By Daniela Coria – Staff Writer
On April 3rd, 2019, students from Academy of Medical Art and Carson High members of the Human Rights club hosted an exhibition in the MPR, to show the conditions that immigrants face while crossing the southern border into the U.S. While the students were rotating to each of the stations the presenters were aiming to get the idea of how detention centers are overcrowded, how border patrol are ill-mannered, and how immigrants are met with vigilantes. They also showed how they ask for asylum and the process it takes for them to receive the help they need.
Psychiatric Social Worker (P.S.W) from Academy of Medical Arts Ms.Cheatham is the new advisor for the Human Rights Club. She was also supervising the exhibition during the tours while she watched the presenters explain the different projects.
Ms. Cheatham stated, “The primary focus is to create awareness about the different violations in the hopes of creating change and getting people active about what’s going on around them”
Their main intentions were to bring awareness about the conditions at the Southern Borders, children being taken away from their families, refugees starving, and living in rough conditions. Nothing to help keep them warm but really thin like blankets. They sleep on the floor when they don’t have enough room in the detention centers. The Human Rights club wanted to open people’s perspectives and hope that students can see the harsh conditions that these people are living.
Christina Handcock a senior from AMA is a dedicated member of the Human Rights Club. She not only was a presenter for the exhibit for the detention center booth but also but on different campaigns for the club. She helped organize the voter registration to help 16-year-olds register to vote. During the exhibition, Christina spoke out about the different conditions at the detention centers.
Handcock stated, “The actual human rights organization went out to the borders, and the detention centers to gather data and images of events that are actually occurring. They took pictures of what they thought were poorly represented in the news and media.” She then continued with, “They went out and talked to the student task force and began a campaign. So we began a workshop and distributed everything we needed for the booths. The whole process for the student task force to get out to the other presenters.’’
In the detention centers booth, Christina spoke about the stigmas that are surrounded by how many think it’s just a place that refugees go to for a short time, but in reality, one can spend up to seven years at the centers. The refugees are barely getting enough basic necessities.
A CHS senior Lara Dela Cruz who is also a member and who was also a presenter stated, “My exhibit was about the reasoning on why the refugees seek asylum in the U.S, and their backstories as well. It helped open my eyes because I felt bad for the certain people that can be so cruel to a person that actually needs the help, they leave what they have behind in order to escape the harsh conditions that they are living in constantly and yet they are met with even worse conditions with the harsh restrictions they have at the border.”
During the activities, many students were left speechless for what they had witnessed and heard. Though the club has hoped to open minds on trying to raise awareness about what’s actually important in our world today. The Human Rights club is hoping to find new voices and keep the awareness going. To find out more, the club meets every Wednesday in H-4.
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