YO, IS THIS RACIST?

By Honour Lackey and Emily Ryan

Article discussed: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/legacy-racism-within-us-border-patrol

 

ER: Hi, my name is Emily Ryan and I’m here with Honour Lackey. Today, we will be discussing the harsh discrimination surrounding the borders.  This idea is discussed in the article “The Legacy of Racism within the U.S Border Patrol” By Katy Murdaza and Walter Ewing, which we are going to use as a jumping off point. The article points out that over the course of history, border patrol has been harsher in certain areas than others because of the populations of people crossing those borders.

HL: Hi! I have recently read about this issue particularly on the southern border. From prior research I have done and what I have seen on the news, Mexicans and Latin Americans more recently are attempting to cross the border into America, often hoping for better living conditions

ER: Yes, that is true. They are known as Asylum Seekers, which means they are seeking refuge in America to flee from the harsh rules in their home countries. Many are seen to be from the LGBTQ+ community, or families seeking safety against gang violence.

“ A Haitian family in a makeshift encampment in Mexico where they have been waiting to claim asylum in the U.S”

HL: Wow, that is interesting! I was just about to mention that people of color tend to be targeted at the border, so not only are they fleeing the bleak conditions in their countries but now they are being discriminated against because of their skin color. I imagine this can be difficult to navigate as a POC—in fact, we read a little bit about those difficulties, although in a different context, the week we read The Leavers  by Lisa Ko.

 

“It can be really difficult to have these ideas challenged and the narrative surrounding them changed.”

 

ER: Good point. It is sad to see and read about the challenges immigrants face in trying to come to the United States. I think maybe a reason for this is because of past events in history. For example, according to “Addressing Racialized Violence Against Migrants Requires a Complete Overhaul of Customs and Border Protection” by Shaw Drake, “The Border Patrol, initially a small agency, was established in an anti-immigrant atmosphere in 1924. It employed white supremacists, including Ku Klux Klan members, from the outset, and its early history included regular beatings, shootings, and hangings of migrants.”

HL: That could definitely play a role in why there is some systemic racism seen by the Border Patrol. Since the beginning, they have been targeted, and it can be really difficult to have these ideas challenged and the narrative surrounding them changed.

ER: For sure. Another idea that I wanted to point out is that I never hear of these issues occurring on the eastern border. Do you know why that is?

HL: Indeed. I know in one of our recent modules in class this we discussed the idea of undocumented immigration, and we mentioned White Europeans and how they were able to migrate to America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries without much concern. They were able to do this because they often ended up in areas where there weren’t many native settlers, so there was no one to deport them. However, some may say that it is racist that they are easily able to immigrate into the Unites States, while it is much harder for other races to immigrate. What do you think?

HL: I would have to agree that there is racism surrounding immigration. I mean, if both are undocumented, and presumably leaving situations that could be dangerous, there is no reason for a white immigrant to be treated differently than a non-white immigrant. It really comes down to the narratives and ideas of non-white people that are pushed in the American psyche.

ER: That’s exactly how I feel.

HL: And, considering how non-white people at the border are treated—we both have read and seen a lot about the poor conditions at the border—we have to ask ourselves, why is it that the U.S. treats immigrants with so much hostility?

ER: It really makes me think about our discussions as a class of the One and the Other, and how historically, being white has advantages that outweigh other circumstances. Intersectionality, a subject we have been developing an understanding of over the past few weeks, is connected to this intertwining of identities.

HL: To clarify, you’re saying that even in situations where one could be Othered—

ER: Like being an immigrant.

HL: Yes, exactly — a person can still be in the position of the One, simply because they are white. Like, being white overrides?

ER: Yes, that is what I mean.

HL: That is such an interesting interpretation, I think I agree with you on that.

European Immigration to North America

YO, IS THIS RACIST?

Article discussed: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/01/08/954820328/memo-to-people-of-earth-third-world-is-an-offensive-term

HL: Hey, this is Honour Lackey, back in discussion with Emily Ryan.

ER: Lovely to be talking with you!

HL: Likewise! Now, this article is about the term “Third World”, and why it is a very disrespectful way to address these countries.

ER: I think we discussed this to some extent earlier, when we were reading about the “national allegory”, and even earlier when we talked about the idea of the “single story”.

“Think about how differently we would interpret the history of colonialism and the “First World” if it were written by non-white people and those affected by colonialism.”

HL: I was hoping you would mention that! What would you say were your biggest takeaways from those readings?

ER: Something that definitely stuck out to me was how Ahmad said that while the “First” and “Second” world were defined by their means of production—Capitalism, communism, that stuff—the “Third World” was defined by how these worlds affected them.

HL: Yes, exactly. It is so damaging for these “better” countries to label the countries they view as less fortunate or lacking in resources as “worse” when it is the fault of the First and Second World that the “Third World” lives in such conditions.

ER: Right? It is such an overgeneralization, and such an unfair assessment. It also doesn’t make much sense, would you agree? It is confusing how the term “Third World” is just a conglomeration of countries that may have nothing else in common, besides how they are affected by the “First” and “Second” world.

Photo courtesy of the Borgen Project.

HL: I agree! And like mentioned by Paul Farmer in the article, it isn’t like the “First World” is without issues—I mean, we have seen in the past few years the issues that the U.S. has with its Democracy, and that are part of the “First World” that are deep in poverty.

ER: That is just what I was going to say. These terms are not only outdated, they are simply inaccurate, and they invite a sense of superiority and inferiority that is definitely reinforced systemically.

HL: I mean, to call back to our earlier conversation, look at the narrative surrounding non-white immigrants.

ER: Yes! We tend to equate the people living in these countries with these inferior ideas, and then we make it so difficult for them to move to the U.S., a place that is considered “better”. It just doesn’t seem fair.

HL: I see where you are coming from.

ER: I think that this could also relate to the topics of colonialism that we have discussed in stories like Things Fall Apart.

HL: Totally! In Things Fall Apart, it is clear how deeply ingrained these injustices and power dynamics are. White missionaries sweep in to these communities that are otherwise functioning, rip them apart from the inside out, and then take the position of “saving” them.

ER: It really all depends on who is in control of the narrative. Think about how differently we would interpret the history of colonialism and the “First World” if it were written by non-white people and those affected by colonialism.

HL: I think that that is definitely related to the concepts of “Third World” and “First World”. When we think about the concept of the One and the Other, we tend to widely accept the perspective of the One, because they are much louder, have more resources, have better platforms, you know?

ER: I was just about to say, when you look at how we Other those in the supposed “Third World”, it is easy to see the parallels.

HL: What do you think can we do, as people in a position of privilege, to help rectify these situations?

ER: I think that, for the most part, the most important thing for a person in a powerful position to do is to use that position to amplify the voices of the Other. It is crucial that the One doesn’t speak over or for marginalized groups. That defeats the purpose completely.

HL: By uplifting those in marginalized communities, and listening to a wide variety of perspectives, we open ourselves up to new, more accurate depictions of these communities.

ER: Exactly. I feel that, especially when talking about the “Third World”, so many people want to talk about the issues these countries face, but they don’t want to acknowledge what they are doing in reinforcing these issues by not questioning how these conditions came to be.