The Devil's Highway
12 years ago
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
9500 Liberty
During the movie 9500 Liberty I really appreciated what Annabel Park and Eric Byler did. Prince William County reminded me a lot of Goshen, Indiana and I think it is important as either white or Latino to be able to take something away from their situation. Racism and racial profiling is still a large problem, but I connected with what the people did to stand up for what they believed and tell their board what they really thought. If people would not have stood up to the blatant racism things could have gotten much worse for the county. We should take a note from Prince William County and realize that immigration actually helps support our economy. I think the movie did a great job showing what can happen to a community when a large majority of its population is forced out. The movie also did a great job showing a Latino's perspective. Finding work and being able to support a family is something everyone that has a family should be able to identify with.
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Nathan, I also like how you connected Prince William County to Goshen. I've lived here for a long time, and I can still see racism and racial profiling in the city. I know many white people automatically assume that if they see someone who looks Latino/a, the words "Illegal" or "Mexican" pop into their heads. I think this is wrong, but it is a fact of life here. I think that the Latino population does in fact help the economy. I am not entirely sure of the economic impact of the Latino population in Goshen, but I assume it is large. One idea I've thought about is trying to get most of Goshen (the city) to see this movie. I know that would never be possible, but I think it could help the citizens see the Latino population in a new light.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you Stanley and agree that we must take what we learned from the video and apply it to Goshen, IN. We would hate to see the disaster here if that was to happen. Business would be closed, the population would drastically shrink, and along with all the other horrible things to come, many of us would lose friends. Latinos are underappreciated for all the hard work they do in our community. Of course you will have your bad apples; it happens to every race, the majority of them are god hard working people. So yes I agree we must put our feet down to prevent anything like that from happening here.
ReplyDeleteStan, I agree with your idea that this video really humanizes the struggles immigrants face in our communities. Like you said, everyone, no matter their race, wants to be able to support their family and live a full life. I also agree with the fact that Prince William County is, honestly, not that much different from Elkhart County. I can only imagine what kind of impact the county would see if they passed something like this. Like PWCo saw, I'm sure we'd face massive housing foreclosures and huge amounts of job absence.
ReplyDeleteYou make several good points in this post. Your comparison of PW Co, VA to Goshen, IN really engaged your readers. I agree that people on both sides of the issue need a forum in which they can express their views, but that education about the issue needs to go beyond venting. Good point that we should take from this video its evidence to show that immigrants are good for the economy and that our economy not only benefits from, but relies on their presence. Can you imagine Goshen now without its Latino population? Mexican American families have been settled in the area for three generations now, and this community has established itself through developing business and contributing to our tax base.
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