Printer-friendly versionEarly this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center interviewed 150 immigrant women from Mexico, Guatemala and other Latin American nations. All of them thought they had realized their dreams—to make it to the United States where they could find work and support their families. They landed jobs in fields and factories, where food is harvested and processed before appearing on American dinner tables. But they also found themselves exploited in the workplace, making poverty-level wages and suffering grim conditions and humiliating situations that were impossible to report because of their undocumented status. Their stories are featured in the SPLC report, Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry.
According to the SPLC report, about 4 million undocumented immigrant women live and work in the United States. These women are motivated by the desire to make life better for their children. Some hope to find jobs that will allow them to send money back to the sons and daughters left behind in their native countries. Others give birth to U.S. citizens while in the United States—complicating their own undocumented status. They live in fear of job-site immigration raids and deportations, which result in personal and economic costs both here and back home. Students will learn how current immigration policies are tied to those costs.
This is the fourth of seven lessons from the teacher's guide from Teaching Tolerance, also available as a PDF.
Objectives
Students
will be able to:
- Critically evaluate media messages on the issue of immigration and families
- Illustrate a narrative
- Prepare and conduct an interview
- Prepare and conduct a debate
Essential Questions
- How does undocumented status affect the day-to-day lives of immigrant families?
- In what ways are women particularly affected by immigration policies?
- What is deportation? How does it affect families and their economic situations?
- What has America done to address the issue of separated families?
- In what ways can advocates construct a message to shape public opinion?
Materials
- Reading 1: Family Life Complicated by Vulnerable Status
- Internet access to the 16-minute PBS documentary, “Guatemala: In the Shadow of the Raid”
- Handout 1: Family Ties: Guatemala and Iowa
Glossary
deportation [dee-pohr-tay-shun]
(noun)
the act of removing a person to another country
raid
[rayd]
(noun)
a search without warning
undocumented [uhn-dawk-yoo-mehn-tehd]
(adjective) lacking proper immigration or
working papers
Real
Problems, Real People
1. Throughout American history, immigration rules and
policies have shifted and evolved. There have been changes that determine both
who gets in and how easily one can become a citizen. That is equally true
today. A complex formula leaves undocumented immigrants without many legal
options—resulting in workplace raids and deportation, split families and a cut
in economic lifelines. As a class, read Reading 1: Family Life Complicated
by Vulnerable Status. Based on the reading, discuss the ways in which
illegal status can affect the family life of immigrants to the United States.
2. Now, view the documentary, “Guatemala: In the Shadow of the Raid.” The 16-minute film, from the PBS television show “Frontline,” is available online. It chronicles the aftermath of the May 2008 raid of the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat plant in Postville, Iowa—the largest raid in U.S. history. As you view the film, take notes on the effects of the raid on the lives of the workers.using Handout 1: Family Ties: Guatemala and Iowa.
3. As a class, discuss how the Southern Poverty Law Center—through Reading 1—and the Frontline producers constructed their work to shape how you perceive the problems these families face. For instance, which elements of the written piece are most convincing? (Note: Students might point out the use of quotes from primary sources, the use of statistics and specific information about the risks and hardships faced by children.) What elements do the film’s producers use to connect with viewers? (Note: Students might cite the use of immigrants’ own faces and voices, rather than those of actors; the filming in immigrants’ native countries; a narrative that follows specific people through a bureaucratic process; and even the music used throughout.)
4. In pairs or small groups, design a series of storyboards for a video that will include the information in Reading 1. First, cut each paragraph out of the reading. Then, organize the paragraphs in the order in which you want to convey information and images. To capture the attention of your viewers, what would you want to show first? What information do you think is most important? What music or background sounds might add to that information?
5. Share your storyboards with the rest of the class. How do your approaches differ? Why might that be the case?
In
Their Own Words
1. Working women in America have long struggled with the
balance between work and family life. While some have the resources to care for
their children and also advance in their chosen careers, others need to make
tough choices. Schedule time for an interview with your own mother, grandmother
or another female relative who has worked outside the home. Before the
interview, draft questions that will help you understand when and where she has
worked, what obstacles she has faced and the choices she has made to give you a
good life.
2. If you are comfortable doing so, share your interview with the class in oral or written form. What patterns do you notice among the interviews? What differences do you see?
3. Now, compare the answers in your interview with the quotes in Reading 1. What hopes, dreams and values are shared among the women? How do their realities differ? What conclusions can you draw?
Past
to the Present
1. In December 2010, Congress failed to pass what was
called the DREAM Act—the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act. The bill was first introduced in 2001. Take notes as you learn more about
the bill at the following sites:
National Immigration Law Center
2. Divide your class into two teams. Within your team, share what you’ve learned about the Dream Act during your Internet research. What was the bill designed to do? Who drafted the legislation? Who would qualify? How would they qualify? In what ways might it benefit the United States? In what ways might it cost the country? What is the status of the bill for the future?
3. Your teacher will assign your team one of the following positions:
- The Dream Act would be good for the United States.
- The Dream Act would be damaging to the United States.
Research facts and opinions you will use to support your team’s position in a debate. Decide on the rules of your debate. For instance, you might want an impartial observer, such as a school administrator, to declare the winner.
4. It’s time to debate. Instead of arguing for your team’s position, switch sides and support the other perspective/position instead. Then, debate. After the debate, work together to reach an understanding through compromise. Write a brief summary of your outcome.
Standards
Activities and the embedded assessments
address the following standards (McREL 4th Edition):
Language
Arts
Standard 4. Gathers and uses information
for research purposes.
Standard 7. Uses skills and strategies to read a variety of informational texts.
Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
Standard 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
Visual
Arts
Standard 1. Understands and applies media
techniques and processes related to the visual arts.
Civics
Standard 3.Understands the sources,
purposes, and functions of law, and the importance of the rule of law for the
protection of individual rights and the common good.
Standard 14. Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life.
Standard 24. Understands the meaning of citizenship in the United States, and knows the requirements for citizenship and naturalization.
Standard 25. Understands issues regarding personal, political and economic rights.
Economics
Standard 1. Understands that scarcity of
productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs.
Geography
Standard 9. Understands the nature,
distribution and migration of human populations on Earth’s surface.
Standard 11. Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth’s surface.
Standard 12. Understands the patterns of human settlement and their causes.
U.S.
History
Standard 31. Understands economic, social
and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.
Technology
Standard 2. Knows the characteristics and
uses of computer software programs.
Working
with Others
Standard 1. Contributes to the overall
effort of a group.
Standard 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.
