Name: Cody Wilkerson Class Section/ Meeting Time: HUMA 1100, MW 8:00 AM

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT

My Experience

1. What event did you choose for this activity?

I chose to attend a lecture titled “What’s Happening at the US Border” at the University of Utah College
of Social Work. The keynote speakers for this lecture were Gloria Cardenas, an immigration attorney and
Founder of Familia America, LLC and Alonso R. Reyna, the Director of the University of Utah Dream
Center. This lecture was on Tuesday, July 10th at 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM but actually didn’t end until 3:30
PM. The lecture was during the first hour and a half and the rest of the time was opened up for dialogue
amongst guests attending and the keynote speakers. The purpose of this event was to discuss what is
currently happing at the United State’s southern border with the separation of families and housing
children and parents in separate detention centers.

2. With whom did you speak and what did you learn from them?

I did get an opportunity to ask one of the keynote speakers Gloria, that if she knew if the US was
breaking any international human rights laws with the family separation. She did say that she is not
100% familiar with international law in regards to whether the US violated child abuse laws. However,
she did say that the overall consensus that she has heard, is that the US did violate international laws
about the legality of detaining children in a detention facility for the actions of their parents. She said
she is not aware of what actions the United Nations could take, if any, against the US. She did point out
that this administration doesn’t seem to be bothered by the opinions of the United Nations or our allies
for that matter.

I also talked to one of the other guests that were attending the lecture. Her name was Guadalupe and
she was from Honduras. She has family that are being detained in Texas right now, including children. I
asked if her family that is here legally would be allowed to care for the children instead of them being
detained. She told me that her family that does have asylum in the country have tried to get them out of
detention and they were not allowed to.

3. What does civic engagement mean to you?

Civic engagement to me means coming together as a community to solve a problem or to work to make
the community better. Civic engagement can also be political, like town hall meetings, campaigning, and
gathering signatures for a petition and/or raising awareness about a problem that is affecting the
community.
4. How did this assignment help you to be civically engaged?

This assignment was a great experience. People with all different backgrounds, religions, and ironically
political beliefs, all came together to voice their concern about what is happening at the border. It made
me realize that it’s not a partisan issue. People generally feel that this policy is terrible and that
immigrant parents should be able to stay with their children. There were people in attendance that
were actually affected by this policy as well. I was able to hear from people very different than me but
with the same opinion about immigration and the pursuit for happiness. Also, on the contrary I heard
from some people with different views and could see their point of view. It made me realize that we can
organize and stand up for what is right and we don’t have to be the same to do so. Or we can
compromise and work together with acknowledgment about our differences in opinion. The media does
a good job at being divisive, but at least in Utah for the most part, people can come together and
respect each other’s opinions that are different. I learned to not assume that someone that identifies as
a conservative/ republican, that they feel a certain way about all issues. I am more civically engaged now
that I know that I can relate to people who I once thought were un-relatable.

5. Did you enjoy this experience? Why or why not?

I did enjoy this experience and I hope to attend more events like it in the future. This was the first
lecture I attended outside of classes I was taking and it certainly won’t be my last. This experience was
also heart breaking. The first part of the lecture they played video of kids crying out for their parents in
the detention centers and it was very powerful. It made some people attending the lecture cry, and I got
a little choked up too. I applaud the keynote speakers as well in that they were just giving the
information. It wasn’t biased information. They were just pointing out the facts and letting us draw our
own conclusions. It wasn’t in the least bit propogandist, and I appreciate that.

6. Would you do it again? Why or why not?

Yes, I would do it again. It made me realize that I’m constantly complaining about the government,
policy, etc., but I’m never doing anything about it. I certainly will attend an event like this in the future.
As a matter of fact, the next time my district representative holds a town hall meeting, I will be there. I
can’t sit on the bench anymore for things that I’m passionate about. It’s important to be involved in our
communities. It’s important to use your voice. Perhaps if people and myself were more involved, we
wouldn’t have this terrible administration in the first place.
7. How did it relate specifically to the course?

It has a lot in common with the “Identity, Privilege, and Inequalities” section of the class that we
covered. I am reminded of a quote I read in our textbook that introduced the section on page 345 “It is
not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those
differences.” (Lorde). Our country is so divided right now, and a lot of Americans are privileged. They are
not thinking of these immigrants as human beings.

Take it from Sian Ferguson in her essay “Privilege 101: A Quick and Dirty Guide” in the textbook, she
defines privilege as “a set of unearned benefits given to people who fit into a specific social group.”
(Ferguson). She also gives a great example about what white privilege is and something we should
consider about others that aren’t born here in the United States. A girl and another girl are riding bikes
together, they both choose different paths to get home. The first girl does encounter some bumps and
obstacles, still must travel just as far, however the other girl encounters more bumps and obstacles on
the way and even was pushed off her bike due to a strong wind. They both arrive to their destination,
but one girl had to work a lot harder to get there. Privilege can be thought about like that. Sian says
“Privilege doesn’t mean that your life is easy or that you didn’t work hard. It simply means that you
don’t have to face the obstacles that others have to endure.” (Ferguson). People that cross the border
have to work very hard to establish themselves here and be able to take care of themselves. If they are
undocumented they do not qualify or any subsidies like Medicaid, food stamps, etc. In a lot of cases,
they are doing the jobs that nobody wants to do. So, imagine that you are undocumented, and you
experienced hell, trenching through the desert to cross the border, go through all the difficulty to settle
in and find a means to care for yourself and your family, just to throw it all away by committing crimes.
My point is, that most people coming here are not looking to be deported by committing petty crimes.
Our government is trying to make us think differently, as if they are only coming here to commit crimes
and be a burden on our society when actually they contribute more than they hurt. They want to work
and live in peace because that is what they could not do in their home country.

We are losing compassion for people and allowing immigrants and poor people to take blame for our
country’s economic and social problems. Little do some Americans know how much immigrants
contribute to our economy, it’s substantial. I would argue that without it, it would be even more difficult
for us. We need to recognize that these people coming here are good people that are escaping horrible
things usually. They just want a safe place to raise their family, but because they are not from here, or
that they have a different culture, they are subject to racism even though there are far more US citizens
committing crimes than immigrants. This administration is prepared to shut the door on people
desperately needing asylum. Going so far to rip children away from their parents. Stating that there are
some “bad hombre’s” that are coming here, and we need a wall to keep them all out. They are painting
every immigrant as a MS-13 gang member, causing an even bigger divide between race and nationality
in our country. Sometimes I wonder if the administration understands the mental abuse they are putting
those kids through.
References
Ferguson, S. (n.d.). Privilege 101: A Quck and Dirty Guide. In P. C. Allen, & C. Peterson, It Begins With Our
Questions.

Lorde, A. (n.d.). In P. C. Allen, & C. Peterson, It Begins With Our Questions (p. 345).