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Flipping through the pages of The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri, a book assigned by my AP Language & Composition teacher, I stumble across the quote “I do not see that it is necessary for any people to prove to another that they built cathedrals or pyramids before they can be entitled to peace and safety.” The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon is a theory stating that once you learn about something, you start to notice it more frequently and it seemingly starts to appear everywhere. After reading The Ungrateful Refugee, stories about immigration policies and world events caught my attention more often as I scrolled through social media, read news articles in class, and watched TV. I realized that for most of my life, I had merely acknowledged the privilege I had of living in the United States but never dug deeper to understand it. Prompted by the quote, I pushed past the barriers I had set myself and no longer limited myself to the United States but expanded my interest in global events all around the world. Stimulated, I started researching international conflicts in unfamiliar countries around the world. Specifically, for the past couple of months, I have been reading about the hundreds of thousands of Afghan Refugees scrambling to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control. I read, but also meticulously studied how various countries responded to this crisis. These varying responses gave me an insight into the diverse stances countries have and their resulting actions. I became extremely passionate about learning the balance between the law and human rights in these countries and the relationships countries had with one another as a result. Now, in September, over 15,000 Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande River coming from a nation where the president was assassinated, then hit by earthquakes and a hurricane. Many argue that these migrants are more than qualified to be granted asylum while many others claim that President Biden’s efforts to introduce a more humanitarian approach has encouraged illegal immigration. These disparate perspectives on the situation motivate me to not only research facts, but also upload blog posts about my own opinions on these conflicts and crises. As I write these opinion pieces, the words “peace and safety” often float in the back of my mind, reminding me of the situations many people are forced to live in as refugees and immigrants. However, as an aspiring lawyer I also keep in mind the legal ramifications of these crises and how they affect law and politics, but also society. It is evident that conflicts and injustice will continue because these aspects of life are inevitable. However, I believe opposition and struggle provoke change. These factors are what motivate our world to improve. As I continue to analyze the conflicts and struggles around the world, I hope to further my knowledge about the actions nations and individuals should take in order to take a step closer to peaceful resolutions.
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Recently, I have waked up everyday to find more and more attacks fueled by hatred and racism against Asian-Americans.
After the Corona Virus rapidly spread across America in 2020, racial discrimination increased against Asians. As a Korean-American living in a predominently white, suburban town, I have faced many racist jokes growing up but I had never experienced the fear I have felt this past year. I became scared to go to the grocery store without the thought that my parents or I might be next. Asian-Americans who look similar to my own grandparents and my own parents are being attacked, beaten, harassed because of their race. They lack the power to fight back and are left helpless on the ground and some have had their lives taken away too early. Despite the protests and actions taken to stop these attacks, they keep happening. 2 days ago, on August 5th, there was an explosion in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. CNN reported that the explosion created seismic waves equivalent of a magnitude 3.3 earthquake. Although there are a few theories about what caused the explosion, it is likely that the blasts were triggered by confiscated explosives, stored by authorities near the port. Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s general security service, told state-run National News Agency that “highly explosive materials” were stored in the buildings. These, he said, were seized by the government years ago. It's truly wonderful to see other countries come together from all over the world and show solidarity to this terrible tragedy. Currently, it is estimated that about 100 people died while over 5,000 are injured. In times like these, where people are in need of help, here are a few links that you can donate to in order to help. --> Lebanon Red Cross --> Impact Lebanon --> International Medical Corps You are of course not limited to these charities, but these are a few places where the money will go directly to helping those who are in serious need right now in Lebanon. |
AuthorEsthel Yi. 17 year old student with a lot of aspirations :) Archives
September 2021
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