Who Is Next?

 The two oral histories I read were the story of Polo and the story of Saleem. From reading this and DataCenter's report, I believe addressing the social issues in this world would be seen more easily if written in story format. They remain hidden to our society because it is not what we want to hear. No person likes to hear about hardship or struggle. It is easier to address these issues after reading both formats of the report and the stories.DataCenter provided a strong argument by including quantitative data. By conducting surveys and obtaining interviews DataCenter strengthened their argument. On page 2 of the report (page 5 of the PDF) there is a sidebar on the left that lists statistical information regarding wage, treatment, and benefits (or lack there of). For example one of the categories on this sidebar considers the percentage of domestic workers who receive health care and health benefits. The results were shocking. 90% of employers provide their domestic workers with health care and 33% of domestic workers could not afford health care when they needed it (New York Immigrant Rights Clinic). These numbers are ridiculous, and if they were for another group of individuals that were not considered minorities this would be a huge issue. Having things like this in plain sight is what will provide a change in supporting the rights of Domestic Workers.
In relation to this issue, the story of Polo was similar to that of the statistics shown in DataCenter's report. Polo was a Mexican immigrant working at the site of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. His job was to clean up whatever he could. After several weeks of mistreatment and not being paid, Polo's boss disappeared. Soon after, U.S. forces came to remove the workers from the base they were living at. The story concludes with Polo's confusion as to what he will do to provide for his family now since he just wasted almost a month by providing free labor.  In the end the workers were compensated for later on in their lives, but the experience is still unacceptable. As stated before, if this were to have happened to non-minorities there would have been bigger backlash.
In the story of Saleem, Saleem was detained in a maximum security facility because he was Muslim and could possibly be connected with the 9/11/2011 attacks. This is a social issue of racial profiling. This topic has occurred after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Twin Towers, and now it is occurring in illegal immigration in nearby border states. If a person wanted to research this further, they could look into the events that have cause racial profiling in the United States and the effect it has had on those who have been profiled.


Michelle Bella

he said she said

After reading OLGA, the issue that us Detention centers do not provide the adequate requirements to sustain safe and health living conditions arise, by not providing Vica with the required medical attention s/he needed. this shows a lack of attention to a major group of people that are discriminated against for not having paper work that justify they are American citizens. If this happened to a white girl in California all hell would break loose and everyone even remotely involved in not helping her would get in major trouble.

In my opinion the DataCenter provided a compelling arguement with all its DATA, one very easy way to get any message across it to use graphs, surveys, and charts. These charts can be manipulated into anyway to better show your need result or effect. for example you could interview one person and make a whole graph about how global warming affects them it would result in this 100% every citizen. By implementing this to Vica's situation about the conditions in the Detention center and even about how people treat transgender people in today's society it could change how government opperations are ran and how we tolerate transgender people.
We could get data for an experiment like this by asking people who know anyone whos been to a detention center, ask transgender people , there are many ways to go about this to get the information one would need to present compelling  graphs and charts.

The Many Atrocities of Marginalized Beings

“…a collection of voices…struggling the best they can to get through the day, to keep their families safe, to make a little money, maybe even to save some. Is there anything more American than this? There’s nothing very American about not being able to speak up” (Orner, p.13).

“How can understand the problem is we don’t listen? How can we fix it if we don’t understand it?” (Orner, p 4)

In regards to social issues ubiquitous in our world today, stories form the foundation of awareness, as they are the only means to reach out to another human’s heart and fill them with emotions through what makes us unique in our ability to sympathize, empathize, and communicate. As we are bombardment with information, stories allow one to feel more than simply filter and synthesize. While statistics and analysis’ are important and provide what many want known as ‘proof,’ they do not exist in isolation and should therefore not be presented as so. In desperate need of union and connection, people need to presented with stories, information, data, and opinions in order to have a well-formed outlook of their own. I am personally struck by narratives, as my imagination begins to form in a person in my mind – with certain attributes, cultural influences, emotions, and most of all their own, distinct voice. A story pops out because the storyline and implications become an entity, a being, an individual, not just a void of numbers and barrage of random, unrelated judgments.

DataCenter and Domestic Workers United (DWU) created a compelling argument by providing people with truth, openness, discussion, facts, and stories. Throughout the study, in a more free-flowing way, the reader is presented with glimpses of narratives, backed by research statistics, and then also given explanations as to meanings and implications of the numbers and stories. The entire thing is organized into chapters that allow the reader to breakdown the large social issue and consider the factors at play. In the beginning, the reader is pulled in with simple statements that 200,000 domestic workers are in New York City alone, and they are easily the “invisible backbone of the NYC economy” (p.1).

On the journey of being profoundly educated, the reader learns about the many details and factors affecting why domestic workers are often valued less and treated in exploitative ways, and how this problem is continuing to exist in the modern era due to lack of legal/social protection of human rights. The first point if observation was the survey result that showed 99 percent of domestic workers in NY were foreign-born, 95 percent are people of color, and 93percent are women (p.2). This statistic is immediately supported by the many short quotes and narratives of domestic workers that reflect these demographics, as well reveal the immeasurable mistreatments, manipulations, and abuse that directly and specifically exploit these demographics (i.e. marginalized people of color, low social class, and women). I was especially struck by some acts/laws in place that were so limiting and exclusive. For instance, the idea that the ‘magnificent’ Civil Rights Laws only applies to employers with 15 or more employees. How was this ever set-up and overlooked?! (p. 8). I was also moved by the information presented in Table 3.1 ‘Reasons Domestic Workers came to the U.S’ and Tables 3.2-3.3 ‘Worker Demographics’ and ‘Employer Demographics’ (p.10). These are compelling statements because I think they would shock many people, especially those most ignorant about ‘immigration.’ In all honesty, what better way to educate or change someone’s mind than through shock? DataCenter and DWU also did a very good job at representing a diverse population and proving this in the survey results, as well as short narratives. This may breakdown peoples’ misconceptions about who these people are and why they are here. In this way, the reader may be better able to identify or empathize with people as they are all unique and individual but speaking to one larger social justice issue.

All of the stories in Underground America are compelling and upsetting, but today I am choosing to write about one that particularly made me mad. The story of Olga, a 39 year-old housekeeper in Oxnard California. In her heartbreaking story she tells about her transgender son/daughter who after being imprisoned for drugs/alcohol and detained for being an “illegal immigrant” was absolutely abused, exploited, and ultimately killed by a sick branch of the prison system (my opinion). The situation I think needs to be further looked as the access (or inaccess) prisoners with major diseases like HIV have (or don’t). The most enraging part of this story, for me, was the criminalization of Vica— that may have began with a legitimate misdemeanor (being under influence of drugs/alcohol) but turned into a degradation of human life itself, as Vica was harassed and not given medication for AIDS because of her sexuality and immigration status. She was not a murderer or rapist! She was a human being who died, chained to a bed after not being given essential drugs.

If someone or a group wanted to further research this topic they could look at prisoner demographics (either on a nation, state or county level) and compile data reflecting…

·       crime committed, sentence given

·       access to healthcare/doctors/essential medications

·        major diseases present

·       occurrences of harassment, exploitation, abuse (by other prisoners and guards)

o      how often?

·       Rate of HIV/AIDS among prisoners

o      State of disease, time since diagnosis

·       Prisoners detained on immigration status

o      Reason for initial imprisonment

o      other crimes committed along with being “detained by legal status”

·       Resources available (mental/physical health related)

·       Current (specific) laws/acts, implications & discrepancies

o      Examples of these laws being broken, not enforced, or not known

The Hard Knock Life

After reading the stories of Olga and Polo, and “Home is Where the Work is,” I came to the realization how personal accounts not only raises awareness around social issues, but it helps give the cause a deeper meaning.  It’s one thing for me to hear facts and numbers, but when I start hearing or reading about the reasoning for fighting for a cause, it makes me want to take time out of my day to really learn how I can help.  We live in a very selfish society – majority of the people are only looking out for themselves, leaving them unaware of what is happening to other people.

DataCenter created a strong argument in order to support policy changes in favor of domestic workers by compiling a lengthy report.  This document consists of personal accounts, facts/statistics, and other relevant information.  Some of the things I found interesting are as follows: A Day in the Life of “Carla”, which consists of the nanny’s specific schedule on a typical working day; Laws such as OSHA, NLRA, and Civil Rights Laws that specifically don’t include domestic workers; various tables consisting of percentages displaying pertinent thing such as the Top Fields of Work for Employers in New York, Amount of Overtime Hours Worked, Lack of Notice Given to Childcare Workers for Overtime, and Top Five Occupations of Workers in their Country of Origin; and lastly, Domestic Workers United holding a convention to discuss the future of the domestic work industry, which lead to the proposal of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.  I think this plethora of data supports policy changes because every single detail only benefits the cause more.  The combination of personal stories and actual/factual data makes the cause more plausible as well. 

In Olga’s story in Underground America, she discusses her transgender child who endured inequality while being detained.  Her child, Victor/Vica, was discriminated against because she was a transgender woman with HIV/AIDS.  Because of this, she didn’t receive the proper medical treatment to keep her alive.  By the time she was sent to the hospital, it was too late to reverse the damage.  Olga’s story reminds me how DataCenter lists “Carla’s” schedule.  Olga was not able to visit her child because of the long hours she worked.  She had to make enough money to support her family still and that cost her the ability to visit her child on a more regular basis.  Polo’s story also reminds me of the things discussed in DataCenter’s article.  Polo’s story revolves around how they were purposely not compensated with money for the amount of grueling work he had to do.  Along with his co-workers, they had to clean up the mess that Hurricane Katrina left.  Their working and dormitory conditions were poor.  In fact, their boss disappeared with their checks, and the military came in and as Polo puts it, “cleaned up the base” and made them sleep under tarps instead of their already raggedy cots.  This story relates to the DataCenter evidence of how live-in domestic workers have their room and board deducted from their already low wage pay. 

Other evidence that might be researched and compiled to create awareness about this issue to speak to a larger audience could include creating a Youtube viral campaign, a Facebook account where people all over the world can send in their own personal stories, etc. In fact, any use of social media would be a great source of gathering evidence for the cause.  

Overlooking the Hidden Issues

After reading the two oral histories and the DataCenter report, I would have to say that the way the person explains the message/main idea of their story through their words strikes me the most about the importance of story to raise awareness around the social issues that are present around us but easily hidden. Most of us go through life everyday just living their lives and sticking with their daily routine. However, there are some that deal with difficult situations in their lives and it’s hard for us to see it many of the times. The reason for this is because we’re all so caught up in our own lives and what we deal with that we forget the bigger hidden issues that others experience. These immigrant workers have to result to this as a part of their life. Through the writers’ words, voice, and story for both the report and stories, they were able to indicate what they were experiencing in a way for the reader to help understand what they deal with in their daily lives. Basically, the stories are able to paint a clear image to readers so they can feel the same emotions and see what many struggle with. DataCenter was able to create a compelling argument that actually led to policy changes to support the rights of domestic workers by providing statistics, facts, and personal stories that illustrate what these immigrant workers experience and give support to what they have to say. Through reading the oral histories, I was able to connect their stories with those in the report. In the story about El Curita, it addressed a man who went on a journey with his sister and brother-in-law to work/repair damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina but ended up getting mistreated and paid a lower amount than said. El Curita responds, “We had to paint the house by hand, with brushes. After the low pay for that big ten thousand dollar job the Filipino didn’t pay us at all; he wanted the crew to work for him for free, telling us that if we complained we’d get into legal trouble because we didn’t have insurance or a permit” (Orner, 165). This brought my attention to the report and how at times, workers don’t get paid what they are usually told.  A housekeeper and nanny from the Philippines stated, “During the summers, I kept the garden. I lived with the family and worked Monday to Sunday, seven days a week. My contract said I was supposed to be paid $400/week for 40 hours of work. Instead I was paid $200 and worked more than a hundred hours a week, with no days off” (DataCenter 15). How can someone just do that? It shocks me to see that this can actually happen to someone.  El Curita struggled because he found work at the wrong place. The job he found did not pay them the said amount and he was told to do more than required. This can intertwine with how the housekeeper worked and didn’t get paid what she was told, even after working more than overtime. When seeing statistics such as 67% of workers sometimes/never receiving overtime and 41% never getting breaks, it makes me question how these people are able to get through this. Through the story of El Curita, I believe the main issues were receiving extremely low pay wages and being told misleading information. The DataCenter article was able to give me a compelling argument because of the stories and statistics they provided throughout the report. Anyone can tell their stories but these immigrant workers were able to share their experiences and emotions with readers while giving them an idea of what their lives are like. This report helps us understand this issue going on and inclines us, as readers, to give all the support we can.

- Rajiv Patel

Domestic work is REAL WORK

This story raises awareness in regards to the current working conditions of domestic workers in New York. Something that strikes me about this story that is somewhat of a hidden issue, is the fact that domestic workers really are the “backbone of New York City’s economy” (p. 1), which is described to be invisible. This is an overall idea that not many of us seem to step back and realize, that without these workers our society would not be able to function. We rely on domestic workers much more than we give them credit for. After all, they do all the work that no one else wants to do, and this in turn can be a reason why many of us choose not to see this issue. Another thing that was striking to me was the fact that most of the surveyed domestic workers had been working at this level for more than 10 years. This stood out to me because I don’t think anyone plans to work this hard, for this long. This is very telling of the reality that domestic workers often become trapped and pushed into exploited jobs, earning low wages while working insanely long weekly hours.

In my opinion, DataCenter created a compelling argument through the measures of research they took to survey domestic workers. They looked at every aspect associated with these workers and provided viable statistics that truly supported their fight to show that there is an immediate need to improve the working conditions of domestic workers. For example, it is very effective to show statistics based on worker hourly wages, overtime hours worked, primary providers for their families, years working as a domestic worker, abusive treatment by employer etc, which is included in the executive summary and also revised in following chapters. “Survey results clearly point to the need for industry standards that will ensure fair labor practices, recognition, and humane treatment” (p. 2). By utilizing real-life experiences of domestic workers in this report also had an added affect of supporting the statistics shown. 

After reading El Mojado’s story, it was apparent that harsh working conditions was a social issue that came up in this story. For example, I learned that as a meat packer the climate was  either very hot, or very cold. El Mojado worked in processing where it was very cold, “it keeps the bacteria out of the meat. I wore a vest , sleeves, an apron, and four gloves. I was wet all the time. Inside I trembled” (p. 210). El Mojado gained numerous health issues due to the state of his working site which included minor health issues like fevers, but also got more serious and caused him to have respiratory and heart problems. Standing in the factory in these conditions for up to 12 hours a day, with a total of 45 minutes for break, and earning $8.50 per hour, not to mention having to do extra work for those who are absent - these are just a brief description of evidence that could be used to support the argument of improving domestic worker conditions. Reading these kinds of experiences and acknowledging them as true-life for someone is very awakening for me, and after reading ‘Home is where the work is’ I see how this social issue of harsh working conditions is parallel between the two.

-- Taki Te Koi

The "Desiree" To Live & Why Am I Punished for Working Too Hard?

What struck me the most about the importance of story to raise awareness around the social issues was that it delivers a better understanding to everyone around us. Since issues such as domestic workers not getting their fair rights, it’s a topic that can be easily hidden from us. From these stories, it makes you feel what the writer wants to tell you their struggles that they come upon in their daily lives. It’s second nature to live life the easy way out, and by choosing not to see things that can be difficult, it helps to just dissect the situation by listening to the people who’ve been through it. It opens different perspectives, and the feel of experience in certain situations.

This story is from a past individual that we read in class in the beginning.

Data Center created a compelling argument that led to policy changes to support the right of Domestic Workers by collaborating different results, evidence, information, direct interviews/stories to help distinguish what was really going on here.  In the story of Desiree, a young Latina who moved to California to start her own life. After going through her journey of different obstacles interfered, such as having a baby, she faced another problem. Desiree went through multiple of jobs from being a prep cook, to McDonalds, to being a waitress at a restaurant. Her problem aroused when she was pregnant and worked at a job that was “only paying her seven dollars an hour” (Orner 272) . Related to the Data Center article, the statistics broke it down to WORKER DEMOGRAPHICS, REASONS DOMESTIC WORKERS CAME TO THE U.S., and EMPLOYER DEMOGRAPHICS. Relating to Desiree, she is part one of 35% of the population who came over to the U.S because she had family over here, and had no job options at home. Unfortunately, many women, like Desiree don’t get pay enough to what they do. “ A survey of Latina domestic workers in L.A. found that 79% of live-in domestic workers earn less than minimum wage” (Data Center 16). Desiree, has a baby and tries to go from work to work to manage to get a well paid job to support her and her daughter. This struggle isn’t fair and should be consulted.

This is one of the new stories that I picked out for this week assignments.

In the story of Diana, a Peru housekeeper/ entrepreneur who moved to United States to find a job also experienced and learned how human rights aren’t always fair.  According to the statistics of Data Center, she falls in the 54% range of a friend referring her to find domestic employment ( DATA CENTER 33).She was lucky to find a job in Mississippi as a cleaner on the night shift on a floating casino. One key goal throughout Diane’s journey was to rebuild the Gulf Coast with other workers after Hurricane Katrina hit. This required her to work extra hours, and be put in poor work conditions. “ I had never held that kind of job before. It was very hard work and the conditions weren’t fair” (Orner 21). Relevant to the Data Center article, it listed some key job conditions that were common among domestic workers. They were:  heavy world load, infrequent rest breaks, long work ours, poor social environment at work, unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions, etc. While working here, she only “made $6.50 an hour as part of a cleaning crew. That came out to a little over $200 per week before taxes” (21). According toe Data Center, she falls in the BELOW POVERTY LINE of Worker Hourly Wages, which is 18% of the workers.  Sadly, Diane went through a period where she was arrested because she didn’t have identification or proof of contract that she was legal to work at the Casino. “Only a small number of workers surveyed have contracts, and of those contracts, 24% said that their contracts have been violated” (D.C. 33) Diane soon found out after her arrest that her rights were violated even when she knew what she was doing. The story goes on where she asks for have a phone call for her lawyer before being arrested, but they went around the circle, and took her to prison, promising her that they would take her out once her lawyer comes. She transferred prison to prison, and sadly her lawyer didn’t come.  “ There were no rights for us in jail, or anywhere. Our rights aren’t respected. I’m resentful of that. What angers me is that there are so many people here who live on the edge of the law” (30) . At the end she ends with a reply to a guard that her reason for being imprisoned was because she was “working too much” (30). People should confirm what the human rights are and established that it’s equal for everyone, free labor shouldn’t be put out to individuals such as Diane. 

Besides the minimum wage, and being able to work fairly with respect, I already summed up of what Desiree would want to make happen with her lifestyle going on in the story. It’s nice that Data Center not only focuses on one part of Domestic Workers, but every little factor that comes with it. Also bringing human rights in can help establish an easier, safer environment for the workers. With this, more information, more experiments, and more evidence will show and hopefully touches more people out there to help understand this issue better. Hopefully one day it can be solved and things will be compromised. 

"My Only Crime Was Working Hard"

Mckenzi Kerrigan

What strikes me about the importance of story to raise awareness around the social issues that are present all around us but that can so easily remain hidden is that these stories allow the readers to feel for the storyteller and maybe not completely but better understand struggles they must endure in their daily lives. When reading a story as opposed to just straight facts, the reader experiences emotion and compassion for the storyteller and their challenges. Sometimes we choose not to see things that are difficult, but when it is all laid out on the table and told to you from the perspective of the people who are actually experiencing this it is hard not to listen and be moved by their stories.

Data Center created a compelling argument that actually led to policy changes to support the right of Domestic Workers by putting together a report of all different kinds of facts, statistics, information, and personal stories to really cover and support this issue from all sides. In the story of Diana who had come to the United States from Peru and worked in a floating casino as a cleaner until Hurricane Katrina hit, she described how she often worked overtime and only got paid $6.50 per hour. This reminded me of Data Center’s article when they showed statistics of the percentage of workers’ hourly wages, 8% being less than 5.15 per hour and below poverty line ($5.15-$8.97) at 18% of workers. What really shocked me was that hourly wages reported by domestic workers in New York ranged from $1.43 to $40.00 (Data Center 19). One dollar and forty-three cents an hour… “I was treated like a criminal. My only crime was working hard (Orner 30). Diana describes how she was treated like a terrorist would be treated in her home country of Peru here just because she was undocumented. Another aspect that stood out to me and reminded me of Diana’s story was how many of the domestic workers worked many more hours than they should have like Wilma who was supposed to work 40 hours a week and receive compensation of $400, but worked more than 100 hours a week and only got paid $200 (Data Center 18). Like Diana, Wilma was taken advantage of and treated like a slave.

‘“But we’re here in this country where human rights are respected,” I said. One woman said, “Who told you that? Those are just stories”’ (Orner 28).  Other than the issue of uncompensated over time and below minimum wage pay, human rights were another issue raised in Diana’s story and by that of Data Center. I think Data Center had a compelling argument because they compiled all different types of information in order to really help the reader to understand the issue, which I think, would be best to do in a case like this as well. If you could compile facts and statistics as well as stories against this case people would be more inclined to listen and really build an understanding of the issue and that something must be done to fix it. 

Text/Service Prompt: Underground America and "Home is Where the Work Is"

After reading two oral histories of your choice and DataCenter's report, "Home is Where the Work Is," what strikes you about the importance of story to raise awareness around the social issues that are present all around us but that can so easily remain hidden? Think about how we choose not to see things that are difficult to see but regardless are constantly going on around us in the lives of others.
How did DataCenter create a compelling argument that actually led to policy changes to support the rights of Domestic Workers? List some examples with your ideas about whey this was effective.
Think about this in relation to one of the oral histories that you chose to read. Identify a specific social issue raised in this story. What other data, information, evidence might be researched and compiled to create awareness about this issue that could speak to a larger audience (similar to the DataCenter report). We're not asking you to do this research but to brainstorm potential directions that someone who wanted to support the cause could take.

In my opinion, this was terrible and Ravi should have never even thought about doing this in anyway. It is against all privacy no matter if he did not see anything on the video or even was going to send the video out. However, I understand his curiosity. It is okay that he was curious and wanted to know why he wanted the room alone. He did things in a wrong way though and tried to be a jerk about it to maybe impress his new peer group. He should have just came out and asked simply why do you want the room and what will you be doing with it. In no way do I think that Ravi caused the suicide. A person does not just become suicidal after one incident. Tyler was most likely debating or thinking about it on other occasions. He is guilty for harassment and privacy violation though. No one in the world should have to go though the harassment that Ravi put tyler through and to even think about video taping someone having intercourse without their permission is a ridiculous thought. I think that Ravi had no huge part in Tyler killing himself because no one knows if he would have done it anyways, but he should be punished for everything else he did and have certain restraints from here on out.

When too much becomes too much

In the case of Tyler Clementi’s suicide case, Dharun Ravi is also a victim, much like Tyler Clementi.  Teenagers play, and teenagers these days play different games in a whole new level. It is a fact that, “there was no posting, no observed sex, and no closet”. As a teenager, Ravi was just curious and the boy just had to feed his curiosity. As one of the Ravi’s family friends put it, Ravi’s actions were just “’kid’s prank that went wrong,’ in a culture of celebrity tweeting and ‘American Pie’ (a comedy in which a young man sets up a secret webcam broadcast). The judicial system had taken things too far, he said. In addition, the fact that Ravi and Clementi barely talked to each other should be considered. Clementi’s request to have the room to himself on the night of September 19^th, merely triggered Ravi’s curiousity which led him to take a peek at what’s going on. He barely saw anything, and only enabled iChat/Skype for a few seconds. “He never saw anything pornographic he never recorded anything,” Clementi posted on Justusboys.

Although Ravi’s actions might not be the only cause of Clementi’s suicide, reading the entirety of the article makes me believe that he played the biggest role in the incident. Clementi was already caught in his own dilemma of “coming out” and not really having a solid support system, and Ravi’s actions only exacerbated the situation. Ravi probably did not really have the intent to expose Clementi, however his actions following his unintended viewing of the events on the night of September 19^th proves otherwise. One can probably say that he did not know what he was going to see once he video called his own account from a different computer that night, but him setting up his computer and planning to use the device to see why Clementi wanted the room to himself is alone an invasion of privacy already. Had Ravi not intended to violate his roommate’s privacy, then there would be no justification to Clementi noticing “that the webcam on top of Ravi’s monitor was ‘pointed right at me.’ In addition to the use of video-calling to “spy” on Clementi, also utilized the social media by posting tweets on his account on September 21^st, “’Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes, it’s happening again.’” This tweet was later on deleted and replaced with a less evasive one, which I believe was done to protect himself from the officials.

It wasn’t exactly easy to defend Ravi’s side and claim him as not guilty of the incident when everything I have read from the article tells me that he is. For me, the issue is not about exposing Clementi’s sexual orientation. I look at the story and what bothers me the most is how Ravi not just tried and planned, but actually invaded his roommate’s privacy. No matter what the situation is, I don’t think Tyler’s request of Dharun to leave the room gives him the right to investigate what was going on. It could just be one of the many crazy pranks teenagers pull these days, but once someone in the picture is being exploited in any way, the circumstances change. In this case where Tyler Clementi felt so unsafe that he had to take his life, justice should be made and those responsible should pay. 


-Kate Bolfango

Accidentally on Purpose?

Making Ravi the bad guy: The media has indeed inflated Ravi’s role in Tyler Clementi’s suicide.  In the article, they reference instant messages between Ravi and his friends.  In many of these messages, Ravi is rather vulgar and showed much disdain about having a gay roommate.   Ravi went out of his way to find out what kind of a roommate Tyler would be.   Ravi made a lot of ignorant comments about Tyler based off of his web searches.  For instance, Ravi complained to his friends via instant messaging that Tyler was poor, not technologically saavy, etc. But, when he found out Tyler was gay, he definitely had much more to say.  Ravi totally went on Twitter to complain about how weird his roommate was, and how he doesn’t like him whatsoever.  Knowing that Twitter can be viewed by anybody, Ravi should have known better than to post his disdain for Tyler so publically.  The prosecutors have a very good case on their hands: it was reported that Ravi purposely wanted to use his webcam to record Tyler’s private actions.  On top of that, Ravi even created a viewing party to display Tyler’s private acts to the whole world. This right here is a good argument for purposeful harrassment and invasion of privacy.  

Making Ravi the guy at the wrong place at the wrong time: From this standpoint, he wanted to seem cool, and he probably thought that by exposing Tyler as a joke would make him more popular/likable.  I think that Ravi is the type of person who finds enjoyment in joking about others, so he doesn’t think about what he says/does before he does it.  In the article, Ravi was quoted in saying that he felt bad for Tyler, and even went so far to tell the police that he felt guilty about the viewing party he had set up, and cancelled it immediately. Ravi is very much naïve, and doesn’t think about his actions. 

In my interpretation of this story, I feel that Ravi should definitely be punished on the grounds of invasion of privacy and harassment.  However, I don’t think his intention was to make Tyler commit suicide.  Rather, I think he just wanted to play a practical joke.  I do not condone the extreme level practical joking that Ravi took however.  I hope that Tyler’s suicide remains a reminder as to Ravi as to why you  must always treat others with dignity and respect, whether you agree with their lifestyle or not.  

Guilty Or Not?

The first side that I’m going to describe is Ravi being innocent. Yes it is true that what he did was wrong and totally invaded the privacy towards his roommates, it still doesn’t give enough reason for him to be charged as Manslaughter. Being in prison for five to ten years shouldn’t be his punishment, but maybe go seeing a therapy would be better. Seeing from how Parker describes him as “poor” or “ feeling bad for him” shows how there might be more to his background of explaining why he did of what he did. What matters the most though was that he didn’t have any intentions for it to end the way it came out. Even though this was cruel joke of Ravi, I don’t think any human, especially even him would want Tyler taking his own life at the end.

However, proving Ravi as being guilty, I have much to say. Even though he may not having any intentions of ending like this, there was a conversation of Ravi and Wei saying how he was making excuse of not doing it on purpose. This just shows that he can’t stand his ground and speaks the truth; indirectly he’s just being plain mean. It’s makes me really sad that he not only had to do the webcamming, but also after tweeted about his roommate and what they did. It just shows that not only it wasn’t an accident, but also they wanted to do more of it to make him miserable. It’s really not comprehending to me of how someone can go so far, especially by embarrassing someone.

My opinion is mainly seeing Ravi guilty. He had a choice in life to do what he wanted. Even though he may have seen the video of his roommate and another person, posting tweets after doesn’t help his side of the story. Now that Tyler is dead, He can’t make it up for him. Personally, even though this manslaughter situation is being debated, I think he deserves it because even though Ravi didn’t murder him directly, he did mentally, and that’s just kills as much as if it was physically.

harmless...right?

When I first began to read this story, I immediately disliked Ravi. The way the writer described him to be was not very attractive to me. "Assertive and athletic, he used “DHARUNISAWESOME” as a computer password and played on an Ultimate Frisbee team". When I read this, I thought, okay well he thinks hes hot stuff. Then I read what he did to Tyler. This story is a very unfortunate situation to say the least. I believe that Ravi was doing this to gain popularity, and he wasn't really looking at what the potential consequences would be. Ravi seems like the type of guy who people are intimidated by. It's really sad that no one of his friends was willing to say, "hey, what you're doing isn't okay" because he is so intimidating. Ravi is definitely in the wrong. After reading the entire story, I believe that he should be punished, however not for manslaughter.

I think Tyler had two options, to confront Ravi, or to let it go and just change roommates. What Ravi did was wrong, however what Tyler did was selfish. No good came out of him taking his own life. I believe that Tyler was the victim in this situation, however he had other options. From what the text has said, Tyler liked to keep to himself. "Tyler never said very much or interacted with the rest of the youth group at the church I attended with him". He really needed a person he could turn to and talk about things like this with. I don't think searching for advice from complete strangers who didn't know him at all was the best thing.

I believe that Ravi was in the wrong in this entire situation. It is heartbreaking to know that the internet can cause a person to take their own life. Posting about his actions was definitely not okay because it only affirms that he thought what he was doing was okay and expected praise for that. What Ravi did was wrong, but there is no need for 10 years in jail. He needs some serious therapy.


Michelle Bella

home invasion

Against ravi

Reading this was hard, going through the first I formed an opinion; that the internet was a place Americans could use their right to freedom speech, and if you cant take the heat stay out of the kitchen in a so to say manner. But as I kept reading I decided the Ravi was the scum of the earth, what he did was invade another persons privacy, setting up a camera and peeking in on him was not OK. Tyler was under a lot of pressure. He still didn't full embrace being gay and being open about it, he kept his lover a secret, he barely told his parents and he was a bit of pushover who didn't want to cause problems. Ravi's action of sharing Tyler's personal life on the internet was an other step into invading someones personal life.“Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Although this may have been sent in the most sarcastic of way, it was completely wrong to even talk about some else life with their consent. Ravi alienate Tyler with this manner, he even took the liberty to tell the whole world to tune in to his webcam. What Ravi did was out of pure ignorance and should be punished for it. one thing that ticked me off the most was that Ravi tried to delete the evidence. In an online environment once something is said on there internet it's permanent, and the only way to change it would be to be the ultimate hacker or being able to go back in time.

It is hard to defend some one when there is so much evidence against him, but Tylers suicide could of been caused by many things. He could of had a problem with his lover, he could of been over stressed, mabey he was just tired of life, only Tyler knew his  actual motive. The one thing that truly stuck out in Ravi's defense was his conversations with his friends. I don't think that should of been used against him, those conversation were two people sharing their opinions between them selves. And there was nothing said about purposely ostracizing Tyler for being gay or hatred to the gay community, there was just a lot of what ifs and a lot stereo types. Take for instance the TV show Modern Family, on it there are actors playing gay characters, portraying the gay stereotype to the fullest. they aren't trying to humiliate, they are trying to create acceptance.

My opinion sticks to most cases. The internet isn't always a nice place, website like Reddit, and 4chan clear show that, and sometimes yahoo answers will give you the most absurd answers to the people's lack of common sense and gullibility. But there are still times where you should just not exercise your freedom of speech, if you have to think about a post online before you send it then you probably shouldn't submit it. What Ravi did was terrible and should be punished to the fullest extent, invasion of someones privacy is not okay. When I first started reading this I got through two pages before I got bored and started playing Battlefield3, I was on Ravi's side at first, thinking that the Tyler just couldn't handle the internet or "Pandora's box." I even had a debate with my roommates about some topic about gays that ended abruptly, with "Oh dude nice head shot." But then I continued the reading at 1 am and saw that this Ravi "bro" was out of line. He was being close minded and he obviously  did not think about his actions, even to the sense that he would get in trouble with the school for posting gossip online, and he definitely didn't expect Tyler to kill him self.

Suicide, Manslaughter, & Bullying: Extreme Realities

The subject of bullying, cyber bullying, and suicide is an extremely touchy, emotional subject. Throughout this story, I had an uneasy gut feeling. I felt enraged, but tried to read the whole thing before making a judgment. I had emotional feelings towards Ravi and Tyler as well as moral or logical viewpoints, which constantly conflicted each other.

Ravi As Innocent

Although it appears obvious that Ravi invaded privacy with the webcam viewing, and also has a past of ‘mean’ text messages with others and posts on Twitter, Ravi cannot be held accountable for a suicide that is Ravi should not be charged with Manslaughter. Ravi, like many people, has made cruel jokes, especially when encouraged by peers, but never deliberately tried to hurt Tyler. There was no constant harassment directly sent to Tyler, and Ravi never made threats or such cruel comments as “no one would care if you died” like some people do online. Ravi showed guilt and remorse in the text he sent to Tyler, which is not the normal process of a killer. “I’m sorry if you heard something distorted and disturbing…I’ve known you were gay and I have no problem with it. In fact one of my closest friends is gay and he and I have a very open relationship. I just suspected you were shy about it which is why I never broached the topic. I don’t want your freshman year to be ruined because of a petty misunderstanding, it’s adding to my guilt. You have a right to move if you wish but I don’t want you to feel pressured to without fully understanding the situation.” Ravi admits to being mean and a nuance, but also seems to show that he cares. It’s also interesting to contemplate the idea if Tyler had ever considered suicide previously? Would this make Ravi’s actions less extreme?

Ravi As Guilty

Ravi not only shows a past of cruelty, meanness, and discrimination towards gays, but also made the conscious choice to set up web cam viewings and alert friends and acquaintances online. He completely exposed and embarrassed Tyler in way deemed much more that inappropriate but extremely cruel in intention. The fact that Wei agreed to testify against him shows that even she thinks he should be held accountable. Ravi feels no remorse or emotion on that note, towards Tyler’s suicide and doesn’t feel accountable for anything, which shows even more about his cold heart and cruel intentions. The constant bombardment of online postings must have hurt Tyler so bad and these means of communication count as cyber bullying. Ravi should be held accountable for Ravi’s death.

My Opinion

In considering the entire story, I feel there is a middle ground to be reached. Whether this is how the law works, I do not know, but this is my personal opinion. Manslaughter is a very intense charge, and although is exits rightfully so, I do not think Ravi murdered Tyler. His intentions were not that malicious that he wished Tyler dead. However, bullying and cyber bullying (especially that aimed at gay teens) is also a serious matter that should not be overlooked and Ravi did engage in a form of this. Depression and suicide are also severe realities. Invasion of privacy is real thing, and definitely Ravi should be accountable for this. Based on what was said above in the text message sent to Tyler, it’s hard to tell if Ravi felt remorse or if he does not feel accountable at all, as he did not take the bargains offered to him during trial. Ravi should face jail time, charges, and therapy, as this will give him plenty of time to reflect on his actions and face the repercussions of his meanness, invasion of privacy and bullying. However, I don’t necessarily know if Ravi should be charged with intentional manslaughter. To make a more full decision, I would want to know more about the trial and witness’s testimonies. 

Unaccepted

Wow. After reading the “Story of a Suicide”, I must say that it makes me sad to read how Tyler’s roommate treated him and what he did. I think Ravi should be 100% completely punished for posting those tweets and speaking mean things of Tyler.   Clementi was just an ordinary kid who was starting college with the secret of being gay and had to deal with this as a welcoming. From posting things such as “I saw him making out with a dude. Yay” or “FUCK MY LIFE / He’s gay” (Parker) Ravi had no right to invade Tyler’s and secretly record him with his significant other. In general, invasion of another individual’s private things would probably be my biggest pet peeve. Even though was no “posting, no observed sex..” the idea of it is still really mean. It’s crazy because Ravi was just an ordinary person living his life and decided to make the wrong decision. By using “a webcam to secretly watch Clementi in an embrace with a young man” Ravi and Wei went pass the line and ultimately caused his death. It’s sad to see an individual go so far in his life doing his best to be accepted and then just result to an end. Within the trial, Ravi had many excuses but his main goal was to embarrass Tyler.

“RAVI: Did you tell them we did it on purpose?

WEI: Yeah . . well that we didn’t know what we were gonna see.”

This conversation clearly shows that Ravi had wrongful intentions in posting these things about Clementi. It’s interesting to see how this article relates to technology and to show that it keeps people connected but can also spread information within a matter of seconds.

It’s hard for me to defend Ravi’s side in this situation and view it as a regular guy caught in the wrong place with no accountability. However, if I was to support him, I would suggest that he should be punished but maybe not for the length of five to ten years. Even though all of his actions were done on his own will, maybe a couple of years in prison or therapy might even be a better recommendation. Also, Ravi could have also had the intentions of doing all of this as a joke. There were responses shown that revealed how Ravi felt a sense of compassion for him: “He’s poor” or “I feel bad for him” (Parker). Even though there may have been these remarks, I believe that Ravi is still guilty.

In the beginning, Ravi already had a negative attitude towards the fact that Tyler was gay. Even after looking at the story in a more nuanced way, I think that Ravi is still 100% at fault for what he had done. There’s no way around it. He completely invaded Tyler’s privacy and posting things that made him completely insecure of himself. Ravi broadcasted his personal time! That has to be one of the most immature and rudest acts I have ever seen. He clearly went over the line and wasn’t thinking. Hopefully Ravi learned his lesson… 

Conscious Cruelty?

One way to interpret the central message of “The Story of  a Suicide” is that Ravi was a regular guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not attend for his actions to end in Tyler taking his own life. “Ravi had probably wanted people to be amused by his actions—to “think of him as this bro.” many people described Ravi as being a jerk and someone who gets angry easily, but there are many parts of this story that can lead the reader to believe that Ravi was just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. As mean as the act he did was, he seemed to be doing it just to get a reaction out of others and to entertain people with his “humor”. Although Ravi was being a jerk like many people described him as being, he did not seem to want Tyler to die. What Ravi thought of as a joke and a way of getting people’s attention turned extreme when Tyler decided to take his own life because of it. “’I still don’t kno how to say his name.” Yang replied, “Fail!!!!! that’s hilarious.” Clementi told Yang that Ravi’s parents had seemed “sooo Indian first gen americanish,” adding that they “defs owna dunkin”—a Dunkin’ Donuts. Clementi and Ravi seem to have responded in similarly exaggerated ways to perceived hints of modest roots in the other.” When reading this section of the story Tyler reminded me of previous conversations that Ravi had written. He was stereotyping him not by his sexuality, but by his race which is just as bad of a trait to judge a person on.

The other interpretation of the central message of this piece is that Ravi was in fact consciously and aggressively mean. His friends said he came off as a homophobe because he was so mean about Tyler’s sexuality, but he actually was not. However, that is not the only aspect that Ravi was cruel about. “Dude I hate poor people” Ravi said to his friend about Tyler who was not necessarily well off but was definitely not poor. Ravi had stated that he felt guilty when he first saw the video and talked to his friend about how they shouldn’t tell anyone what had happened.

RAVI: Did you tell them we did it on purpose?

WEI: Yeah . . well that we didn’t know

what we were gonna see

Where is tyler . .

RAVI: Because I said we were just messing around with the camera. He told me he wanted to have a friend over and I didn’t realize they wanted to be all private.

WEI: Omg dharun why didnt u talk to me first i told them everything

This conversation can convince the reader that Ravi was consciously mean and was not just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time because he felt like he could not tell the whole truth and actually even lied to the police about the situation.

I started off thinking that Ravi was definitely in the wrong at the beginning of this story. Although I still strongly believe that he was wrong in what he did, I do not think that Ravi ever meant for this to end in Tyler taking his life. Ravi was cruel, but both boys were quick to judge each other. I think that if Ravi could have seen that this cruel joke would end in Tyler committing suicide then he wouldn’t have done it, but I personally think that people should never be mean to others regardless of if there is an effect/consequence or not. 

-Mckenzi Kerrigan

A kid's 'prank' gone wrong

The argument that Ravi was not connected to Tylers death is supported by the fact that he was simply caught up in regretful online commentary and an accidental viewing of Tyler.  Ravi was a descent roommate to Tyler. He let him have his own space, and dealt with Tylers intimate relations in their bedroom. He claims that he was showing Wei his webcam setup, the night he’d caught a glimpse of Tyler, and adds that this was ‘accidental.’ In his defense he told other people about the occurrence to get advice on the situation. Ravi had innocent intensions when it came to this breach of privacy and says he acted according to give Tyler the privacy he needed, “I turned my camera away and put my computer to sleep so even if anyone tried it wouldn’t work. I’m sorry if you heard something distorted and disturbing, but I assure you all my actions were good natured” (p. 12). Ravi’s rejection to plea deals also say strongly that he believes his intensions were of good nature and that he is innocent.

On the other hand, there is the argument that Ravi acted in a consciously aggressive way. For example, he tweaked his iChat settings to intentionally spy on Tyler. Too his surprise he saw things that he probably wish he hadn’t, but the fact that he set this up on several occasions, as well as attempting to broadcast a viewing online only proves that he truly did try to expose Tyler, to back up his online postings about his roommate. This dialogue between Ravi and Wei after being questioned by police shows that he knew he had done something wrong, and that his actions were intentional…“ RAVI: Did you tell them we did it on purpose?
WEI: Yeah . . well that we didn’t know
what we were gonna see
Where is tyler . .
RAVI: Because I said we were just messing around with the camera. He told me he wanted to have a friend over and I didn’t realize they wanted to be all private.
WEI: Omg dharun why didnt u talk to me first i told them everything”

I believe that Ravi acted in a way that was almost stalker-ish of his roommate, Tyler. In the sense that, he went online to get to know his new roommate before they moved on-campus together, then after he dug enough to learn that Tyler was gay, and after they had moved in, he proved to be nice face-to-face, yet online he posted his truthful thoughts about Tyler. This is the first line in which I think Ravi crossed. I frown upon people who broadcast their ideas of others on networks such as facebook, and I think it was a selfish act that Ravi committed in talking about Tyler in a way in which he discriminated against his sexual orientation, as well as labeling and judging him for being ‘poor.' I believe that our online access to information about others and the way in which information can spread about people online has definitely presented us with new ethical challenges. These challenges include mainly cyber bullying in which Tyler was definitely a victim of due to Ravi’s actions. With the access of information being so easy to get a hold of these days, if it gets in the wrong hands, things can go drastically wrong if the person is not held accountable for their actions. I started off thinking that Ravi’s actions were definitely intentional and aggressive and exposed Tyler in a way that he did not want to be exposed. After reading the article, I still stand by my judgment that Ravi should be accountable for Tyler’s death because had Tyler not been exposed in such a malicious way, he would not have felt violated and as though his fresh new start at college had actually turned into his high school days in which he dreaded.  

Prompt for: "Story of a Suicide"

There are two ways to read or interpret the central message of "The Story of a Suicide." A reader may focus on the idea that Ravi's role in the suicide was almost purposely inflated by the media's inaccurate account when in fact, "there was no posting, no observed sex, and no closet". This could lead the reader to think that Ravi was just a regular guy that got caught in the wrong time/wrong place and bears no accountability for Tyler Clementi's death. The other way of reading this could lead the reader to think that Ravi's actions were not those of a "regular" guy but were in fact consciously and aggressively mean. Thus, per the law of cause and effect, he should be held accountable for Tyler Clementi's death.

While either read has some truth. A larger and more sophisticated understanding of the meaning of this story may lead to questions about the ways in which someone can be "innocent" in the sense of not entirely choosing or creating the situation in which one finds themselves but at the same time, is still responsible for the actions and behavior within these circumstances. Deeper understanding of issues, of ourselves and our responsibilities to others requires engaging with these larger, complex and more ambiguous truths––some things are not either/or. Does our access to information about others and the ways in which "gossip" can go viral present new ethical challenges? Where does free speech end and hate speech begin? Are there simple, black and white answers?

Write a paragraph defending both sides of the argument based on your read of the story and using textual evidence as always; this means 2 paragraphs, one for each side. Then write one more paragraph with your interpretation of how you view the story now that you have looked at it in this more nuanced way. Where did you start, where are you now?

A Second Chance

 Although I have only been to Canal Alliance once, I can connect two stories to my experience.
The first story I connected with was the narrative of Lorena. I related my experience to the experience with Lorena because of her aspiration to succeed in school and develop a career for herself despite her major setback of being an illegal immigrant. "I was lucky that I started college before Governor Gray Davis got booted out. He was the one who signed the law allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition" (page 190). The main reason Lorena was in school was to give back to those who did extremely hard labor in order for her to survive. "I've always reminded myself that the only reason why I'm in school and I have a good job is because my parents did backbreaking labor so I could go to school. I've always felt like I need to give back to those people like my parents" (page 190). Through my experience at Canal I saw some students who did not really want to be there. When I asked them if they needed help they politely said no, because they had other things on their mind. But there was one student whom I saw working by himself on his homework away from his friends. I asked him what he was working on and he told me all about his Social Studies assignment and how he was really interested in it. I was surprised to hear the enthusiasm coming out of this 12 year old kid. I smiled and said, "Alright, well you let me know if you need any help." As I began to walk away, he called me saying he needed me to check his homework. I was really happy to hear that he cared so much about doing well in school at such a young age.
The other narrative I connected my time at Canal Alliance with was Hector. I didn't have a personal experience with someone like Hector and his story, but the work he does and the struggles he goes through are a lot like the individuals who come to Canal Alliance for help. "We didn't call an ambulance or go to the doctor right away. I didn't want them to. I'd heard that they'll fire you if you get in an accident on the job" (page 97). I feel like the reason why he did not want to go to the hospital because he did not have health insurance, or the funds to pay for the care he needed. Hector would rather live with the pain than lose his job. I know this happens to many individuals in America. Canal Alliance helps those who need financial help and guidance. Hector ended up waiting too long to go to the doctor and the break he suffered required surgery. "I took the x rays to show my boss, but he only said that I waited to long to tell him about the fall. I didn't get anything for it" (page 98). I can only imagine how often this happens to undocumented immigrants. I appreciate the Canal Alliance for assisting individuals like Hector. Unfortunately Hector doesn't have an organization that helps him through tough times like the one he went through. Reading this book really opens my eyes to the fact there are people like these individuals in the book that are around me every day. Reading this book reminds me to be more sensitive when interacting with those at Canal Alliance.

Michelle Bella

A Taxpayer's Story

So far, my only experience with TaxAid was the training we had on February 11th. We were taught from filling out tax forms, inputing data to the software to dealing with the different types of people we may come across. I am not really familiar with the environment in the Canal and the people living there so I do not know what to expect. The activity we had in class two weeks ago and also the stories we talked about in the training last Saturday really helped me think about what to expect.

Liso's background caused me to remember that a large portion of our clients will most probably be immigrants. "And, you know, we have the idea that everything in America is perfect because that's what we see on TV and in the movies… People will do anything to get here, to make money to send home" (p80). It reminded me how our administrator made a point on how we should be very patient in dealing with our clients, because many are most likely unaware of the process of filing taxes - which is why they go to TaxAid in the first place; new immigrants, especially, who have never filed their tax returns before. In addition to being new in the country, most of them probably receive very low income. In the beginning of Liso's story, it was mentioned that "she supports her family back home - a husband, twin twenty-one-year-old daughters, and her HIV positive mother and sister - on a wage of less than five dollars per hour" (p79). I'm assuming that many of our clients are on the same page as Liso and are operating in such limited earnings. I guess this is somewhat of a good thing since there would be less to input in the system. But that's not the point. This quote also reminded me of what one of the leaders mentioned about claiming dependents who are out of the country. Unfortunately, taxpayers cannot claim their dependents who are neither in the United States nor Canada (I'm not sure about Mexico). If something comes up that is similar to Liso's situation, I would have to remember this and make sure to notify the client about it. 


Another story which relates to our expected clients in TaxAid is Desiree's. Desiree is also an immigrant, but what sets her apart from the many is that she has a broad vocabulary in the English language. "The thing is, I had a lot of reasons to learn English; that's why I put so much into learning the language" (p270). Her story reminded me of the opposite. We were informed that many might need english language assistance. I am only hoping that I come across someone who speaks Tagalog so I can help them since I also speak the language. One thing the leaders mentioned which stuck with me was that one of goals of TaxAid is not just to merely help people file their taxes this one time, but to form relationships and connect with these people who come to us for help. I am hoping that this language barrier serves as a tool to further connect with the clients, instead of a divider. Finally, towards the end of Desiree's story I remembered what the leaders mentioned about certain people who are not willing to cooperate and disclose their information when it was mentioned that "the idea oaf deportation is very real for me now, more than ever. It scares me because it could stop my life in a minute" (p279). Although these types of clients are probably the most difficult to deal with, the leaders explained that we should help them still in any way we can. Some people might lack some information (like a SSN) that could be crucial to tax filing, and so we need to find a way to help them get this information or maybe to advise them on how to get one. Many will be hesitant to get proper documents, or even be skeptical about admitting they are undocumented, but from what I picked up on TaxAid is that these people are probably just clueless on what to do. This is where are duties fall into place, listen to what they have to say, educate them about the proceedings and assist them to the very best we can. 


-Kate Bolfango

Stories of Exclusion, Stories of Truth

The stories in Underground America were heart wrenching and inspiring. The voices of those behind the pages spoke to me in words of humility and openness, but most of all it words all-too-familiar, as the chronicles of hardship related to many people I know and/or work with. Estrella (p. 327-342) immediately recapped, in her own words, the story I hear and notice of many of the teenagers. Their lives, often characterized by a culture and social status not part of mainstream or privileged life, reflects differences beyond the scope of what I ‘assume’ most of my fellow peers have experienced. In the private sphere, the teens at Canal Alliance speak openly and not discomfited about their households, often referring to many people, much like Estrella describes.

“The apartment is a three-bedroom, one-bathroom…Two of my sister’s sleep in my room with me…everyone else sleeps in the living room. My mom, my dad, and my little sister…my dad’s sister, her husband, their son, and her husband’s brother were staying in the last room…”(p.330). Not in any way do I deem this appalling, especially if desired by a culture that often ‘keeps family close,’ but I speculate on its distinction from what is practiced by wealthy, white families, where each child is given their own room and space. The kids at Canal Alliance, and even in Underground America never emanate a tone of sorrow or protest, but always a voice with the vibe that ‘things are just the way they are.” The absent sense of entitlement is refreshing on a daily basis, a reminder of my own privileges, and a contemplation of “Is this child happy, safe, and comfortable?”

            As Estrella’s story continues, I feel her presence and picture her imagery, perfectly silhouetted by a student I work with. “My dad and I don’t have that daughter-and-father connection…It means a lot to some people when they graduate. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But to my dad, that’s just stupid” (p.333). One girl in Leadership Group, often (unconsciously) speculates on her life or family and I feel a tension in her words about her parents. They are not close either and they lack the communication that I have described I have with my own parents. She sarcastically mocks her family, but I feel a deeper desire within her, craving the parental connection. Reflexively, she speaks of her parents, remarks or rules towards her, and as a teenager, is frustrated by their purpose, but as a person, is not yet aware of other factors influencing her life including culture, religion, and tradition. The influences of American culture, especially pop-culture, do not always coordinate with Latino practices and causes an almost disregarded tension. Not only are their generational differences, but teens are being taught to value differently than what may be appreciated in their own heritage. Sometimes, the matters are trivial, or at least to one party, and sometimes the matters are catastrophic, but regardless, a sense of conflict builds up in the family and is not essentially understood or communicated.

            When Lorena’s story presented itself (p.183-202), I was again electrified by its recognizable narrative. Lorena’s personal story compiled many of my student’s voices into one, both from my girls Leadership Group and from tutoring in previous semesters. At one point, Lorena writes, “I started school the very next day after we arrived…I remember being very scared…everyone was speaking English…and we didn’t know English…”(p.187). I can recall many moments last semester in the classroom setting when I would be walking near students, gently peering over their shoulders as I awaited a student to call me for assistance on homework. 3 of the students in the classroom had just begun their first school year in the Bay area, let alone the States. Their Spanish was strong and delightful to hear, while on the other hand their English was not yet distinct. They were adjusting to, what I can imagine as a culture shock, isolated from friends and family, and also adapting to the constant bombardment of stimulus. I tried my best to use my ‘conversational Spanish” but had difficulty explaining homework as the words were absent from my known vocabulary. I couldn’t help much more than a basic explanation and constant encouragement. I still wonder if they feel like outsiders and if I added to their feelings of seclusion, as I know they felt from what the teachers told me…

In my experiences in high school and life, I have seen and specifically heard racist and stereotypical remarks, especially toward Mexicans. Some of the misconceptions and judgments people have are geared toward what the privileged label as a ‘lower culture and/or a people that don’t love or respect America.’ Lorena writes that she is “all for that, for speaking English, for respecting the country because [she] loves it” (p.198) Her words stick to my heart, “I really don’t know what to call myself now. I’m Mexican…or I guess I’m Mexican-American. I love both countries” (p.199). Although I have not had a direct conversation with a student at Canal Alliance about this, I was informed of its realities among immigrants and people of cultural heritage by a teacher at C.A. Many of the students I work with came to America at some point in their childhood, or they were born here but their parents were ‘first-generation.’ Within this context, young teens often struggle with identity to a culture or country. They are engrained with a sense of heritage from personal experience or familial tradition, yet these customs are not supported in any public sphere in the U.S. especially in school. Sometimes, they feel the need or pressure to repress their beliefs and culture or even feel confused by the mixed messages. It’s sad to me that some people assume that when they see a Mexican flag or hear Mexican music that the individual playing it is somehow showing “hate speech” against America, when it never has the intention of that. People, especially those removed from their norms, are connected to rich traditions and heritage that is often misunderstood, as those judging have never been displaced from their homes. The point in all of it is that ‘they’ want and deserve to be here just as much as ‘we’ do and ‘they’ love this country, just as much as ‘we’ do (or maybe even more because they often appreciate their ‘new’ lives more). The simple fact is that they should longer be seen as removed from us by race, because in the end, WE are all just humans, diversified in cultures sometimes alike and sometime different, but all carrying the heart of humans who care and want to be cared for.

My Story

So far in tax-aid we have been trained to prepare to taxes, and we have been given some background on some of  the people who we will come across. One connection that I have noticed from the reading that I expect will happen at tax-aid is that undocumented immigrants will have fears of sharing information with us because they afraid of being deported. " We hear they are responsible for crime. We hear they take our jobs, our benefits. We hear they refuse to speak English. But how often do we hear from them?(Orner 7)" this book points out that we blame undocumented immigrants for everything and constantly hang "deportation and fines" over them that they are afraid to go to anyone in this wonderful country that every one praises about for its freedom and democracy for help." in story after story, the law is most often something to fear, not something to call upon for help.(Orner 9)"

An other issue that I may come across in tax-aid is that people will be "undocumented and that will cause tax problems." Did this girl know you were using her identity?(Orner 196)" Sabrina had to use her cousins identity because she came to this country illegally. She used her identity because she needed it to work a decent job , and was afraid to become a legal citizen. In tax aid we will be helping people that may not have  an SSN or are using a fake one. We as "tax-aids" are only trying to help them get what ever money they can get back to them from the government so that they can support them selves. We aren't trying to deport people or cause trouble we are only trying to help."He said, "You've been too good to us. We can't let you go.(Orner 197)"

Stop, Ask Me What My Story Is

In Lorena’s story about how her journey to cross the Mexico border with her mother, stepfather, and siblings. When she finally came to California, she started to work with her cousin’s identity, since she didn’t have paperwork/evidence to show that she can be legally here in the states. When she was given an opportunity to work in North Carolina to help farmworkers, she stated, “I’ve always reminded myself that the only reason why I’m in school and I have a good job is because my parents did backbreaking labor so that I could go to school.“ (Orner 190) This statement reminded me of how the kids that I’m mentoring at MCCS don’t have that consistent mindset of why graduating high school is so critical for them and their future. My first time coming in was last week, and I learned so much in just 4 hours. Many of the kids were so talented and can absolutely graduate out of that school if only they have a major reason to look at just like the character, Lorena did. Another statement that Lorena said was, “ My experience at the internship opened my eyes […] “. (193) relates to the faculty members and myself as well. In Lorena’s case, she didn’t know that the farmworkers were so different in North Carolina than California. She discovered the lifestyle there, and how people are dying or scared of their environment. She was determine to come back and make a change one day, because her goal was to at least change one person’s life. I can tell by mentoring at MCCS that it’s not an easy job, where the teachers and faculty have almost everything under control all the time. The faculty already knows that everyday will consist of unexpected situations, such as a student walking out of class whenever they feel like it, a fight will disrupt the campus, a student bringing a weapon to school, etc. Even though all this can be intimidating, it made me open my eyes that I really want to work these kids, and I found out that they are really nice kids under that pride of theirs. I expect that every time I come into the school, I will learn something new and this experience will definitely open my eyes at the end.

The author of the book first introduces the book with his own experience with immigrants, and even had his own case.  One of the most memorable statement from a lady after the judge denied his individual was that “She suggested that the judge might have just simple seen one too many Guatemalans that day”. (7) He remembers this clearly because, it seems to give off a sense of that the individual he was helping, didn’t mater for his own rights, but for everyone else as well. Eduardo was his name, and he had his own reason to be standing where he was, until he went to jail. The kids at MCCS all have their own reason to be there, whether it was because of bad choice or they didn’t have motivation to keep going in their regular high school. It’s nice to know that the society put up a school because they believed that every individual is able to succeed if they have the opportunity.  Finally, “At home, however, undocumented people experienced significant human rights abuses that include, to name only a few here: unsafe working conditions, separation of families, arbitrary detention, forced labor, harassment, working for less than minimum wage, and violence”. (10-11) This is significantly true because the kids at MCCS may come with a background of not such a good environment, so no one is there to teach them of what’s right. Just like the statement said, separation of family, harassment, or working for less than minimum wage causes problems, and discourages kids to do well.

All in all, this book is relative to the service learning that I’m working in for this semester, because not only the race is common, but there are many stories that is wrap around the age group in the book and the kids out here. Even though through the outside people might judge of what they see, but we should stop and maybe ask someone sometime what their story is for being here.

Citizenship Can NOT Hold Us Back

I have not yet had the chance to tutor at MCCS, yet I am going to talk about similar experiences that I have had as an international student, that may not be to the same degree of discrimination that these narrators experienced, but nonetheless give me a sense of connection to these people. 

After reading Liso’s story, I was immediately immersed into her experience as soon as I read the summary. When I read more, I became even more engaged in her story, and the first thing that struck me was the fact that she was lured to come to the U.S not as a missionary like she originally thought, but to serve the Pastor and his daughter doing hard labor, “I cleaned the church, helped with the young children, cleaned their houses...But this was not right. This was not why I came to this country” (p. 84). This was significant to me because of the fact that as an international student I came here for college, and had I have applied to come here for something else, who knows what I could have gotten myself into.  This is such an out-there thought, yet through Liso’s story I felt as though, anything really can happen. It is unbelievable to think that even though we are in the 21st century, these kinds of unjust schemes are still happening, where innocent non-native people are being stripped of their rights. Liso’s story made me realize that I have a lot to be grateful for and that I should make the most of my situation as a legal international student, who may not have the same rights as a citizen, but at least I don’t live in fear of being deported, nor have my rights as a human being  been violated by anyone else. 

Additionally, Lorena’s story felt even more closer to home for me as she too is a college student who like me did not have the right to work in the U.S. Fortunately, she was picked up by a real-estate company, and because of her hard work they could not let her go even after confessing the truth to her bosses. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that Lorena worked tirelessly to get where she was, twelve hour shifts at work everyday, as well as being a full time student, it was just amazing to see the drive that she had and the fact that most young people at her age have probably never had to work that hard in their life before. Another connection that I made to Lorena’s story was linked to how she came to love both her Mexican culture, and the American culture she had been exposed to. The opportunities that she has been exposed to in the U.S were life changing and experiences in which she could have never gained in Mexico, and I felt like I could connect to this as I too have experienced so much more here than I could have in New Zealand. The fact the Lorena is taking her experiences as an underprivileged person and making a difference for others is another amazing feature about her, but one thing that I credit her immensely for is her ambition to achieve her goals “After college, I’ll hopefully go to medical school. I know I have what it takes to be a doctor. I have two legs and two hands. I have eyes, and I can read. So what’s stopping me?” (p. 201). She sure has inspired me to keep striving for my goals, and her story has taught me that hard work really can pay off for anyone, even if there are limitations that come with achieving your goals.

- Taki Te Koi