Summary:
Growing up in rural Appalachia Machlyn Blair didn't think he would have much in common with teenagers from other places. But the current immigration debate has made him realize just how central the experience of economic migration has been for him and his family. In this essay Machlyn shares his personal experiences and family history with economic migration, and talks about what making a choice to leave home really means to him.
Website:
http://www.appalshop.org/ami
Additional Credits and Funding:
Youth Radio
Tones:
Provocative,
Thoughtful,
Unconventional
Language:
English
Description:
There are many parts of the country where illegal immigration is not a pressing issue... Places far from any U.S. border; places where the economy isn?t strong enough to attract workers. But some Americans in these places see a direct link between their experiences and the experiences of the millions of immigrants who cross the border illegally for economic reasons. Nineteen-year-old Machlyn Blair lives in rural Kentucky and finds the current immigration debate relevant to his life, and the history of his family.
