With some of you, I must look in the eye and nod a bit sheepishly. Yes. We’ve been here before, you and I. Though not like this. Never quite like this.
You remember the time I spent the year reading through the works and life of Anaïs Nin? In the background, beneath the reading and the sharing, I was missing my kids; I was in Houston, they were in the UK. The reading and the writing, the tweeting, became a form of meditation, a measure of relief, something to focus on other than the constant pain of an indefinite separation–and my children were safe, loved and cared for, with their father. I was safe, too. In a home and country that welcomed me during a difficult time, that did not include fearing for my life and safety.
And then there was the time I was reading Nature writing, climate change, and the End of the World. That was a great list, a great year. The End of the World still threatens at the edges of my thoughts, and sometimes, reading the news, I wonder if maybe this is it. The end. If it is, I know how I want to face it: connected to the persons and the landscapes that surround me and to all that dwells within them, a connection that extends unimaginably far, all the way around the Earth, and down into it, and links itself right back into me; after all, where do the landscapes that surround “end” when one is standing on a globe? And, yes, with a soft heart.
There have been other lists, other passionate pursuits that lasted months and months, one that may even last a lifetime. A topic calls to me, resonates with me, and I chase after it long and hard, and it deeply changes me. This is not new.
But, this list on border crossing and on the part that the United States has played in destabilising Central American countries. This one is different. It was born out of tears and anger. It broke the surface with the force of Jack’s epic bean stalk and grew just as rapidly. When I learned what was taking place along the southern border of the United States, my heart shattered. So much wrong, so much injustice, so much pain. And, so much hurtful misinformation filling up my screen. I pushed back at it through affirmations:
1) Seeking asylum is LEGAL.
2) Crossing the border between ports of entry is a MISDEMEANOR.
3) There is no law that requires family seperation. It is an unnecessary cruelty as of the “zero tolerance” POLICY issued in April.
4) Cruel and inhumane treatment of children and families for any reason is WRONG.
5) Unjust treatment of children and families for the purpose of sending a message of fear to others is WRONG.
6) Families belong together.
7) Children are not bargaining chips.
I pushed back at it with activism:
- Protest indefinite family detention; demand an end to “zero tolerance”; Support #ReuniteTheFamilies
- Donate
- Sign a petition
- Find an event
- VOTE on Nov 6th; bring a friend.
- Call the senate (202) 224-3121
If you are unsure who your electeds are, find out quickly and easily by clicking this link and entering your address.
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP]. I’m calling to ask that [SEN NAME] 1) oppose indefinite family detentions at the U.S. border; 2) support an end to the “zero tolerance” policy; and 3) support reuniting families. Thank you for your time & attention. [IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
And, I continued to read, from various online sources, about the current situation while at the same time scrambling and grasping to come to some understanding of the history that led to this. We did not arrive at the trauma and the irreparable damages of “zero tolerance”, family separations, and “tender age” detention centers for asylum seekers and unauthorised first time entry misdemeanor overnight. There has been a lot wrong for a very long time. Reuniting families as swiftly as possible and ending “zero tolerance” is a first priority, but there is much work beyond this that needs to be done.
I’m not a politician. I’m a citizen, and I really do care. I’m going to continue with activism, with affirmations, with petitions, with phone calls, with donations. And I will send off my vote by absentee ballot in time for November 6th.
And, I’m going to read.
Thanks for joining me.
Grace Hughes 