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Distant soil

This article is one in a series discussing immigration issues through artwork and words, through the eyes of a student.
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The series & assignment

This article is one in a series created by students in Mr. Alex Escamilla's journalism class at Southwest Community Campus. Students were asked to complete artwork and write an article regarding immigration issues in Grand Rapids, and America as a whole. Students worked with artist Reyna Garcia and Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities to complete artwork that best showed their views on immigration.

 

For more information on the project and those involved, click here.

 

All artwork will be displayed in an upcoming art show, open to the public.

 

Users may vote, comment, share, or tweet these articles up until the art show.  The student whose article and artwork receives the most votes, comments, shares, and tweets will receive a special Rapidian award.

By: Rudy R.

There are many trees that reach their adulthood on soil that lacks the minerals needed in order to reach their fullest potential. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, on a distant land, trees flourish on soil that is very rich, granting them the opportunity to grow and mature to their fullest ability.

Anyone could reflect on these two distinctive lands to the men and women that migrate along with their children to the United States every year in pursuit of a better life and future. They depart from their homeland escaping poverty, hunger and violence. In the United States there exists much more opportunity to succeed than in other lands, yet still there is discrimination from the mouths of the ignorant people upon those who arrive. Instead of them feeling flattered they chose their land, instead of offering a helping hand, they discriminate and order them to leave.

Without a doubt, U.S. soil clearly seizes a better chance for one to succeed opposed to many other lands. For the time being, there still exists a sort of segregation from these two different lands. Certainly, the brighter one is clearly the better option.

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