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wellreadwyvern · 1 year

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🥳BOOK MAIL🥳 Gifted books! I was the lucky winner of The Fields from the publisher’s IG giveaway. And I’m hosting tour stops in March for two upcoming YA novels - I Will Find You Again and Brighter Than the Sun. I’ll have full reviews for both YA titles next month! THE FIELDS by ERIN YOUNG A young woman is found dead in an Iowa cornfield. When Sergeant Riley Fisher arrives on the scene, the crime becomes personal. She discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind. The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Riley soon discovers that something deeply disturbing is out there, and it reaches far beyond her Midwest town. (Now available in paperback) Thank you @flatiron_books for my copy! I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN by SARAH LYU Meet Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano: the driven overachiever and the impulsive wanderer, the future CEO and the free spirit. Chase has always pushed herself to be the best. Only Lia, her best friend of ten years - and her first girlfriend - could get her to take a break. When Lia disappears, Chase is determined to find the truth - but the closer she gets, the more her world begins to unravel. Thank you @simonbooks and @tbrbeyondtours for my finished copy. (on sale 3/4/23) BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN by DANIEL ALEMAN Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in Tijuana, Mexico and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the US. Sol’s complicated school and work schedules in the US lead her to move in with her best friend and leave her family behind. With her life divided, Sol must come to terms with her loneliness, the pressure she feels to succeed, and the feeling her future dreams are unattainable. Thank you to @littlebrownyoungreaders and @tbrbeyondtours for my finished copy. (on sale 3/21/23) #thefields #erinyoung #crimethriller #iwillfindyouagain #sarahlyu #yamystery #yathriller #asianrepresentation #queerrepresentation #brighterthanthesun #danielaleman #yacontemporary #immigrationstories #mexicanrepresentation #tbrbeyondtours #bookmail #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CpAsbBohJ7J/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#thefields #erinyoung #crimethriller #iwillfindyouagain #sarahlyu #yamystery #yathriller #asianrepresentation #queerrepresentation #brighterthanthesun #danielaleman #yacontemporary #immigrationstories #mexicanrepresentation #tbrbeyondtours #bookmail #bookstagram

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kristinemaebsnapshots · 11 months

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ᜃ᜔ ᜊ᜔ | Snapshots (@kristinemaeb_snapshots)

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No horror story 😂✌🏻 ✈️

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musicmeditationvictoria · 7 months

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#duet #immigrationstories #book #fur #restoration

#youtube

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defensenow · 8 months

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To New Horizons: A Girl's Journey from South Korea to the United States

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates #Journey #NewHorizons #Travel #Adventure #CultureExchange #ImmigrationStory #InternationalExperience #CrossCultural #NewBeginnings #LifeAbroad #ChasingDreams #Education #KoreanAmerican #Diversity #Inclusion #Multiculturalism #DreamBig #Inspiration

#youtube #news

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anthosblanc · 4 years

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"Ningún ser humano es ilegal." . . . #madresdeportadasenaccion #immigrationstories (at Playas de Tijuana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGB87HHDbva/?igshid=7u9jkep8gxh7

#madresdeportadasenaccion #immigrationstories

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asianartsblog · 4 years

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Tradition - Memory - Transformation: Explore a fusion of cultures by twenty-five Asian and Asian American from the DMV. Discover distinct yet interconnected layers of experiences, histories and identities through works that draw from traditional art forms, memories of homeland, and more. Check out the online exhibit at towson.edu/asianorth

#asianamericans #asianart #dmv #immigrationstories

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havekiddoswilltravel · 6 years

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#notwithoutmychild An American Traveling Family’s Take on the Zero Tolerance Policy

Let’s attempt to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes...

Photo credit: Rebecca Wilhite Photography

When our first born was 15 months old, my family traveled to the Dominican Republic on an extended family vacation with my parents and sister. At that time, children could travel with both parents with an official raised seal United States birth certificate and didn’t need a passport. As a first time parent, I was naive enough to trust this process and off we went. We entered the Dominican Republic with no problems, a bienvenidos and a smile. We spent 7 nights enjoying the picturesque waters and beaches of the island, while also visiting family and friends. To our surprise, at the end of our trip as were going through customs and immigration in Santo Domingo, we (my husband, baby girl and I) were separated from my parents and sister and brought into the back room. After several minutes of complete silence, agents looking at our passports, plane tickets and her birth certificate while whispering to each other in Spanish, we were called to the desk. It turns out that the custom agent whom check us into the country stamped the adult’s passports and inadvertently didn’t stamp our daughter’s birth certificate. Thus, there was no record of her entering the island and we basically looked like child traffickers. Here we were, young law abiding American Citizen parents stuck in limbo in the holding area with no idea how to get out of this predicament.

Our story had a happy ending for many reasons

First, I am a Dominican born United States citizen and was traveling with a U.S. born U. S. citizen husband who also happened to be an M. D. Why does this matter you may ask? I’m fluent in Spanish and could understand all of the speculations being made by the officers. I could also advocate for our family fluently in their native language without needed U.S. embassy involvement. Dominicans are known to value and respect education and titles. Having my husband be a doctor may have actually helped them believe me and added credibility to our side of the story. Having licensiado and doctor in front of your name goes a long way in Latin American culture.

Secondly, I am obsessive with documenting our children's lives and had a lot more time to do so with just one child. As a result, I was able to produce pictures on my phone and camera from her birth, first year of life and our family vacation on the island. I even had pictures of her on the plane and as we entered the customs area a week prior. Phew! By the grace of God, we dodged that bullet, but the scars have stayed with me.

Lastly, as a Dominican American who’s traveled in and out of both countries extensively, I had an insider’s view of both cultures. I was able to navigate and use that to our advantage and this resulted in us leaving many other people behind in that holding room and not even missing our flight. Others are not so lucky.

The lack of empathy and dehumanization of immigrants is troubling and hurtful. Our family’s immigration story is the epitome of the American Dream, on the surface at least. My mother is a college educated Dominican whom actually taught English in the Dominican Republic prior to our family immigrating to the United States in the early 80′s. This did not protect us from the trauma and pain associated with any immigrant story. My parent’s decision to move to the United States was made in order to provide their children with educational opportunities. What started off as an idealistic and financially tasking undertaking, turned out to be one of the most traumatic experiences of our family’s lives. It has shaped my passion for social justice and the disenfranchised.

My father traveled to the United States first (once our papers were granted) in order to secure a job and set up a place for us to live prior to my mother traveling with the three kids. My mother unexpectedly got a call that my father had been detained and held while attempting to enter the United States. She had to immediately leave her teaching job, home and three children behind in order to clear my father. Why? My mother had been sponsored by her eldest sister and she had in turn sponsored my father and us. She was not aware that because her name was the primary on my father’s residence card (green card), he couldn’t legally enter the United States for the first time without her. I was the youngest of their three kids at that time and though only four years old, I remember the confusion, sadness and pain associated with that experience. It’s for this reason that I cannot stomach watching videos and images of children being separated from their parents. What if this was your story? What if what you’re leaving was that difficult that you were willing to risk death to leave it? How do we decide whose life has value and whose children to protect?

In order to protect my extended family’s privacy, I will leave out the details of much of the pain and trials that we’ve experienced in our adventures in the United States. All of us are now Naturalized United States Citizens. My father passed his immigration test at the age of 70. My parent’s “American Dream” became a reality, as all three of their children have college or masters degrees, however that “dream” came at a cost. My passion around #notwithoutmychildren comes from a place of deep personal pain associated with immigration and time away from my parents as a result.

My personal life experiences as well of those of my extended family and friends still make me slightly distrustful of the “system” that is suppose to protect us. I treat our family’s passport like treasures. I never let them expire and don’t leave the country by air, land or sea without them. I also when solo traveling with my children, travel with a letter from my husband stating that he’s aware that I’m leaving the country. I’d rather be safe (slightly paranoid) than sorry, when it comes to spending one night of my life away from my children.

Where do we go from here?

Are you struggling with understanding, processing and responding to what’s going on with families? These are resources that I’ve used with my family to discuss and attempt to understand how we got here and where we stand on this issue. Also, I challenge you to turn off the news and attempt to interact with real people in real life on this issue. Do you know any immigrants of color? Have you broken bread with them? Have you heard their story from their own mouths? If you don’t know any immigrants of color, I’m willing to share some of mine. Here’s my cousin Lorena’s story. Read it, process it and take a step forward in better understanding people’s experiences. This blog post has been in draft form for over two weeks. Why? This stuff is painful. It brings up old hurts and creates triggers like no other experiences in my entire life. I’m letting you into a very personal part of my history in hopes that hearts will be moved and we can move toward empathy and love. Choose love.

Additional resources:

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This is a great resource that can be used to discuss the current events with our children in a manner that protects them and their sensitive hearts. We don't watch the news and I personally can't stomach watching the videos or images on this issue. My focus has to be on raising our children to be different, and looking for ways to advocate for those with no voice.

One of the challenges that I believe many of us have in regards to engaging on this topic is lack of understanding of our country’s history. Dr. Kira Banks did a great job putting together a video outlining our history and sharing ways to help us makes better understand what is going on.

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I will continue to update this blog post with additional resources that I’m using to make sense of what’s going around us.

History doesn’t have to repeat itself...

What are you doing to have your voice heard in this matter?

Let’s start by sharing our stories.

Pin it for later:

THE BEST WAY TO HELP IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED/DETAINED

”Immigration advocates have noted one sure-fire way to help people separated from their children: Posting their bail. This is one of the fastest ways to reunite immigrants with their family,” said Pilar Weiss, project director at the National Bail Fund Network said.

This is true for undocumented people who have been detained by ICE across the whole Country, including in my home state of CT.

Here are two organizations that can help:

National group

Connecticut Group: http://www.ctbailfund.org/

About Ruth: I’m a wife and mami of 4 active and globe-trotting kiddos. I’ve always loved a good adventure and truly believe that it’s possible to travel with kids. Join me, as I share our adventures and inspire you to get out of the house with your kiddos. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a road trip or a trip of a lifetime to an exotic destination, I’ll share insights, trip reports and information that will inspire you. Check back often to stay up to date on things to do with kids at your next travel destination.

#notwithoutmykids #immigration #parenting #drkirabanks #zerotolerance #familiesbelongtogether #immigrationstories #empathy #teachingkids #knowourhistory #notwithoutmychild #nosinmishijos #compassion #justice #drkira #homeschoolresources #DismantleTheImmigrantIncarcerationMachine #bethebridge #bloggervibes

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nathansneighborhoodpodcast · 3 years

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New Season! This episode of Nathan's Neighborhood kicks off a full season of episodes on a topic that is near to my heart: immigration. If you know me, you know I spend countless hours working with immigrant and refugee populations, particularly along the southern border. I strive to have the humanity of the immigrant population recognized over their labor or lazy stereotypes. To kick off this conversation, I sit with Patty Arcia, Director of Outreach at @myersparkpres. Patty is herself an immigrant of El Salvador. In our conversation, Patty talks about how she's had to adapt to life in America as an "other," what systems she has in place to deal with police and ICE, and how to recognize migrants as siblings. #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #immigration #immigrants #migrants #immigrationnews #immigrationreform #immigrationlaw #immigrationstories #migrantstories #community #charlottenc #charlotte #northcarolina #elsalvador #neighbors #neighborhood #connection #joy #awareness #advocate #ally (at Charlotte, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQhLZbkJjpW/?utm_medium=tumblr

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literallylaugh · 6 years

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A story of an immigrant:

A 22 month old child left in a box with holes and delivered to her grandparents house by her mother. The child’s father was rarely around. She was one of 11 children left at her grandparents home.

Raised by them until the age of 13 - she ran away to her godparents home due to physical abuse from grandparents; from getting beat down for not washing clothes by hand properly to getting her arm burned across a stove for not cooking right.

In the meantime her family would try to marry her off to older men who “could take care of her” but she refused. At 16 she met the man she married. He was a bit older than her, in his early 20′s. She did not care he was handsome, nice, hardworking and persistent. After 6 months of him visiting her and trying to convince her, she said yes to being his girlfriend. A year later, she married him.

At 18, she gave birth to her first child, a girl. Her husband worked hard. She made sure he had food ready after a long day of work, that her daughter was taken care of. She was expecting again at the age of 20. At 21 she gave birth to a boy.

Although, she finally felt she had all she needed to survive in life, her family continuously found themselves running from the current civil war in her country. Things got a bit rough, they all had to pack their belongings and move. A group of military men and guerilla men were walking through villages asking “who’s side are you on”. People had no way of know who each men were (whether they were the guerilla men or the military). If you said you were on the wrong side, you were killed, no hesitation.

They ran and found a new place to live. A year goes by, the war has not stopped, but they were in a safe place for now. One afternoon rainy afternoon, she gets a visitor, someone she wishes would have never stepped a foot in her home. He tells her, “your husband was fishing in the river, the river rose, and took him we cannot find him” he was later, found dead. This day was the beginning of the rest of her life.

She had two children a 4 year old and a 1 year old. She had no family to rely on and no money. She recalls leaving her kids tide up to a bed so that they would not run off while she went into town to buy food and resale it for money. Once she had the money, she would buy large bags of corn and beans to survive on. She did this for a while.

Not too long after her husband passed away, the military and guerilla found this village. It had been rumor that many were getting kidnapped, raped, and killed. She had to flee, but where. For now she had to stay.

She remembers leaving the house for an errand with both children and getting caught in between a shoot out between both opposing groups. She and her kids had to throw themselves to the ground. Suddenly they realized they were next to dead bodies. She fought both kids to stay still and quiet. They miraculously did. The shooting stopped. Someone came around poking the bodies to assure they were dead. Thankfully they did not come near them.

Memories of many other horrifying moments exist.

A couple years went by and she met a new men. A lot older than she. Possibly 15 years older. She had no one, she sought support. So she moved in with him. She had two more kids, both boys, with the man she thought would now support her family. That is not how things turned out. He was an alcoholic, he made her work long hours in the field growing beans, corn, raising chickens and cows. He then took all her days worth of wages and used it for more drinks. Meanwhile, the children are starving, she’s starving. She let this go on for about 5 years. She was done suffering. She didn’t want the civil war to kill her children, she didn’t want them to die from starvation, she didn’t want to die.

She fled her country, leaving her children behind so that they would not risk dying, because she didn’t know if she would survive. She had heard an older brother had made it a few years ago. She asked him for money. 500$ is what he sent her. That’s all she had.

She got on a bus with a group of people going her same route. She went through forest, dumps, and even hidden in the back of a trunk. SHE made it.

Working for a sewing factory, for long hours, making 10 cents per item that she sewed and at about 3-5$ an hour. She was able to send money home so that her children could have food, clothes, and an education.

She was able to seek asylum and work legally. She continued to work until she could bring all her children with her.

Her daughter went to college and now has her masters degree. She works with children who have autism.

Her son is a generous, kind, and most honest man she has known just like her late husband. He married and now has three beautiful kids.

Her two other sons are distant, hurt that she left them at such a young age. She lives with regret for not being there but she is most happy to know they are with her, alive and well. They both have great jobs making good money in a place of better opportunities.

She had one more child with a new men. She met him after a few years of being in this new country. They have been together for over 20 years now. He had also fled physical abuse, war, and death. They both have and continue to work hard. Little education and with a lot of will they are not citizens of the place that gave them a second chance.

Her youngest daughter is me.

God blessed me with immensely strong parents. Couldn’t be more proud.

#immigrant #immigrationstories

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