Taking the Show on the Road

While considering the state of our immigration policy, I went to Dillard University and Kentucky State with urgency. I did not know what to expect from the students and wanted to give this opportunity my all. The things I learned have pushed me to want to get this message across the country to as many students as possible. What you don’t know can harm you and the decisions policymakers make today will have an impact on their children’s children.

When I landed in Louisiana I did not know what to expect. I had never been to New Orleans and had know idea what the climate was like. The weather was sunny and there were palm trees in a climate much like Florida. I was blown away by the beauty and my Uber driver let me know that this town had a lot of history and wonderful activities for families. 

Mass Immigration Presentation at Dillard University

When I arrived on campus, Dr. Esmail greeted me, and introduced me to his staff. He took me on a tour of the Center of Criminal Justice. I completed a podcast with his tech manager, attended a student pre-law event, and also attended a student meeting with the local Black Panther Party.

After the pre-law event, it was time to give the presentation to the students. The students initially gave me a blank stare. However, as I started to engage with them they started to open up. I presented them with facts about A. Phillip Randolph, Booker T. Washington, and Fredderick Douglas. I asked follow up questions to understand more about what they knew about immigration and challenged them to think outside of the box. 

When I completed my presentations, I realized that there were opportunities for us to inform students and call them to action. I was surprised that they were not aware of what was going on nationally with Sanctuary Cities and the numbers of people coming across the border.  I took these lessons and prepared myself for the Kentucky State University presentations.

Lucky I made it to Kentucky (Kentucky State University Presentation)

The trip to Kentucky was different because I decided to drive. Usually I fly or take the train, but I decided to see the countryside. Riding to Kentucky was an adventure. I rode through West Virginia and saw the windmills, I drove through the mountains of Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland. Some of the mountains I was driving on went straight up like a wall and had a 16 percent grade! On the way back home I  was driving through some of these mountains in complete darkness. My knuckles and face turned completely white but I somehow managed to survive. 

When I arrived in Kentucky, I met with Dr. Reily. When he finished my introduction we got right to the presentation. In all three classes, I experienced the same initial blank stare. However, once the students were able to hear the information and I was able to engage with them, they began to open up just as they did at Dillard University.

My findings were pretty much the same at Dillard and KSU. The students were unaware of what was going on at the border. I encourage them to engage with the real news sources and be aware of what is going on politically. I warned them that the decisions elected officials make today will affect their children’s children, not just them. 

As I continue to go to different colleges and universities, I am going to continue to provide students with information, demonstrations, and tools to get involved. I am going to continue to develop my craft and find new ways to excite students about immigration. I want to provide them with information that will inspire them to take an interest, vote, and possibly be future activists for an issue that directly affects them.