Who’s to refuse them a taste of the basin we’re drinking from?
A flock of birds who know the worth of unbound beaks
and the soft soil that grows when the sun kisses its cheek
American dream
So close so far
yet those with the greatest reach can’t get no sleep, worlds apart
We flee the phoenixes when they’re just trying to reach the stars
Someday we’ll fly together
But tonight we’ll have to brave this weather
But it won’t last forever
So let us pray for the better
Maybe it’s the beat of unfamiliar drums
You can’t find something to eat
we don’t have enough
we profess answers to questions yet we never turn our heads when our cheek is struck
They are just as much as we
Seeking asylum from the violence
The plight of flying kites to counter pilots, nevermind it
We all bleed as one, tomorrow we may see the sun
We all different beans in the same pot
Blowing steam and licking fingers clean
Different seams in the same tapestry
Extended family
It’s time to forget the language of anguish
Tomorrow’s a new canvas it’s time to paint it
Tomorrow’s a new canvas let’s paint it
Oh, the morrow’s a new canvas let’s paint it
I believe some of the most effective of music and poetry are the simplest yet the most emotionally charged. I aimed to embody a certain feeling of uncertainty, confusion, and hope without the use of convoluted music or literary devices. A 2 5 1 chord progression paired with a soft rhyme is what I thought would work the best for what I aimed to achieve.
This is a poem representing the relationship between immigrants and those who are afraid of them and/or are apprehensive to the idea of people different to them. The poem focuses on the the misunderstandings and fears that xenophobes hold in their heart, the fear that keeps them blinded from the fact that immigrants are struggling to survive in this world, just like them. The perspective isn’t concrete because I want to emphasize that there is no “we and them”, we are all in the same. The lines surrounding perspective become blurred until there is no distinction between immigrant and non-immigrant.
The first part of the poem compares immigrants to flocking birds, all who appreciate the soil, water and the freedom of unbound beaks in the new land they’re in. I was inspired by my interview partner because her family came to the United States to escape the authoritarian government of China. The poem then focuses more on the natives, Americans in this case. The American dream is best reached by those who are already citizens of the United States, yet they’re constantly bothered, irritated and even angered by immigrants.They might even feel threatened, as though the immigrants could diminish their quality of life and keeping them from living the true American dream of prosperity and harmony. These groups of people “flee the phoenixes” out of fear, unaware that the immigrants are the phoenixes, which are harbingers of happiness and symbols of unity in Chinese folklore. The perspective changes to the xenophobes and the hypocrisy of their actions, especially since the United States is predominantly Christian yet the ideals of Christianity are often twisted to suit personal vendettas as opposed to loving thy neighbor and treating others with compassion. The last part of the poem connects the idea of unity. Unity was unattainable in the first stanza of the poem because the fearful natives “flee the phoenixes”. However, by comparing everyone in the world as different beans in the same pot, an attempt of unity is made. We’re all so varied in our outward appearance and in the texture on the inside, which makes each one of our souls, if you will, unique. We all have our low moments of anger and greed because we’re all human. But it’s time to put all the misery and hate behind us and start a new canvas. A new canvas that waits for the first brush of tomorrow. That is what the stanza hopes for. It no longer embodies any one group of people, but rather the emotion of hope.
Originally I had written the music to accompany this poem with a lot of Chinese influence, which would be carried out by the cello. However, I couldn’t properly record the cello with the appropriate microphone so the sound would end up being very harsh. So I instead opted for a much more repetitive and simple tune using just my voice and the guitar. I first felt as though I had done my interview partner a great injustice. Where would she and her story be in this poem? Besides the reference to the Chinese phoenix, was she forgotten? Of course not. Instead of putting her in the music, I put her in the poem itself. She wears a very young and jubilant demeanor, one that dazzles with optimism and hope. So I wrote the second stanza with her in mind. In that stanza I married the idea for a better future regarding immigrants and nonimmigrants with her sense of optimism. That’s what she gave this poem.
I chose to write a poem to express the wide range of emotions that my mother felt while growing up during the 1970’s. As an Indonesian, her dark complexion often provoked intolerant people and caused her to live in fear. She watched people attack her family members and pets. She woke up to her house being egged and her garden being destroyed by her neighbors. She walked down the street with derogatory names screamed at her. All these experiences transformed her into the women she is today: strong, independent, and forgiving. Although she is treated fairly in today’s society, she observes undeserving hatred still occurs towards others. She is uncertain whether it will ever end. Nevertheless, she forgives everyone who was ever ignorant towards her.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 1976. All rights reserved.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters and her husband, Place Unknown, 1985. All rights reserved.
I wrote this in the first-person point of view so the reader could witness what life was like in her shoes. Some of the literary devices that I chose to display her feelings were metaphors, hyperboles, rhyming patterns, and repetition. A metaphor is used in the first line: “My world was dark and gray.” By comparing the world to something dark, it elucidates that there is much evil in the world. During the night, especially when you’re restless, it seems like time is eternal and the light will never come, which compares to how she felt during her childhood. The use of the word “gray” refers to the dullness and formality of her society. People in the community, especially children, were accustomed to how their parents acted towards people of a different ethnicity. Because this was the custom, the community didn’t blink an eye at the mistreatment of ethnically dissimilar people. This concept is comparable to the play Rhinoceros, written by Eugène Ionesco in the 1960’s. In this play, people in society are urged to transform into a rhinoceros because everyone else is becoming one. The rhinoceroses represent the pressure to be part of a group, even if their views differ from yours, just for the sake of formality and sameness. The people in the town that my mom grew up in were, metaphorically, rhinoceroses because they conformed to what everyone else believed in without question. They believed that skin color determined how you should be treated, and there was no attempt to altercate that view at the time. All in all, in the poem, the use of the metaphor is effective because it creates an image in the reader’s mind and uses conceptual objects to convey a certain emotion. In this case, it’s a feeling of lifelessness.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters and her siblings, Saint Louis, 1981. All rights reserved.
Secondly, I used a hyperbole to emphasize the divergence between different races. In the fourth line of the fourth stanza, I ask why “colors always collide?”. Of course, this isn’t meant to be taken literally; people of different races don’t actually bump into each other. This line highlights the confusion of why one’s outward identity affects the way society treats them. We are the same species, we share the same blood, so why would it make a difference? In addition, the utilization of rhyme creates a rhythm and flow throughout the piece, which demonstrates the natural journey through life. There are highs and lows, but you eventually make it through. Lastly, I added the reiteration of the question, “Who is my friend?”, which is my mother questioning who is on her side and who she can depend on. At this point in her life, she realizes that diversity has helped her become a stronger person. She is proud of her nationality and considers it to be an advantage now.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 1973. All rights reserved.
As her daughter, I have not experienced anything compared to what she has been through. Throughout middle school and high school, I used to get teased about my size since I was little for my age. However, I was never ridiculed for my Indonesian heritage. Society has profoundly improved in terms of the lack of prejudice, and it can easily be seen through the views of each generation that is born. I’m thankful that my mother’s experiences helped me to accept diversity in today’s world.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Rachel Nieters and Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 2018. All rights reserved.
For the ones that stood on our soil, in the name of
righteousness.
How would you answer my question?
My friend, my enemy.
Driven by ignorance, they speak lies of us.
Driven by fantasies, they speak ill of us.
What else would be there to offer them?
Bitter truth? Virtuous suffering?
What say you,
My friend, my enemy.
I showed them my home, yet they won’t accept it.
I showed them my photographs, yet they deny them.
I showed them who I am, yet they do not see me.
I am nothing more than what they think.
How many years must we wait?
How many days and nights must come and go?
How many must we sacrifice?
Ah, my friend, my enemy. Must you look at me that way?
Please, smile.
Is it not something heroes do?
The interview with Khanh Bui sparked the fire for the creation of this poem. Khanh is a 24-year-old Vietnamese UMKC graduate who has lived in Kansas City, MO for the past 5 years. He has faced many challenges, from personal to legal. One of them is the generalization labeled on him based on his race and ethnicity. Something that he must face daily. The poem expresses the frustration, and anxiety he feels when those who do not know him label him in any way they want, but at the same time, the peace that he was able to develop throughout the years. “… I have learned to adapt to it. I have developed thick skin against those comments.” (18:35).
‘My Friend, My Enemy’ is a title I found fitting to represent Khanh’s relationship and feelings with those that surround him. The people live and coexist peacefully with Khanh, but deep inside, there is still the lingering thought of the Vietnam War, like a scar that has fully healed but will never leave. “Whenever I meet new people in the U.S, and I say where I’m from. I get polarizing reactions. It’s either fascination, or it is negative…” (1:27).
The misconception of Vietnam being a war-zone up to this day is not the only example of improper historical education in the United States. To this day, there are still many that believe that the United States had taken the lead on World War II against the Axis Powers. It was the Soviet Union, with the aid of its allies, including the United States, that led the final push against Germany, thus ending the conflict.
As someone who is also from a different country, I can relate to Khanh’s frustration due to the stereotypes labeled on him based on his race and ethnicity. But just like him, I have been able to develop a thick skin against such labels.
“Death toll rises to 50 in New Zealand mosque shootings,”
“The gunman intended to continue his attack,”
“Manifesto filled with anti-Muslim Screeds-”
These are the words I read as I attempt to
Write a poem about an interview with my
Muslim brother.
I
think back to the summer
My
family welcoming him into our home
The
laughs we shared after work into the late of night
Teaching
each other new things
Protecting
and Loving each other fiercely
Despite
the obvious difference
In
our skin and voice
When
people find out that you are Muslim
They
shift in their person
They
go from friendly conversation
To
barely saying anything at all
All
because of what society has taught people to think
Uzay
told me that if he could change anything about society
The
religions would not be important
It
would be who you are, what you do- that would be important-
And
yet, the hatred is rooted so deep that
Senseless
genocide seems to be the only response to difference
For
a class about genocide, I am writing a poem about genocide,
Because
I am reminded all the time that Uzay could be killed
For
what he was born into– and not what he got to choose
Some
say that Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance is far from bliss
Ignorance
is the reason that I fear for the loss of my dear friend
Ignorance
is the reason that muslims are universally stereotyped as violent
Ignorance
is why 50 people that were trying to worship in their safe space
Are
now dead
So when will it end?
Artist Statement:
Gabrielle Moss, Portrait of my little sister and our Turkish friends, St. Louis, April 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Gabrielle Moss, Portrait of Uzay as a baby, Istanbul, April 2019. All Rights Reserved.
I have never really written a poem,
nor did I think I could, but passion made it seem like one of the easiest
things that I have ever done. I seemed to have too many words for a narrative
that made sense, so this free verse style of fragmented thoughts worked well to
depict everything that was on my mind in the moment.
Gabrielle Moss, Portrait of Gabrielle and Uzay, Eureka, Missouri, April 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Gabrielle Moss, Uzay’s Family (Grandmother, Twin Sister, Mother, Father), Istanbul, April 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Gabrielle Moss, Uzay’s Family (mother, twin sister, father, older brother, Uzay), Istanbul, April 2019. All Rights Reserved.
During my interview with Uzay, I asked about some things that I saw firsthand during his time in the United States. The stanza that starts, “When people find out that you are Muslim-,” is in response to a question that I asked- “How do you find people react to your religion?” Over the summer I saw people meet my friend with hesitation, aware of his foreign ethnicity at first glance. They treated him so differently from me and my fellow native co-workers, approaching him with fear and lack of knowledge. Anytime I see things in the news like the New Zealand Mosque shooting- which is referenced in my poem- I am reminded of how vulnerable Uzay is in this world that doesn’t practice tolerance and universal acceptance. Much like the persecution of Jewish people for their religion, the Muslim people of today are facing dangers for their religious beliefs as well. Because of the connection I was able to draw between the experiences, I couldn’t think of anything better to write about for this project.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump waves after speaking during the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting at The Venetian Las Vegas on April 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). Copyright Free.
“You’re American! Donald Trump is your president! Fuck you!” Madison Barrows, an American, Catholic college student hanging out at a bar in Portugal, looked in bewilderment as a Portuguese man who noticed she was American proceeded to scream at her. The man didn’t even take into account whether Madison supported the president or not, he simply thought that all Americans were the same and thus they all supported the president. I asked Madison why she thinks the man acted this way towards her, and her reply was, “’Cause our president is pretty ignorant and puts a really bad look on our country for a lot of people. There’s like Americans that like him, but the rest of the world doesn’t. So, it’s pretty embarrassing when Americans wanna travel the world because it makes us look bad,” (6:16) After a quick Google search of “Trump Portugal”, I found that other than violent handshakes and Madonna seemingly wanting to escape America and go to Portugal, there haven’t been many political connections between the two countries. This begs the question: Why would someone from Portugal care enough about American politics to go around screaming at random Americans? On the one hand, perhaps it was the drink that drove him to express his distaste to that degree. On the other hand, maybe he felt that it was justified. I tried putting myself in the shoes of a Portuguese man in today’s world.
Picture of Madison Barrows with sister, 2009. All rights reserved.
Madison was born and raised in the US. She doesn’t have any familial connections to Portugal, so I asked her how she ended up going to Portugal two years in a row. “I had a foreign exchange student live with me and we met junior year. She became my best friend and now I’ve visited twice for about a month each time,” (6:44) I don’t know too much about what life in Portugal is like, but considering this man, let’s call him Rick, was at a bar, I’d assume he was having a good time before the American came around. As I listened to Madison talk about her exchange with Rick and how it changed her outlook on the Portuguese people as a whole, it made me wonder just how bad things could get in countries where President Trump has a stronger influence (e.g South American countries). If Rick proceeded to scream at Madison because he heard her accent, what could possibly happen if someone were to wear a MAGA(Make America Great Again) hat around Mexico City? President Trump has been very vocal (through speeches and his more unconventional methods) about his distaste for illegal immigration and his desire to build a wall along the Southern border that will, in his view, curb drug trafficking and illegal immigration. His strong take on immigration has had a plethora of opposers, both domestically and internationally. During his campaign, Trump claimed that Mexico was going to be responsible for paying for the wall. That obviously didn’t go down well with Enrique Peña Nieto, the former president of Mexico, who said, “Mexico does not believe in walls. I have said it time and time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall.” It went down even worse with Vicente Fox, Mexico’s 55th president, who had a stronger reaction saying, “We are not paying for that fuckin’ wall.” At the surface, these political tensions seem to only have an effect in countries that are affected by the subjects of debate; however, even in other countries that have no connection to such subjects, everything that America does is being judged. The same can be said for other major powers in the world, such as China, France, Germany, UK, etc. This reminded me of how when Hitler first began to rise to power, he was looked at as illegitimate by other world leaders.
Most world leaders didn’t take Hitler seriously (which is justified considering the fact that conservatives in the German government also didn’t take him seriously). However, the things he did militarily were seen around the world. It just goes to show how important it is for major countries in the world to be wary of how their methods of governance appear to other countries. The implications could be anything from declarations of war to citizens getting yelled at in bars when they are touring. I once watched a Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in which she talked about the danger of a single story. Throughout her life, she experienced multiple instances where people judged her based off a single story that they thought generalized a whole group. Later on, she found out that even she, herself, had fallen victim to believing in the single story. When a group is selectively portrayed a certain way, it becomes problematic because those that buy into it never get to see things from a different perspective unless they consciously go out to seek those perspectives. Thus, they think every member of that group is the same. I think Madison fell victim to being judged by a single story when Rick proceeded to scream at her just because he assumed she supported the president based solely off the fact that Rick heard her American accent. If I lived in Portugal and regularly kept up with news of what’s going on in America, I definitely would get to know someone before I formed my opinions on them due to how the views of American citizens are very diverse. However, Rick didn’t think about this before he attacked Madison, and he probably didn’t know either, which leads me to believe that he judged Madison on the single story that the American people unanimously support the president, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Madison went on to tell me about some cultural differences between the US and Portugal, mainly the economic disparity between people of color in both countries. In Portugal, people of color tend to be either in the upper class or in the lower class, the “favelas” in Portuguese. I lived in Nigeria for a year, so I have experience with how such drastic cultural discrepancies affect not only immigrants but also citizens of that country. However, what does it take to drive someone to a point that they can openly, verbally attack someone? In my opinion, when stereotypes are made about a country or citizens of a country, for some people those stereotypes become ingrained in their minds to the point that whenever they meet someone from said country, the feelings they have towards those stereotypes are evoked without regard to the degree of which someone from said country actually embodies those stereotypes. When Rick saw Madison in the bar, those feelings of anger that he had felt about his current American stereotypes manifested and were dumped on Madison who had done nothing deserving of that kind of reaction. This reminded me of the scripts that citizens in Nazi Germany unconsciously acted out whenever they were presented with certain circumstances that matched those scripts. These scripts lead to the radicalization of societies, at the expense of the “antagonists” in them.
Picture of Madison Barrows, 2011. All rights reserved.
Madison’s experience is just an example of how important it is for representatives to actually represent their country in a good light because even though not everyone is affected by their government, it follows the citizens wherever they go due to the single-story phenomenon that affects everyone that isn’t completely exposed to multiple viewpoints. No one should ever be attacked because of where they come from and it’s important that we all avoid falling victim to the ideology of a single story, because single stories are never generally true.
This is a photo of David Bates at boot camp, on the back he wrote a note to his wife that said “To my pretty little wife, in this picture I am happy for I am standing in front of my country’s flag. I am proud to serve it. My life I would give for it. I love you and miss you”, 1962. All Rights Reserved.
I have always looked up to men and women in our military. I always thank them for their service and feel proud to meet them, as I am very patriotic. Although most American citizens are very patriotic and tend to thank service members, it has not always been this way. Veterans of the Vietnam war era were treated with utter disrespect and looked at in disgust by citizens. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my grandpa, David Bates, who I have always looked up to for his courage to serve and fight in a war that he believed in. David Bates was born and raised in Mississippi and lived in a large family, with a semi-abusive dad. My grandpa knew he had to get out of the house as soon as he could, so he joined the Army in May of 1962 and was stationed in Germany for roughly three and a half years.
David Bates. All Rights Reserved.
After this duty station, he came back to the states when Vietnam was really starting. He volunteered to go to Vietnam, as he felt this was his duty. Little did he know at the time, that this war would affect him for the rest of his life. In our conversation I asked multiple questions about his experience in, and directly following, the Vietnam war, as well as how this affected him for the remainder of his life. “As far as persecution during Vietnam goes, we just never seemed to have enough of anything that we needed, including slicker suits and things like that. I towed a trailer with blown out tires 50 miles through the jungle and I just dragged it on the skids, and it was doing [uses his hand to demonstrate the movement of the trailer] and I finally pulled into the back gate with a trailer load of slicker suits. I also traded liquor to the marine who owned the trailer and we exchanged liquor for the trailer and slicker suits. That was the only way to get supplies we needed was to bribe people and we usually used liquor,” (11:59). I believe he was giving me a few examples of issues he was faced with during Vietnam that he considered persecutions. It’s hard to understand the necessities of war, as we have not experienced anything similar. This was an answer he had to my initial question of privations during Vietnam. Although to some this may seem a minor issue to the over-arching problem of Vietnam, however this greatly affected David’s experiences. While in war, being limited on supplies is very challenging and can make a tense environment even more hostile. To get what was needed soldiers, in this case David Bates, had to think outside the box so to speak. He had to trade with others to get gear his squad needed such as liquor for his “slicker suits”.
This is a picture David took during the war of an Army truck that was broken down and how they turned it into a barrier to block enemy fire. All Rights Reserved.
This is just one of many problems my grandpa had to overcome during the war. In Nazi-Occupied Europe and the Holocaust at University of Missouri-Kansas City, we read a graphic novel called Maus by Art Spiegelman. This was a story of Vladek and his experiences in Poland during WWII. Vladek was a very witty Jew who survived Auschwitz. In this story, he explains events where he was able to use his talents, and overcome obstacles, to stay alive during the Holocaust. This relates to my grandpa during Vietnam as both Vladek and my grandpa had to come up with ideas and make things to survive, such as when a truck got blown out from underneath him. They pushed the truck in a position to protect from enemy attacks [7:21]. Further into our discussion, I asked about any events he experienced after Vietnam war where he felt persecuted. What I heard him say was very hard for me to hear. “Well the first thing was when I got home, I was in the airports I’m sure you’ve heard, spit on, yelled at, called a war mongrel, baby killers, all kinds of stuff. Things thrown at us; I mean we were kind of shocked. I was because this was not the country that I left and it did something to me up here and it’s been here ever since,” (15:42).
Bates in the military. All Rights Reserved.
For someone who went and fought for what he believed in, this was devastating to come home to. I am sure he was expecting a hero’s welcome, although what he received has affected him for the rest of his life. It is hard enough having to live with the events and sights of Vietnam, but to come home and not receive any support from the rest of society pushed him into depression. This was very common for veterans coming home from the Vietnam war. For years after the war my grandpa was faced with several injuries in which he gained during the war and throughout his military training. He spent years going to the Veteran Affairs office and trying to explain his injuries and get some sort of disability, however, the workers (civilians) did not care about his injuries. One worker said, “Well you walked in here on your own two legs, didn’t you?” This quote signified that because he was still able to get around (just barely) that he didn’t deserve anything for his actions. “For all I gave my country I couldn’t believe they weren’t willing to give me anything in return,” (19:42). This was another major form of persecution that veterans faced following the war. A few years after his homecoming, he received a letter in the mail containing information proving that he was, in fact, in Agent Orange during the war. This was the proof he needed to take to the VA to get the benefits he deserved. He has suffered from diabetes and leg problems for the remainder of his life due to Agent Orange. This is his biggest challenge he still faces today, due to the stress and strain of war and the persecutions following. [My grandpa, Guidon Bearer, has always been proud to have served in the Army.]
This is David Bates pictured with his awards and memorabilia from his military career. He is very happy in this picture because society treats him with the respect and honor he was expecting following Vietnam
Regardless of all the rebuke he faced, David Bates to this day feels honored to have served and is proud to have accomplished what he has accomplished with the military. Against all odds, he still has patriotism and believes what he did was right and justified. He followed orders to the best of his ability, and did so with honor. He always fought hard and fought for what he believed in as well. Persecutions shows who we, as people, truly are deep inside, and my grandpa, David, was a good man. He was faced with extreme victimization and this has affected him to this day, mentally and physically. I wrapped our conversation up with some simple questions, one of which was if he felt as though America has gotten better with how they treat Vietnam veterans. He smiled and explained how he was very happy with how citizens treat him now. My grandpa proudly wears his service veteran hat wherever he goes and gets “Thank you” and “Welcome home”. These actions have made my grandpa feel at peace. David Bates was a man I have always looked up to and respect greatly. He fought for his country and did what is right. Throughout his entire life, he was faced with unjust actions and unfair people. He has overcome the odds and still says “I would do it all over again even if I knew the outcome,”. This demonstrates his character as a man and a patriot to America. I am proud to have him as a grandpa and a mentor. Now that I am new to the Air Force Reserves, I have gained a new sense of respect and hope to honor him, as I follow in his footsteps. He overcame all the odds against him and is still proud to have served our great country.
Kind of like cutting off your legs just to see if you’re capable
You strip a little piece of dignity
From the small number of people who have any clarity
You pour a little price into curiosity
Slap a name on it for the people who live within the causal luminosity
They say to be one with others
But how do we coexist without having the same Mother
The moon and the son
They rotate like two linear buns
The universe spins on the same frequency
Even if we don’t speak the same currency
If you bounce the moon off it’s timeline
Is the sun sitting there waiting to see if the time’s right?
One sets as the other one rises
Its all about how they handle each other’s vices
You have one language that’s just sugar and spices
And one language that’s all high rises
That’s how it feels to be an outcast
“All things in this world die”
According to someone who claims that they don’t hide
Shifting paths, living in masks
Do you walk or do you run?
Are you the moon or are you the sun?
Artist Rendition:
Author unknown, illustration of the moon and sun, downloaded on April 1, 2019, All rights reserved.
My narrative poem addressed some things from my point of view which is looking into a window through L’s point of view. The first stanza starts off with the moon and sun comparison. This is a big theme that ties the entire piece together. I talked about how one (the moon/sun) sets while the other one rises. The moon and sun are constantly on their own wavelength, rotation, time, and speed. They’re working together as a team but they’re also their own individual energy source. To try and make more sense of this we must give a little background on the person in interest. During my interview with L, they gave me insight into some of the struggles they had to deal with on the daily due to the lack of documentation their parents have. They are considered “aliens” according to the government and the laws held within this country. The moon and sun comparison has multiple ties into it but the main one is that the moon represents the minorities while the sun represents the government and/or upper class. Undocumented people are “outcasts.” In the interview, L states that “there [were] actually a couple situations where [their] parent [was] uhm— they weren’t embarrassed but they, they were treated less than a human”(1:51). My last line in my first stanza states “one walks as the other one runs” in correlation to the idea of the moon and sun being two different kinds of people. Imagine yourself in a situation like the rabbit and the tortoise. Who runs and who walks? That is kind of the concept I am trying to portray. Do you eat or do you stave?
In the second stanza, you can see the input of my personal opinion. I start off talking about the moon being an outcast and then I continue with the “cycle” aspect of the theme. In a sense, the government and everybody else has to work In a cycle in order to coexist and function in the same society. “Bigots like Donald Trump, treat them like they’re recyclable.” I assumed my audience has a slight comprehension of what is going on concerning our current president and the status of his demands for this country. The laws and newly founded apprehensions regarding undocumented people have really stunted the thought process for the hope of all humanity. They are being treated like they are “recyclable.” In stanza three, I talk about the “piece of paper” and how “we make up whether or not you are coherent and able.” The piece of paper is the document (s) that L’s parents do not have, the tangible and physical recycled broken-down piece of wood that determines their entire status and quality of life in this country. I compare this to “cutting off your legs, just to see if you’re capable” in kind of a sarcastic but ironic kind of light. In the interview, L talks about his parent’s most recent struggle. Their mom had just recently gotten into a car accident, trying to get the car fixed and the insurance companies to comply with the financial struggles of having to hire a lawyer. All of that can be taxing but even more taxing on someone who is illegally living in this country. Simple things are harder to obtain. The sun is the center of the universe, it has multiple energy forms relying on its energy and resources in order to function. It’s just like modern day society, the government is in control of everything, the center of attention, meanwhile, the moon, (the minorities, the outcasts, the “aliens”) is in the back pulling most of the weight getting little to no credit and is usually ridiculed along the way. The people of the moon live humbly for things that don’t come easy to them.
In the next stanza, I focus even deeper on the topic by talking about the restricting “Freedom” Americans claims we have a right to—”you strip a little piece of dignity” (taking away simple rights based off status of citizenship) “for the people who have clarity” (clarity in the sense of having a different sense of mind due to the difference in struggles and experiences people with documents versus people who don’t have documents have to go through (each person’s definition of “clarity” may or may not differ). “Slap a name on it for people who live within the casual luminosity” (to bring attention to how we, as a society, tend to label people or put them into certain boxes. People who are just waking up every day in the journey of finding a purpose to carry out until they die. Casual luminosity. Casual everyday living auras. Living light. In the interview, L states that they like to “go out with [their] cousins, a lot,” and “that’s one of the most enjoyable things [they] do” (11:55). I invert this into stanza five, line two by comparing L’s joy in hanging out with his cousins to a much deeper and more rooted problem. How does society and humanity coexist as one without having the same “Mother.” Mother in the sense of “all things greater than me.” How do people overcome fear, hatred, and differences if we won’t all first identify as being all the same? All equal? All following and breathing for the same purpose of enjoying and fulfilling our lives until we eventually die?
In stanza six, I state that the “universe spins on the same frequency, even if we don’t speak the same currency.” In saying this, I try to illustrate a picture, a visual so my audience can depict the kind of angle I am trying to portray. In the interview with L, they state that they had struggled with reading for a long time, even in kindergarten they would still struggle more than their peers. In my poem, I compare language to currency, that even though there are a lot of people who speak many different languages, it does not suggest that we are any better than the next. It is simply a currency we have; we get to use it whenever and however we want all the while reaping the benefits of being able to communicate with one another. If we strip away someone’s right to speech or degrade someone for not being fluent in one language or the other, we deny someone’s right to currency, we deny them a rite of passage. Stanza seven hits L’s struggles with stereotypes placed upon them and their family. In the interview they state that people have “tried to get my dad into selling drugs and all of that but he always said no and now I have one uncle that is here and the rest— some are incarcerated, some are in other states and some are in Mexico because of deportation” (1:51). I use this to incorporate “it’s all about how they handle each other’s vices, you have one language that’s just sugar and spices and one language that’s all high rises” by using their story and struggle with problems with their family member’s and drugs and compare it to the way that society has to share each other’s experiences and “vices” in order come to a point of total unanimous acceptance.
Author Unknown, content containing peace propaganda, downloaded on April 6th, 2019, All rights reserved.
In the second to last stanza, I incorporated a direct quote from L themselves, “All things in this world die.” In the interview, I ask L if there is a specific or special quote he relates too and that is the first part of the quote. I find this to be the main anchor to this entire narrative poem. We all live, we all breathe, and we all die. The reason for any kind of discrimination of someone else due to their ethnic, sexual, or religious belief is pointless. If we all breathe, we all die. If we all die, what makes one person better than the next? L had a different childhood because of the struggles and battles their parents had to deal with. Although a burden at times, L takes all of this in a very warm-hearted light, they take these struggles and turn them into lessons. I state at the very end; “Do you walk, or do you run? Are you the moon or are you the sun?” Ultimately, no matter what you decide to be, you must remember that the moon is merely a reflection of the sun. We all walk and we all eventually run. It’s simply a cycle, and that cycle is called life.
“I never felt like I was black enough.” (13:13) Says UMKC student Alex Omorodion. Growing up in his fairly white community, his black classmates often singled him out and made him feel somewhat separated from the community (13:20). Alex grew up with only two other black neighbors in a Nigerian home. His parents migrated to the United States when he was born (15:20). Just knowing that shows how brave his family is for such a huge sacrifice for their family.
On February 16th, 2019, I had the opportunity to interview Alex at Miller Nichols Library on campus early in the morning. To me I didn’t really see a color. I saw him more just as a person. Everyone has their culture and their stories, but in that minute, he went from being a random person to a man with an amazing and unique story.
Alex Omorodion, Alex Omorodion, 2007, All rights reserved.
Alex informed me of his struggles with not feeling “black enough”. For me, being a white female, I don’t experience this stuff. Just because of the way he talks, and how he carries himself, he has always felt like he wasn’t like the other kids of color. “They made me feel separated from my community.” (13:18) His situation I think of like Anja from Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus. The reason for this is because Anja looked very much like a Jewish woman. She always was trying to cover up so people couldn’t see she was Jewish. Except for in this example she is hiding that she is Jewish because it was dangerous for Jews to leave the house at the time of the Holocaust. The reason this reminds me of Alex’s situation is that they are both issues with identity. Since Alex feels like he doesn’t fit in with the black culture, and Anja is trying too hard to fit in with the Germans for safety reasons.
Alex and Anja both became isolated throughout their doubts on not being “good enough.” Or worried about not fitting in. I can also relate in a sense that I don’t trust people to ever let them in. I also do isolate myself from the real world when I can. Sometimes that is easier for people. But instead of being down, Alex changed his isolation into determination for school. Alex is an amazing student and in Honors College. “I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I was always usually the first in math games and everyone would want me for their team. Also, people tried to copy off me for tests.” (08:20)
Coming from a different culture, his family didn’t value sports as much, so he never participated in sports. “In terms of like outside school, I didn’t really do much growing up. I would usually go to school, come home, watch tv, repeat.” (07:53) However, today Alex says he thinks it would have been best if he had done more activities outside of school (07:57) .
Alex Omorodion, Alex Omorodion, 2011, All rights reserved.
Now imagine almost being a freshman in high school and all the sudden your parents tell you to pack up, you’re moving to Nigeria. This is exactly what happened to Alex. He was heartbroken at first, “I thought my friends and I were going to enter high school together and be like the movies.” (17:18) This was upsetting for a few months. But Alex bounced out of it and ended up enjoying it. “I felt almost like a celebrity, everyone knew me, and I didn’t even know them.” He also discussed how he felt more welcome to the African community rather than his “black” community from home (20:15). At first, Alex described his story as a “dreaded trip to Nigeria.” But it made me happy for him how people reacted to his presence there. People treated him like a celebrity of Nigeria, and he had so much family happy to see him. When Americans travel other places or vice versa with other cultures it is always amazing to see someone and learn about their culture.
An interesting culture shock is how intense Nigeria’s education is. An obvious stereotype is how Africa is not very educated and can’t afford education. But maybe they’re underestimated. Alex described college as being the equivalent to high school in Nigeria and said he had 15 classes at a time (18:53). Africa could possibly be coming up in the world if they take their education so seriously. Do you think someday they will “rule” because of how hard they study now? This was very new news to me, since most of what we hear about Africa is poverty and not educated well due to the lack of education. This made me feel happy to know Africa is better than I expected.
Something so small but so new to me was Alex’s story of his first day of school in Nigeria. “My teacher started laughing at me. Then she asked what I was doing with a pencil.” (17:42) It’s the tiniest of things that all around the world people do differently. Alex learned that day that in Nigeria they only use pens and learned the hard way. Alex briefly mentioned that people would joke about his accent (21:55). “I mean they made fun of my accent and like try to imitate me, but it was normal.” To me, this seems like he had some close friends in Nigeria who would play around with him and tease him. I feel like that shows that people are educated and interested in American culture. I feel as if Alex’s trip to Nigeria started completely fresh and he developed many close relationships on his journey abroad.
Smartraveller.gov.au, Image of Nigeria, 2019, All rights reserved.
Going off the culture shocks of Africa, we discussed how his house in Africa was a mansion. It seems crazy that of all places, Africa has mansions. But that also could be because of what he said, “People over there see America as like the holy land. They see America as the land of opportunity.” (20:31) So, having an average income in America it would actually be easier to get a nice place in Africa. I also find it interesting and kind of sad how much they “look up” to Americans. Like they think we are better than them.
One of my favorite questions I created was when I asked, “What do you tell yourself when your struggling?” (08:55) I asked this because I was interested in learning how someone else comes about helping themselves when they need it. He explained how really the biggest factor to help him get through the day is school. He told me how he likes to think of things as if he isn’t the one going through them. Alex explained, “I treat myself like someone I care about.” (09:30)
Another important thing we discussed was how he had never had anyone react the wrong way because of his color. This is interesting because it seems like a lot of people of different colors have wide varieties of issues regarding their race, however, he didn’t. Alex thinks it might be just because he doesn’t go out that much (25:10). I also feel as if Alex is very nice and doesn’t put himself in those kinds of situations.
The only time I feel like I have been in a situation where someone looked at me differently because of my race was when I was in Portugal. I was with friends so we would go out to bars, and a lot of drunk people would be rude to me for my English speaking and even because “Trump is our president”. Like I could help the fact that he is our president. This was a very isolating experience because this is where I was born and made, and these people would say very unnecessary things.
At first Alex described his story as a “dreaded trip to Nigeria.” But one thing that made me happy for him was how people reacted to his presence there. People treated him like a celebrity of Nigeria, and he had so much family happy to see him. He said how he was really upset about moving to Nigeria for his first year of high school, which is understandable because freshman year is what a lot of American kids look forward to.
It leads to a life of crime and untrustworthy cops,
A race to the end of this was all he thought.
And now growing up it still proceeds to happen,
So he keeps his head down in frustration;
An observant life and no confrontations.
He sees white like you say black
Except he is at wrong for saying something back.
Wanting to live a life so full while getting
restrained
But besides skin color, they are the same.
Only a white person gets a police citation,
Until the world makes a change, no one will win.
We will all suffer from this name game
It should be taken more serious for it is insidious.
All races struggle to be superior
Why does color make us judge the legitimacy of a man’s
exterior and interior?
Eye to eye, hand in hand
Equal is where I stand.
Parker Houck, Portrait of Parker and Michael, Kansas City, February 25th, 2019. All rights reserved.
I recently had a talk with an old high school friend, Michael Combs. We discussed differences between our races and what he personally deals with due to the color of his skin. In my class that I am taking at UMKC, Anchor 214 European Culture, we were assigned to read the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman. In Maus, a comic book, one is able to find numerous hardships that the Jews had to overcome during the Holocaust. The story is about the author’s Jewish father, who endured the Holocaust from start to finish. Spiegelman’s intent for writing this comic was to not only try to fully understand his culture’s history during the Holocaust but to also find his purpose as a modern day Jew. He used animal masks to identify and symbolize different social groups; Jews, for example, wore masks that portrayed witty mice trying to run from the authority of German soldiers that were seen as cats. I would like to connect my conversation with Michael to these symbols used in the book to further explain how sometimes, covering identity takes away from who you want to be- the real you, an uncovered face in society who is seen for who they are. Michael learned at a young age that he was not going to be seen the same as everyone else. After racing a white boy in elementary school and being called out for his dark skin, he realized his life was always going to be different. During my talk with him, he said something that stuck out to me: “As long as people see color there isn’t much we can do” (03:40). After growing up, he told me that he has consciously decided to embrace adversity and stands up for who he is as a man, which has shown his true identity. Michael does not need a mask like the characters in Maus wore, but a lot of cultures around the world feel they need to cover up who they are for safety reasons and to dodge harm. Justice for discrimination is a never-ending, ongoing story that many cultures will have to deal with for generations. Until the world does not see color or difference anymore, discrimination will always be a problem.
The United States is known as the
Melting Pot. There are many people from all over the world immigrating to the
United States to get more opportunities for jobs, or even just for a better
life. But even till this day, people from different cultures still get excluded
in our daily lives. No one should ever get discriminated in the first place,
especially for their differences. Everyone is different and that’s what makes
us all individuals.
I met T in my sophomore year of high school. She was a year below me and we both moved to the United States with our families. T was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she moved to America at the age of thirteen. We met in ESL (English as Second Language) class. The first time I talked to her, she had always had her sweet smile on and the noticeable but charming accent. T became one of my closest friends. When I got assigned to interview someone different, I thought of her.
“When I tell some people that I am from Ethiopia, they jump to the conclusion that I am poor (which is not at all by the way), and they look down to me…”(06:27), “… people don’t think I can do what they do just because I don’t speak as good English as they do, like in school, people put me in a lower level than they are just because I don’t act or speak a certain way”(08:48). She said in the interview. However, she’s one of the hardest working people I know in high school, and she was an out-going person and always had have a lot of friends. Xenophobia is the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. It is not uncommon that people have xenophobia even in this diverse country so called the Melting Pot. People still exclude people that are marked “different.” The ODIHR’s (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) annual reporting on hate crime in the OSCE area has demonstrated that racist attacks can take a range of forms, targeting people from diverse groups across the region.
I asked T if she was affected by those people that looked down to her, she put on her big smile and told me, no, because she knows who she is and she loves who she is, she wouldn’t let people put her down. “[People should] get to know me, learn more about the culture or just different culture in general, because when I tell people I’m from Africa, people think low about me and think that I’m poor and I don’t speak English, so that makes me I’m not as smart which is not true. So, if they get to know me better, they will definitely think differently” (07:22). I completely agree with her, never judge a book by its cover, right?
T, Portrait of T in her traditional clothes, Ethiopia, March 2019. All rights reserved.
Since we both are first-generation immigrants, I know she probably had experienced the same challenge as me – the language barrier. When I first move to the United States, I could barely understand or speak English and I understand why people could get irritated or impatient sometimes. People would either try to speak to you and get frustrated or didn’t even bother to talk to you. I wanted to know if T had the same experience. “When I first moved here, I did not speak English at all, it was really hard for me to communicate with the people here, I didn’t understand what they are saying or what they meant to say, the communication was very hard for me in general”(01:02).
And this leads to another struggle – socializing and making friends. T said it was very hard for her to make friends at first which is a big part of her social life. Everyone knew everyone from where she was from, and when she moved here, it took her a while to make friends. “I think it was the language barrier and also the culture difference, but from what I remember it was very hard for me to make friends”(02:49), T said. Of course, her English improved over the years, she can speak fluent English and she has a lot of friends now. T shares that she loves to hang out with her friends and experience different cultures together. Her friends would always ask her about life in Africa and she always enjoys telling them more about her hometown.
T, T with her siblings, Ethiopia, March 2019. All rights reserved.
T is a beautiful and confident person; she’s genuine and kind. Most importantly, she will always see the best in people. She will never wish to be a different person than she is right now. She is unique and she is special. She never lets anyone else affect her either physically or emotionally. “It makes me love my culture more, it makes me appreciate the country that I’m from”(09:45). This is what she had to say about the people that look at her differently. She’s always positive and influences the people around her.
At the end of the interview, I asked T if she had any pieces of advice that she could give to people that are different like us and is feeling down because are looking down to them. She said: “[I would tell them that] They are unique and different, and from different country, they don’t have to act the same as everyone else here [in the United States], just love themselves, and their culture of course, always remember when you’re from, and you’re unique”(11:07). Yes, never forget where you are from and who you are. Get to know yourself better and love yourself; you’re one in a million.
