Chi-Urban Excursion

I often take for granted that I am the offspring of former “illegal aliens”. Thirty years ago, my parents journeyed to America from third-world countries in order to find better economic opportunities. Today, after the struggles of deportation and trying to attain citizenship, my parents are able to take a proud glance back at the past and say that they’ve successfully obtained their small slice of the American dream. That is why I sincerely appreciated today. On Day 3 of the Chi-Urban Excursion, we encountered themes centered on immigration and the social implications they have on members of the greater Chicago area—namely, Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood, which is home to the highest population of Mexicans in the city.

We began the day with a lesson taught by Reverend Eardly at the Chicago Center for Urban Education. More than 20 years ago, Rev. Eardly immigrated from Sri-Lanka to America with his wife and two children. His story, along with his encouragement to view immigration from a Christian perspective aided our understanding of how distorted the typical American view towards immigration is. He reminded us that deportation can tear families apart as it keeps loved ones from seeing each other and leave strangers to raise the children of deported parents. During the lesson, we also learned that EVERY person has rights, even the undocumented immigrant. This part of the lesson aided my recollection of a time I overheard a couple of students at GU praising restrictive immigration policies. One student even said “Illegal children should pay for public school education or just not use our school systems at all!” This struck tender chord with me not only because the struggles my parents faced, but because my education at Gonzaga has taught me about the extreme importance of human dignity and the human being’s inherent worth as a creation of God.

Following Rev. Eardly’s lesson, we visited Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood where we first ate some amazing authentic Mexican food for only $6 a person (soo delicious)! We were then led on a tour the neighborhood by local artist, Jose Guererro. The Pilsen neighborhood is home to the some of the most beautiful murals painted by Mexican artists. These murals utilize a surrealist style of art and as Jose mentioned, are not “art for art’s sake”, rather, they encompass sociopolitical themes. Being that the Pilsen neighborhood is home to the highest population of Mexicans in the city, Jose often commented on themes similar to those brought up by Rev. Eardley. In America, we hyper-inflate the issue of immigration and this ironically seems to happen during times of economic distress. The Murals of Pilsen protest this unjust inconsistency while celebrating Mexican culture and heritage.

            Again, I appreciated today. On Day 3 of the Chi-Urban excursion, I was reminded that issues regarding immigration are very important to me and serve as a great platform to speak on certain social injustices humans face everyday. Chicago and its Pilsen neighborhood is such an amazing place! I don’t want to leave!

Myra