"Brothers and Siters-all sacred and diginified"

Disclaimer: I was not completely sure how to approach this blog. I don’t feel like I have a full grasp of what I am witnessing. My intentions were simply to live with the poor, and if possible to make a connection from my observations to the state of Urban Education in the United States, today.

***

My sense of self has been completely rattled. Since being at Brandeis I have struggled tremendously with the concept of double consciousness, as defined by Du Bois.  Up until this point, I have grappled with the ways in which becoming educated affects how I identify as an African-American woman. In other words, how possible is it for me to identify as African, or more importantly how realistic is it for me to call my self an American? If I choose to accept both, synonymously, what are those implications?

More recently, I have struggled with the concept of privilege and what it means to live in solidarity with the poor…Likewise, education, a topic in which I am passionate about, is very convoluted. Often, in the context of the U.S., Latino/as and Blacks, specifically African-American populations, are clumped together. The educational outcomes for these groups, primarily in the inner cities, are low. In Downtown El Paso, one of the poorest area codes in the United States, I am coming to find, as I had suspected that a correlation exists between neighborhoods and education, and the ways that histories connect to student performance. I am also learning that many other populations in the U.S., whom have been shut out, have a far more tremendous struggle with identity within the confines of our national borders.

“The U.S.–Mexico Border has the highest number of both legal and illegal crossings of any land border in the world except for the Canadian Border”; unfortunately, in my experience here, and in general the individuals south of the Border have been treated terribly. 

I am volunteering at Annunciation House, a Catholic organization which has been operating houses of hospitality in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), since 1978. The houses we run function and rely completely on volunteers, donations, and the grace of God. We do not accept any government funding.

The particular house that I am living at is about 10 blocks from the U.S./Mexico Border. I have had the opportunity to travel into Juarez quite a few times. The Black and White U.S. that I am most familiar with does not exist here; however the adverse poverty I have read about and somewhat experienced myself, is ever present.

I’ve held off on this blog for several reasons: very limited internet, a hectic schedule; and the fear of romanticizing the stories of those we serve.

Volunteers have four main areas of responsibility: guest servant shifts, being a contact person, weekly rotations, and permanent rotations. Generally, I have been responsible for three shifts a week. The am shifts are from 6 in the morning until 2pm. The night shifts are from 2-10pm. The night person is also responsible for the door between the hours of 10-6am. The door bell will, and has often rang throughout the night and early hours of the morning. Waiting at the door, sometimes frantic, is a woman, a child, or a man who has no where else to go. It is gut wrenching.

On my first night cover, the door bell sounded at 4:30 in the morning. Two children ages 14 and 17 awaited at the door. They had traveled from Central America, alone (for an entire month). They had hopes of traveling to California. After staying with us for awhile, and arranging to be picked up by a coyote*, they left. I had built such a strong relationship with them. Two days after they left, they were detained…. The story leading to there fleeing there country, and all that happened throughout their stay at our house, is more than I am willing to share. It is however appropriate to say that there are little to no resources for the “other” and that in many respects they are hunted like a wild beast. It’s sickening.

My permanent rotations are car maintenance, the clinic, and the clothing bank. As it stands now I am responsible for 3 single guests and two families. The total is 12 people. I help them move forward with their plans and make sure they are comfortable in the house. I have one day off a week. As hectic as it can be, this is the first time in my life I have been able to live the gospel uncompromised. I am encouraged to pray and reflect daily, and that has kept me extremely grounded.

The trends in the house and the situations that often come up, I will discuss at a later time. Likewise, my limited Spanish is a whole other blog topic. Sorry for the length.

*A coyote or pollero is someone who specializes in human smuggling. At times, Coyotes prey on people from developing countries who have few economic opportunities and are desperate to improve their socioeconomic status.