Teaching Freedom, Fairness, & Equality

In the U.S., our political framework requires citizens be involved, informed and engaged. A ‘government of the people’ cannot function if there are no avenues for civic involvement, no methods for community deliberation, or no opportunities to influence government decisions. Elections, petitions, and public deliberation are all a form of civic participation. It is the role of the people to exercise these rights to participate, and the responsibility of the government to respond and respect them.  Until the civil rights movement over 50 years ago, youth were traditionally left out of opportunities to engage civically, and one of the first places students get an opportunity to engage civically and think critically is in the classroom.

In "The Purpose of Education" (1947), Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." 

Martin Luther King Jr. activated the power of voice and helped people understand that you don’t have to be a gifted orator to be heard; rather, you have to possess passion and be equipped with knowledge that allows you to make critical, well-informed decisions that improve our society.  With social media and technology at times taking the place of marches and protests and augmenting others, the young activist of the new millennium has the power to bring the issues of their community to be heard and seen globally.

To this aim, we've created a new lesson for students to wrestle with the essential question: how deep is our commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?  They will learn about five historical examples of restrictive immigration law and policy and also about the value of young people’s voices in movements to secure rights.

We encourage you and your students to participate in our padlet: How are young people today civically engaged?  Add images, stories, and examples of young people changing the world.  Visit often for inspiration!

Padlet Example: Click here for live version

Potential To Change Mindsets: Spare Parts Film Review

                The film, “Spare Parts” is both emotionally uplifting and disheartening, and a film that can resonate with the viewer on both these levels is worth watching.  Based on the true story of four undocumented students and their quest to compete in a national robotics championship against the likes of prestigious, well-funded universities such as MIT, the film recounts a compelling tale of the underdog, which is why it made a successful article when it first appeared in Wired magazine in 2005 and a popular book written by the same author, Joshua Davis.  (A book review by us can be found here).  There is something fundamentally relatable about the pursuit of individual dreams and Hollywood capitalized on this phenomenon, while to its credit, showed that part of this dream remains unfulfilled.  

Center for American Progress "Reel Screen" Event, Jan 13, 2015

As expected, some creative license was taken in plot and character development.  The additions of Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei as a potential love interest and Jamie Lee Curtis as a hardworking principal, help to add levity and depth to the film demonstrating that no one achieves their dreams solely on their own, and even the most driven and talented among us need support.  George Lopez, the producer and lead actor of the film, does not try to make this a “Stand and Deliver” type film where the focus is primarily on the teacher.  He shares the screen with a talented cast of young actors, Carlos PenaVega (Oscar Vasquez), David Del Rio (Cristian Arcega), and José Julián (Luis Santillan) who were convincing in their slow-to-grow camaraderie.  (One of them in particular, José Julián, was a shoe-in for a former student of mine).  The tradeoff for those filmmaking decisions was a less accurate portrayal of the story as written by Davis, but the movie gains an emotional tenor that at times felt missing from the book.  As you watch the film version, you are rooting for the boys even if you know what happens, and every stumbling block they encounter in building their robot seems only to vaguely echo the enormous blocks they face in their home lives, at school, their aspirations, and US immigration laws and policy.    

It’s important to remember while watching this film, that it is not just a story of four undocumented youths; it is the story of thousands of undocumented youth.  The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that there are roughly 1.7 million undocumented students under age 30, who are enrolled in high school, have graduated or obtained a GED, or are currently enrolled in elementary or middle school.  Of those, each year 65,000 graduate from American high schools, and they face the bleak landscape encountered by Oscar Vasquez, Lorenzo Santillan, Christian Arcega, and Luis Aranda when they graduated high school, albeit with several state-based DREAM acts that have been passed which make it possible though not easy for immigrant students to access higher education.  According to the National Council of State Legislatures, since 2001, 18 states have passed legislation that permits undocumented students to pay the same tuition rates as their peers, and recognizing the financial barriers these students face, four states – Texas, California, New Mexico, and Washington -- have passed laws allow undocumented students to access publicly funded education grants. Still, three states—Arizona, Georgia and Indiana—prohibit undocumented students from receiving in-state tuition rates while Alabama and South Carolina do not allow undocumented students to enroll at any public postsecondary institution. 

The conclusion of this film touches upon the political circumstances that have so profoundly shaped these young lives.  Images of Senator Dick Durbin [D-IL], chief proponent for the Dream Act, are shown at the film’s end, and at a recent Washington DC screening event on January 13, 2015 sponsored by the Center for American Progress, the Senator along with Oscar Vazquez, George Lopez, and Carlos PenaVega were also present and spoke not only about the film, but also about its ability to reach a wide audience and its potential to change mindsets.  In a Q&A session after the film, Lopez made clear his hope for the film to reach grander heights than a “feel-good” Hollywood movie.  “A team of four becomes a team of hundreds of thousands”, he said, referring to the viewers of the film who may be spurred to action.  Vazquez remarked, “I know there are quite a few people going through this right now…Hopefully this gives them the shot they deserve.”

Prepare to be entertained and informed while watching this film.  The film will be released in theaters on Friday, January 16, 2015.

For more information on the educational attainment of undocumented youth, barriers to college access, as well as policy recommendations, please read a comprehensive report “Removing Barriers to Higher Education for Undocumented Students” written by Zenen Jaimes Perez from the Center for American Progress passed out to those who attended the film screening. 

Book Review: Spare Parts Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream

Author Joshua Davis tells the true story of four undocumented teenagers from an impoverished section of Phoenix, Arizona who build a ragtag robot nicknamed “Stinky” out of spare parts to compete in a national robotics championship against the likes of MIT among other prestigious, well-funded universities.  This brave and unlikely team combats more than their competitors.  They also fight the vehemence of anti-immigrant sentiment, laws designed to prevent their advancement in society and a pervasive fear of deportation.  Even so, they deal with typical teenage issues of insecurity and fitting into high school culture.   They find their way with the support of each other and the backing of two teachers, Fredi Lajvardi and Allan Cameron.    

This story first appeared in Wired Magazine in 2005 where Davis wrote about Oscar Vasquez, Lorenzo Santillan, Christian Arcega, and Luis Aranda, the four teens who possessed a sizeable amount of grit, determination, charm, and an endearing adolescent awkwardness. Since publication, the article has attracted the attention and wonderment of readers drawn to a story of the underdog, a story that feels simultaneously mythical, real, and as elusive as its premise, the American Dream. Though that tale is entertaining and inspiring, this book resounds most when it uncovers intersections of how law and policy affect the everyday lives of undocumented students, students who are more American than Mexican in this case, students who have spent the better part of their lives growing up in the US. 

At various points, the boys and their teachers are confronted with a harsh reality of laws enacted to limit the boys’ ability to move freely, drive a car, enlist in the armed forces, go to college, and find desirable employment that matches their levels of education and intelligence. On a trip back to Phoenix where they visited a San Diego based ROV manufacturer to improve their robot in time for the competition, their van is stopped unexpectedly at an immigration checkpoint on I-10 near Yuma, Arizona.  As Oscar imagines being torn from his family, the agent waves them on across the border.  Davis writes “suddenly, their desire to see the ocean and learn more about robots seemed foolish and maybe even a bit reckless.”

Ten years later, a movie version will be released on January 16, 2015.  It’s with little doubt that the Hollywood film will capture well the underdog theme which is both entertaining and inspiring.  (A film review by us is forthcoming). What is not as uplifting is what happens to the boys after the competition, what happens as they become men.   To be sure, they lose none of their integrity, but we as a nation are implored to ask ten years later, with respect to our immigration laws and policy, have we? 

Sign up to stay connected with our updates on education and immigration as well as learn about our community grants program.  Follow us at twitter at thnkimmigration @immcouncil #teachimmigration

Emancipation Proclamation Then and Now: How to Make It Matter to Students

First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln,
Francis Bicknell Carpenter, 1864

             On New Year’s Day, 1863, a crowd of 3,000 abolitionists including Frederick Douglass gathered in the evening at Tremont Temple in Boston—the oldest integrated church in the country— to hear for the first time in public, President Lincoln’s long awaited Emancipation Proclamation read out loud.  Similarly, this past November in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, thousands gathered in public spaces and in front of televisions across the nation to hear President Obama address the nation on his executive action on immigration accountability.  Both presidential actions held the seed to change the status for millions living in this country.  Both actions forced politically-fraught, humanitarian issues onto the congressional agenda. 

            As Bruce Ackerman, Yale professor of law and political science, outlines in his argument, the Emancipation Proclamation did not actually free slaves as is often interpreted; it merely stated that slaves were free because of “military necessity”—and free wherever they couldn’t be controlled.   In a LA Times op-ed, Ackerman writes that in the document, “Lincoln did not try to free any blacks in the four slave states that remained loyal to the Union. Nor did he even liberate slaves in the Southern areas under federal control. Instead, the proclamation only affected those areas that remained in active rebellion on New Year's Day 1863.”  Arguably, Lincoln went as far as he could without overstepping his presidential authority.  There was no unilateral emancipation for the slaves under this executive action, and even where it did apply under “military necessity”, it was “unclear whether Southern states could constitutionally reinstate slavery once the fighting came to an end.” 

            Just as Lincoln could not unilaterally free slaves, Obama cannot unilaterally alter the immigration status for 11.2 million undocumented immigrants.  But he can prioritize deportations, meaning in his words “felons not families,” in line with Lincoln who could prioritize a reprieve for slaves in certain areas of the country as a result of “military necessity.” 

Over a year later in April 1864, as a result of Lincoln’s executive action, the House of Representatives debated the 13th Amendment and voted against it.  This pushed the issue into the 1864 election where Lincoln Republicans stated they were in favor of the 13^th Amendment and won a sizeable victory.  This win convinced the Democrats to propose the 13^th Amendment to the states for ratification.

If history serves as a predictor, then our current Congress may be forced to put authoritative immigration reform on the agenda, if not to enact real reform now than perhaps in 2016. 

For educators, the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation is an opportunity to make real connections from America’s past to the present concerning executive power and the rights of those living in this country unrecognized.

Below are three ideas to ignite interest and apply common core understanding to reading and constructing an argument on Emancipation Proclamation and its current relevance with students:

• Do a close reading of the Emancipation Proclamation including an opportunity for students to tweet on: “How has the Emancipation Proclamation affected my life today?” by checking out the Lincoln Cottage’s lesson plan “#EPNow” (and don’t forget to tweet us too @immTeacher #teachimmigration).
•  Identify the structure of Bruce Ackerman’s op-ed argument penned in the LA Times by asking students to use comic book templates as illustrated in this TeachingChannel video
•  Use our “Just What is Executive Action Lesson Plan?  A Lesson from the Principal’s Desk” in order to make the concept of executive action real and applicable for students.

Additionally, you may want to listen to the podcast episode “Tyrannophia: The Uses and Abuses of Executive Power” by Backstory with the American History Guys produced by the Virginia Endowment for the Humanities.

If you are interested in learning more about our grants program which provides educators with financial resources and ideas for teaching about immigration, please sign up here for updates.