality has huge repercussions for the community at large. Without the respect and acceptance of Latinos from the Anglo population, and without Latino's willingness to participate in the community at large, this divide will only continue to grow.
When asked to brainstorm ways to build bridges between the Anglo and Latino community, students and teachers offered fantastic ideas. Most students agreed that the best way to foster connections would be to develop friendships through shared passions... on the soccer field, skiing at the resort, or simply starting a conversation on the START bus. Roxana Wortman suggested that the community host more events that would interest both communities - live music, dancing classes, sporting events. As Senior Fuller Ross so eloquently stated, “To live up to the name the “Equality State” in Jackson we need to stop pretending that there are not injustices surrounding us. Everyone needs to be proactive and reach out their hands to different communities including the latino community.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides the perfect forum to bring these important issues to light. As the students marched around town square and delivered speeches to curious onlookers, their message was clear: Discussing issues of equality and integration cannot be limited to a single day. At the LRC, we are advancing the cause of integration on many fronts. Addressing the needs of the Latino population through direct support, and long term. But perhaps our most powerful tool is the art of simply starting a conversation. By providing a forum to bridge the gap between groups of people that wouldn’t typically interact, we are accomplishing wonderful things. It starts with a conversation. But it often blossoms into TRUST, RESPECT, and FRIENDSHIP.
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Stories sponsored by Latino Resource Center and created by Think Picture Productions.
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