How is Chicago involved?
There is a long history of immigration in Chicago, mostly European or Asian with the exception of Mexicans. According to PBS, One of the first ethnic groups that immigrated to Chicago were the French in 1850. Following came immigrants from Scotland, Norway, Ireland, England, Bohemia, Austria, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, and Korea, each separated by decades. All of these immigrants had few things in common: to come to the United States to have a better life by working to stay stable in an urban environment. According to the Institute of Government & Public Affairs, the article “The Demography of the Immigrant Population in Illinois shows the growth rate of immigrants living in counties north of Chicago, with Cook County being the county with the greatest growth. 3 in 4 immigrants in Illinois live there. The immigration population increased by about 362,000 between 1990 and 2009.
Undocumented students anywhere can find an organization that helps promote awareness of what the struggles undocumented young people face. Here in the South Lawndale community of Chicago, students have the access to Enlace, an organization that helps undocumented students with any type of obstacle that they might face. Erika Ramirez, an undocumented student at Little Village Lawndale High School, said “Enlace has helped me connect with other people that share similar experiences as I have. We have this club that is connected with DREAMERS and I feel like it provides a safe zone where everyone can understand each other.” She also stated that the people that work in Enlace help students find scholarships that they are eligible for. When asked if she has learned anything from this organization, she said “I learned that there are a lot of people in this world that are willing to help you".
To think globally means to have the mindset that you are not the only inhabitant on this planet. Everything you do has the potential to cause change to any other thing that resides on Earth. When one thinks globally, they have to think about the choices they make and think about the big picture. To act locally means that change begins at home. You have to see what things you can change to make your community better for yourself and the other people that live there. Any type of changes are capable of making major impacts in a negative or positive way. There are certain people in this world who need to realize that they are not the only ones alive and that there’s millions of other people here too. We need to make sure that even people who aren’t citizens are being treated well from the decisions we make because that would be completely unfair.
Many Mexican workers in Chicago work in laborious jobs that pay minimum wage and treat their workers as if they weren’t human. I conducted an interview on one of my mom’s closest friends about his experience at work. He like many is a Mexican male who came to the United States to find the so called American dream in order to aid his family. His name is Raul Cardenas and states, “I wake up at 4 am because I need to be ready to get pick up by the person who transports me and others to our jobs. The driver charges us $40 weekly for the rides”. I also asked him if the money he earned was sufficient for him. He respond with “No, you make around $250 a week. I still have to pay the driver which leaves me with $210. With this amount of money I manage to pay for my food and the utilities. Next week’s check I save it for my rent, the following week’s money I send a money order to my family in Mexico”. He additionally explain how they treat him and others at the factory he works in “they treat you as if you were a machine, the bosses expect you to move quick and be very productive. I’ve seen an elderly mexican lady being yelled at because she was packaging the products slow”.He told me that life is very difficult for an immigrant in the United States, the only exit to poverty is by having an education and he advises me that I do something with my life by going to school.
There is a long history of immigration in Chicago, mostly European or Asian with the exception of Mexicans. According to PBS, One of the first ethnic groups that immigrated to Chicago were the French in 1850. Following came immigrants from Scotland, Norway, Ireland, England, Bohemia, Austria, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, and Korea, each separated by decades. All of these immigrants had few things in common: to come to the United States to have a better life by working to stay stable in an urban environment. According to the Institute of Government & Public Affairs, the article “The Demography of the Immigrant Population in Illinois shows the growth rate of immigrants living in counties north of Chicago, with Cook County being the county with the greatest growth. 3 in 4 immigrants in Illinois live there. The immigration population increased by about 362,000 between 1990 and 2009.
Undocumented students anywhere can find an organization that helps promote awareness of what the struggles undocumented young people face. Here in the South Lawndale community of Chicago, students have the access to Enlace, an organization that helps undocumented students with any type of obstacle that they might face. Erika Ramirez, an undocumented student at Little Village Lawndale High School, said “Enlace has helped me connect with other people that share similar experiences as I have. We have this club that is connected with DREAMERS and I feel like it provides a safe zone where everyone can understand each other.” She also stated that the people that work in Enlace help students find scholarships that they are eligible for. When asked if she has learned anything from this organization, she said “I learned that there are a lot of people in this world that are willing to help you".
To think globally means to have the mindset that you are not the only inhabitant on this planet. Everything you do has the potential to cause change to any other thing that resides on Earth. When one thinks globally, they have to think about the choices they make and think about the big picture. To act locally means that change begins at home. You have to see what things you can change to make your community better for yourself and the other people that live there. Any type of changes are capable of making major impacts in a negative or positive way. There are certain people in this world who need to realize that they are not the only ones alive and that there’s millions of other people here too. We need to make sure that even people who aren’t citizens are being treated well from the decisions we make because that would be completely unfair.
Many Mexican workers in Chicago work in laborious jobs that pay minimum wage and treat their workers as if they weren’t human. I conducted an interview on one of my mom’s closest friends about his experience at work. He like many is a Mexican male who came to the United States to find the so called American dream in order to aid his family. His name is Raul Cardenas and states, “I wake up at 4 am because I need to be ready to get pick up by the person who transports me and others to our jobs. The driver charges us $40 weekly for the rides”. I also asked him if the money he earned was sufficient for him. He respond with “No, you make around $250 a week. I still have to pay the driver which leaves me with $210. With this amount of money I manage to pay for my food and the utilities. Next week’s check I save it for my rent, the following week’s money I send a money order to my family in Mexico”. He additionally explain how they treat him and others at the factory he works in “they treat you as if you were a machine, the bosses expect you to move quick and be very productive. I’ve seen an elderly mexican lady being yelled at because she was packaging the products slow”.He told me that life is very difficult for an immigrant in the United States, the only exit to poverty is by having an education and he advises me that I do something with my life by going to school.