This past week, we looked at the history of immigration to the USA. Whenever we go over this material, I also like to share some of thousands of images available. I do this because we live in such an image-heavy society these days and we tend to look at older pictures with nostalgia and compassion. I want us to look at our present images and show the people in them the same empathy and consideration.
Some of the most powerful images of the past are those of immigrant children working in dangerous conditions such as this one here:
Yet, child labor, with all it's attendant horrors still takes place today in the US. Here are some recent articles related to child labor taking place in the USA today:
- Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S. - The New York Times (25 min)
- Lawmakers Clamor for Action on Child Migrant Labor as Outrage Grows - The New York Times (7 min)
- A cleaning company illegally employed a 13-year-old. Her family is paying the price.
As I read these articles, I wondered if we had the will to end such horrendous practices-- what would it take to wake us from our complacency? I also found it interesting to think about unintended consequences of different policies. In particular, I couldn't help but wonder how much of these children's circumstances was the result of people's outcry and demand that we (maybe too) quickly release children who had recently arrived at the border. True, the policy of detaining unaccompanied minors detained at the border were horrific. But the fact is, checking and re-checking that children are being released into proper care also takes time. As it stands, I couldn't escape the feeling that the demand to move the children out asap was little more than a kneejerk reaction that alleviated the conscience of many while sacrificing the welfare and protection of these vulnerable children.
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