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This spring break I participated in a travel course in the School of Social Work - “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Borderlands and Human Mobility”. Our group of students from diverse backgrounds and majors spent one week at the US-Mexico border in San Diego and Tijuana. We saw both sides of the border, spoke with a wide variety of stakeholders and organizations, and witnessed the realities of the border.
Now, more than ever, I feel that there is a very serious need to dispel misinformation and hate that is spreading about migrants and the border. The best way that we can do that is through education, particularly first hand immersion in the complex contexts that may feel so distant and impersonal solely by reading the news and social media. Now more than ever there is a need for empathy and understanding the realities of human migration in the 21st century. This requires hearing from all stakeholders.
I highly recommend this course to anyone, particularly those interested immigration, law & policy, social and humanitarian work, and sociology. I am extremely grateful for this experience and for Montserrat, as my participation in this course would not be possible without the coalition’s help.
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