This weekend I sat on a NYC subway train to meet up with a college friend. While I sat there listening to my IPod - looking around at the eclectic group of people with millions of destinations ahead of them, a middle-aged Latina sat down right in front of me. I wasn't purposely being nosy but it does intrigue me when people are reading or studying on the subway. I am curious what people are reading and typically if I see a theme I know that maybe it's a NY Times Best Seller or something like that.
Anyway, this woman sat down in front of me and as I glanced at her face first, I noticed she was mumbling to herself. I looked down at her book and it was a United States Citizenship practice exam. She was covering up the answers with her hand and memorizing the information about how amendments are made. Like the hundreds of other people I saw on the subway this past weekend, she was studying on the train instead of listening to music. But this study guide, a guide to assist someone with hopes of passing the naturalization exam, stood out to me because of what it means to me personally given the climate of Arizona and other states who obnoxiously want to force people "back to where they came from" or into American citizenship. Here was a woman who was using her time away from work, school, family, or whatever else we can think of to study to be an American citizen. Those of us who are citizens by birth, we never had to study to become a citizen. Many US citizens probably don't know/care/remember the process of amending bills or putting bills into laws. Yet the arrogance in which anti-immigrant Americans display with regards to Latin Americans in this country (without even knowing their legal status or the path in which they are on to citizenship) astounds, baffles, and angers me.
As this woman sat silently on this train, reciting answers to herself, studying, STUDYING, to become a US citizen I got choked up a little. Then I remembered why this blog is important as are the many other Latin@ themed blogs, web sites, civic organizations, fraternal organizations and community-based agencies - we are their voice, but just for a little while until they can fully participate in democracy through voting or speaking out, or by taking a damn test. For those who can't and probably won't fully participate because they have not taken a test or because they are too busy working for us, and for those millions of undocumented individuals who are just doing their thing, positively - I honor you.
1 comment:
That was real.
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