Week Five: Diversity & Inclusion I

Introduction

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This weeks topic was the first part of diversity and inclusion. On Monday we filled out a piece of paper on what we know about immigration and how/if it affects us. We had a very interesting discussion on what we believe when it comes to immigration and why. Then Doctora asked if any of us had watched Which Way Home. Only one of us watched it so round of applause for the one student who did. We spent the last 15 minutes of class watching the beginning of Which Way Home and were given instructions to finish the rest on our own before class on Wednesday. On Wednesday we were able to discuss the film since everyone had finally seen it. We were all given another assignment at the beginning of class about the documentary. Then we had to discuss with the people around us what we wrote down, and then we had a whole class discussion about it. At the very end of class, we were put into groups of three to discuss questions regarding the documentary. 

Immigration

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Monday's class was very enlightening for me since I'm not very educated on immigration. I know that it's nearly impossible to come to America legally, but that is about as far as my knowledge goes. Matthew shared some immigration issues regarding his home town which was very interesting since everyone else only thought of immigration issues in America. Then Emma shared a story about how her home town is filled with illegal immigrants that do the work that most Americas refuse to. I full-heartedly agree with Emma. I feel as though most people complain about illegal immigrants because they "take the jobs of Americans" when in reality most Americans wouldn't even think of doing those types of jobs.   

Which Way Home

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Which Way Home is a documentary about children riding freight trains in order to make it to American. This movie was extremely eye-opening and very emotional. Even though the topic of immigration doesn't really affect me, it's still a very important issue that I should be more educated on. The film primarily followed two young boys, Kevin and Fito. It really shocked me how many young kids make such a dangerous journey alone. The scene that stood out to me the most was near the end when Kevin was telling the cameraman about the women he saw raped on the train. Another impactful moment was when we met Kevin's family. The film crew interviewed Kevin's stepdad who basically told them he was happy that Kevin was leaving since he only brought despair to the family. The hardest question to answer that Doctora asked about the film was what would YOU have done if you were the filmmakers on this set. I honestly was at a loss for words. Just watching the film made me want to step in and help every kid on their journey, so I couldn't imagine how I would have reacted if I was actually there in person. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and felt like it really opened my eyes to issues I've never really thought about. P.S. Kevin should have shared his bread with Fito. 

Comments

  1. Carter StokesSeptember 22, 2019 at 8:12 PM

    I agree that the part with Kevin's step dad was quite jarring. I'm still in shock of how he could be so cold. Also what a interesting blog!

    ReplyDelete

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