Category: final

Leah Wittler

Joseph Mauler

Janelle Briscoe

 

Proposal:

After reading and analyzing the book Americanah, Ifemelu’s experiences as a college student resonated with us. We felt the most inspired to do a project that reflected Ifemelu’s experiences in college as a Nigerian student. We believe that it is not fair that people from other countries feel like they have to conform to American preferences. A scene in the book when Ifemelu was registering for classes, the registrar talked down to Ifemelu because she had a Nigerian accent. It said that Ifemelu “shrinks” (Adichie 164) from feeling ashamed of her Nigerian accent. Because of this incident, Ifemelu stops talking in her Nigerian accent and starts practicing an American accent (Adichie 164). We wanted to explore and express Ifemelu’s experience in Chapter 14 facing assimilation struggles due to her Nigerian race in the American classroom.

Our inspiration is supported by “Making Americans: Schooling, Diversity, and Assimilation in the Twenty-First Century” where Cristina Lash sums up her study as looking at how the “role of race [is] a barrier in the assimilation process, particularly as it unfolds in schools” (1). This is one of our primary sources since it is a recent peer-reviewed journal entry as well as discussing issues that Ifemelu faced when she came to the American university scene. This article studied the ways middle schools teach American identity, specifically looking at Castro Middle School, a “diverse school in a city profoundly shaped by immigration.” (Lash 3). This revealed how immigrants are “made” at Castro through “direct classroom instruction, school events and programming, and daily interactions between peers, teachers, and staff” (Lash 4). We wanted to reference this when considering how Ifemelu faced assimilation into America, specifically the university.

The platform we chose to construct our project on is StoryboardTHAT with the hopes of this being turned into a short film in the future. The medium of this website gives us the tools and resources to create a storyboard about an immigrant student in a college scene and the challenges they face. The website we will be using claims it has an extensive image library, flexible layouts, and is intuitive and simple which is beneficial to our group. A storyboard allows us to use visual, creative aspects such as what characters look like and what our scene will look with many details. It also allows us to use words in speech and thought bubbles straight from the characters to understand how they feel and why. A third aspect of this medium is where we can put text about what is happening in the picture underneath of it. All of these elements will help us effectively tell the story of what an immigrant student goes through.

Script:

Adaeze – Immigrant student from Nigeria who is finding her way through the new culture of an American university

Secretary – works in registration office and is ignorant to immigrants knowledge of English

Professor – Adaeze’s professor who does not help her transition into an american classroom

Marianne – Adaeze’s friend from Nigeria who is adopting American culture ata much faster and extreme pace

Introduction:

This story shares the experiences of the challenges immigrants face when attending an American university. It will show how an young girl from Nigeria interacts with others in and out of the classroom. Ultimately the storyboard will be the basis for a short film.

First Scene:

Takes place in the admissions office of the university. There is a secretary, a middle-aged lady, sitting at a desk. Adaeze, a girl from Nigeria, about 19, walks up to the secretary.

Adaeze – Hi I’m Adaeze

Secretary – Hello. You. Must. Be. Here. For. The. International. Program.

Adaeze – Yes

Secretary – How. Can. I. Help. You?

Adaeze – *Why is she talking like that* I speak English. I’m here to register.

Secretary – Oh. I bet you do, I just don’t know how well… Here are the papers.  

Adaeze – Thanks…

Secretary then walks away into another room, papers in hands, with some other task to get done.

Reference: “Chapter 14.” Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anchor Books, A Division

of Random House LLC, New York, 2013, pp. 164-165.

Second Scene:

—– Later that week Adaeze is sitting in class waiting for her paper to be handed back.

Adaeze – Looks at paper. How did I get such a low grade?

Adaeze – Professor, how come I got such a low grade?

Professor – You need to have all words in English. You wrote some in another language. Walks away handing back more papers.

Adaze- Walks out of classroom feeling discouraged. This sucks I worked really hard on that paper.

Reference: “Yurtoğlu, Nadir. “Students’ Right to Their Own Language.” History Studies International

Journal of History, vol. 10, no. 7, 2018, pp. 241–264., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Groups/CCCC/NewSRTOL.pdf

Third Scene:

—–Adaeze goes to party with a friend, Marianne, from her home country.

Adaeze – What are you wearing Marianne?

Marianne – What? This is what’s really in right now.

Marianne – Do you want a drink? Here’s a beer.

Adaeze – Thinks  *she sounds so american*

Adaeze – Why are you talking like that? (referring to her American accent)

Marianne – This is how you fit in Adaeze.

Adaze- I’m leaving

Marianne- What’s her problem?

Fourth Scene:

Adaeze leaves the party to go back to her room to reflect her feelings about feeling like she doesn’t belong here.

Her thoughts:

Adaeze: I feel so out of place. I don’t do well in my classes and my friends aren’t like me.

Adaeze: Cries I don’t like who i’m becoming

Adaeze: Last story strip shows her alone, feeling sad, and not like herself.

Reference: ToonCee. “STRUGGLES OF A HIGH SCHOOL IMMIGRANT IN AMERICA!

(Animation).” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=neyUOsEKJSg&t=71s.

Storyboard: dg-project (1)

Annotated Bibliography:

“Chapter 14.” Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Anchor Books, A Division

of Random House LLC, New York, 2013, pp. 164-165.

 

Chapter 14 of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an important part of the book and how the main character finds constants struggles as an immigrant in America. This specific chapter focuses on Ifemelu’s social challenges while registering and sitting in a classroom working with other students. When Ifemelu is at the registration desk, there is another woman who speaks very slowly to Ifemelu because she does not think she speaks English well based of her accent. This is where Ifemelu starts to feel like her accent is an issue and later begins practicing English. This challenge between her Nigerian identity and who she wants to be as an American to fit in is a constant struggle for immigrants in America who are judged off of where they come from. Throughout the rest of the chapter Ifemelu finds ways to pick up American culture such as reading American books. While Ifemelu is trying to find this new American culture she also finds African Student Union and Black Student Union which allows her to find others more similar to her. She also struggles to find a new job as an immigrant student in America. Since Ifemelu is in America on a school visa she has to find a job that pays under the table. This is common for immigrant students and it’s hard to for them to find a good job in this state. This source is helpful for the project because it gives the encounters of an immigrant in an American college.

 

Cristina L. Lash. “Making Americans: Schooling, Diversity, and Assimilation in the

Twenty-First Century.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, vol. 4, no. 5, 2018, p. 99. EBSCOhost, doi:10.7758/rsf.2018.4.5.05.

https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.rsf.2018.4.5.05&site=eds-live&scope=site

 

This journal entry in The Russell Sage Foundation Journal, written by Cristina Lash focused on an ethnographic study of Castro Middle School, which is located in a city filled with immigrants. Lash analyzes bidirectional assimilation, where she finds that assimilation for immigrants creates a unique national identity as an American for those specific immigrants as well as changing the mainstream culture. This article considers a two-way assimilation that changes both cultural groups, Americans and immigrants. This is intriguing for our short story because Adaeze is confronted with fitting into American culture and the school setting. Adaeze is going to create her own American identity based on how she responds in the classroom and the party scene. This also changes, based on the immigrants contribution to assimilation as well as the mainstream culture willingness to respect and include. However, Lash specifically found that the larger Latino and Asian populations were not included in the national community and were excluded. One thing we considered as a theory based off this article was depending on how much an immigrant puts into assimilation will determine how well they are included into the national community. But, what will this assimilation cost to our character Adaeze? Her friend Marianne is committed to “fitting in,” especially when she is at social settings such as our party scene. However, Adaeze is struggling in face of Marianne doing everything she can do wear “what’s in” and how Americans speak. This is also used as a source when Adaeze is conflicted at the end of our short story of who she is and feeling out of place.

 

Galli, Fausto, and Giuseppe Russo. “Immigration Restrictions and Second-Generation

Cultural Assimilation: Theory and Quasi-Experimental Evidence.” Journal of Population Economics, vol. 32, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 23–51. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00148-018-0694-z. https://ezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=132696583&site=eds-live&scope=site

 

This article, written by Fausto Galli and Giuseppe Russo in the Journal of Population Economics, concerns itself with the possible effects of immigration restrictions have on cultural assimilation, especially of second-generation immigrants. In 1973, there was an immigration ban in Germany as a quasi-experiment, which is an experiment where participants are not randomly chosen. This ban only concerned immigrants from outside countries. Galli and Russo specifically analyze this experiment and find that restrictive immigration policies may have unintended consequences of inhibiting cultural assimilation of immigrants. However, there should always be caution if the subject of observation and consideration is dated, especially one over 40 years. The main points in the article are persuasive ones, however, without correlated sources, the article could be considered to be a potential bias source. This article, however, aided our team in consideration of Adaeze’s character. The potential long-term effects of immigration policies on the cultural assimilation process can be considered in our third scene of our short story. We know that Adaeze is not a first-generation immigrant. But, we wanted to give Adaeze the possibility of facing immigration policies that have made it just that much harder to assimilate and to “fit in.” Marianne does not have trouble with changing the way she talks or dresses. It does not seem like she is having a problem assimilating. However, what more, what else is restricting immigrants, especially for Nigerians, to feel like they can not “fit in?” There is possibility for Adaeze to be facing similar restrictive immigration policies that is making it harder for her to assimilate to America, even if we do not specifically analyze them in our short story.

 

Yurtoğlu, Nadir. “Students’ Right to Their Own Language.” History Studies International

Journal of History, vol. 10, no. 7, 2018, pp. 241–264., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Groups/CCCC/NewSRTOL.pdf

 

“Students’ Right to Their Own Language” is a resolution by the Conference on College Composition and Communication. This addresses immigrant students and students who have a different first language then English. This has been in the works since 1971 and is still being worked on and improved. It allows “the students’ right to their own patterns and varieties of language — the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style.” This resolution has proven to be controversial so there have been many meetings in order for the CCCC to work through issues that this resolution can cause. “The main question this resolution asked is Should the schools try to uphold language variety, or to modify it, or to eradicate it?” another issue that arises is the public’s ignorant responses to a resolution such as this. The resolution written gives examples of how to assess and understand different dialects and languages. It also presents research go back up the proposed resolution. It is also mentioned that students should be encouraged to experiment with different dialects. The rest of the article goes into many different factors of how and why students should write in their own dialect and language. This is important for the project because it can relate to the challenges immigrants face when going to American schools with different dialects and languages because not all teachers and professors are supportive to the cultural differences that immigrants experience.  

 

Literary analysis:

 

Mabura, Lily. “Realities of Race.” Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 13 June 2013,

doi:10.1093/obo/9780199846733-0191. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/books/review/americanah-by-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie.html

 

           “Realities of Race” is a literary analysis by Mike Peed about the novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s. This analysis focuses on how Adichie uses a young woman from Nigeria to write about blackness in America and the difference between African-American and American-African. The article summarizes the book while analyzing Adichie’s intentions. Peed goes into depth interpreting what Adichie means with the two different phrases and how the main character in the book fits into these descriptions. The article also discusses how a lot of Americans use language such as “blacks and poor whites” and not “poor blacks and poor whites” and how Adichie uses the novel to challenge American’s on the language that they use. Adichie points out words and phrases Americans use to try and sound sensitive but truly mean the same thing as the less-sensitive phrasing. An interesting part Peed discusses is when Ifemelu stops using her American accent in the novel to find authenticity and that is how she thrives better than some other. This is important to the project because in the storyboard, the main character struggles when others encounter her accent and know she is an immigrant. Peed also analysis the return of Nigerians to their home country after being abroad and how the country is “too proud to have patience for ‘Americanahs’”. The analysis of the book is helpful to better understand Adichie’s purpose and meaning of the book and the authenticity it offers about immigrants in America. This is useful for the project because it allows for a deeper understanding of what immigrant’s experience.

 

Media Sources:

 

ToonCee. “STRUGGLES OF A HIGH SCHOOL IMMIGRANT IN AMERICA!

(Animation).” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=neyUOsEKJSg&t=71s.

 

ToonCee produces Struggles of a “High School Immigrant in America!”, which focuses on Jill, the younger sister of the narrator. The narrator and Jill are Filipino and Jill, in the middle of high school, moves to America. The narrator focuses on Jill’s struggle to assimilate into American high school. We thought it was intriguing that the narrator says that they only have famous American movies, such as Mean Girls and Easy A, as reference for what American high school is like. The main focus of the video is how Jill struggles daily to fit in and to be included. Sometimes, she goes days without saying a word to someone at school. The only words she says is to herself on the bus in Filipino language to keep her heritage. The narrator talks about how Jill observes high schoolers, especially other girls, who seem to be “Instagram models.” This supported our short story, for originally, in Americanah, Ifemelu observes how different Americans are in college. We saw some similarities between this video and Americanah to support our creation of our short story. The ending of the video talks about how it eventually gets better for an immigrant moving to America and trying to assimilate into the American education system or just the American culture in general. We want this to be true, but as storytellers, we wanted to consider that it wouldn’t get better. Even though this may be grim, it may be realistic for real-life immigrants out there. So, this is the turnout that we imagine for Adaeze throughout her college years.

 

Week, Education. “An Immigrant Student in America: Finding a College.” YouTube,

YouTube, 4 Dec. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzchlFJkYUA.

 

This short video by Education Week called “An Immigrant Student in America: Finding college” focuses the challenges an immigrant student faces when finding college. The first and largest issue is her identity being challenged when she says, “when I am at school, I am not American enough and when I am at home, I am not Lebanese enough.” She goes through the process of finding a school that fits her with her identity and how her parents play a role in the process. The parents believe she will lose her culture if she moves to school, so they want her to stay at home and communicate to college. There is a large dissonance between what her Lebanese culture expects to stay at home until marriage and what American culture expects for young adults to move out and get a college education. As a high school student, Ayat has the resources she needs at school, yet her parents aren’t as aware of the resources available to them. This video shows how young immigrants who accept American culture and want to find a balance in their identities can thrive when they know what they want. The source is good for showing the identity crisis that immigrants can go through with their parents and being in-between two cultures. This is a good source for the project because it shows a different perspective of a high school immigrant looking for college and how there can be light and good parts of going to school in America.

 

http://localhost:55082/ “Shadow Masquerade”

Colin Fedor, Elizabeth Noon, Ted Sines

Proposal

The inspiration for this project was mainly found with the struggles that refugees and immigrants face when acquiring citizenship through legal and semi-legal means. In particular, we found the section of Americanah wherein Obinze was struggling to acquire citizenship to be of particular interest. He is a man who we have grown to know rather well – a character we could identify with, so his desire to stay in the UK was an understandable one. However, the difficulties that he was presented with seeking entirely legal means of citizenship were almost ludicrous. His failure, while due in part to his situation, is indicative of a greater issue that exists within Western nations’ policies regarding refugees and immigration. According to the National Immigration Forum, the United States has once again reduced the maximum number of immigrants and refugees it will allow into the country and this policy of denial is mimicked by many other nations around the world. While the extent of these policies is not entirely the same as that presented in the novel, it is still an issue that we are dealing with today.

Americanah certainly did an excellent job of presenting an accurate depiction of modern immigration, and the lengths people will go to in order to stay in Western “developed” countries (see Obinze’s attempted marriage to a British native). However, we think that we will be able to engage a wider audience if we shifted this narrative to the medium of video games. Our intention is to design a video game wherein the player is forced into the same situation as an immigrant or refugee attempting to flee desperate situations. In our game, players will be set loose in a cityscape that is controlled by an authoritarian government that has adopted the 17th-century practice of the masquerade into common usage (everyone in this society wears a mask). The player is thrust into this environment with one goal, to acquire a mask (the mask in this situation will be a metaphor for citizenship in the country, as nationality is another aspect of our identity, another mask that we wear to distinguish ourselves). However, you cannot move openly through this city without a mask and to be spotted without one is a death sentence.

Script

Our visual is a non-combat stealth video game with 0% chance of battling. Once the character dies, the character will not be able to come back to life. The objective is the main character must risk his life to illegally obtain citizenship in a country that has a policy of isolation and refugee rejection. In essence, they do not allow anyone to come into their country who does not originate from that country. The main character is a refugee from a developing country.

A refugee is defined as a person who is unwilling to return to their country of nationality because of “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on his or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” (Cepla). When applying for refugee status in the United States, it takes an average of two years for refugees to be vetted because they must go through several rounds of background checks, screenings, and interviews under the United States Refugee Admissions Program (Cepla). Not only do refugees struggle with an enduring wait, but President Trump also set a refugee limit of 30,000 for the fiscal year of 2019, making it the lowest cap since the introduction of the Admissions Program and a competitive process for the refugees (Felter).

When people apply for asylum status, they too are seeking protection from violence and persecution in their home, and they must meet the definition of a refugee, but the difference is those seeking asylum are already in the country or are seeking entry and asylum at the country’s border (Willingham). From the asylum application to decision, the process takes an average of 180 days (Willingham). Regardless of whether the applicant is seeking refugee or asylum status, both are a long and excruciating process that may not render a decision in favor of the individual. Therefore, people sometimes go to extreme or illegal measures in order to gain citizenship within a new country.

An example of someone going to extremes to gain citizenship is similar to the character Obinze in Americanah. After Obinze was denied citizenship in both American and England, he attempted to marry a woman who was a citizen of England in order to gain citizenship, but he was caught and deported (Adichie 343-345). This shows that people are willing to make illegal choices after failing to gain citizenship or refugee or asylum status. The gameplay reinforces the ideas in the novel by representing a character who is illegally attempting to gain citizenship within a country by retrieving a mask from the black market.

The setting takes place in a city that is a fictional depiction of countries like the United States and Britain because these countries are economically powerful and isolated because they make immigration processes difficult. The citizens of this fictional city all wear a mask, which is a metaphor for citizenship, and it is something that immigrants and refugees have great difficulty obtaining. There is a black market within the city that illegally sells the mask to those who want citizenship and are willing to risk their lives to get to the mask. The cutscene will show a major city on a rainy day. There will be a billboard in the background that describes masks to be in high demand. It will then show a massive crowd of people all wearing masks, then it will cut to an alleyway which will show the main player of the game walk out of a door into the alley, handed a note, and the door will shut behind him. The note will state: “We know you are running for your life from your country. Fortunately for you, there are plenty of opportunities for you in this country. But, as you should well know, the locals are not exactly fond of outsiders. if you get caught, it is almost certain you will die a painful death. In the slum section of the city, there is someone willing to sell you a mask. Get it. If you get caught you will die so be quick, quiet, and try not to bring attention to yourself.”

The player must survive all obstacles as he makes his way to the slum section. They must avoid being detected while they make their way to the mask seller. Should they be detected, they will be pursued by law enforcement officers until they are either captured (and promptly executed) or are able to lose their pursuers. Should the player be caught, they are not given a chance to try again with their original character; rather, they restart from the very beginning with a new character.  By doing so, will be reinforcing the real world concept of immediate deportation of individuals caught engaging in illegal activity within another country. When the character reaches the slum section of the city and finds the individual selling the black market mask, a note will be handed to the character: “Congratulations, you have received citizenship. You will blend in with all of the other citizens of this country. Do not tell anyone who you are or where you come from or else you will be deported.”

 

Bibliography

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah, Anchor Books, A Division of Random House LLC, New York, 2013.

Americanah is a novel written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who grew up in Nigeria. It is a story about two individuals, Ifemelu and Obinze, who are both raised in Nigeria. Ifemelu eventually is able to legally travel to the United States to go to school, but quickly learns what it means to be black in America. She is forced to adjust, especially when she must assimilate into the American job market and college. She experiences love, racism, and success, but she also faces obstacles while in America. Obinze, on the other hand, struggles to obtain citizenship and is willing to attempt less than legal ways to enter the country because he tries to marry a British native in order to obtain citizenship. Eventually, Obinze was caught and it resulted in him being deported back to Nigeria. It is a novel depicting the paths of two individuals that intersect throughout, and it gives readers a new perspective of the immigrant process. The novel does have a bias because the author is from Nigeria, so she is speaking from her experiences through her work. She is able to give readers this perspective that an author from another country writing about the immigrant experience of leaving Nigeria and trying to enter the United States or England otherwise could not do. Adichie does a good job of incorporating the immigrant experience into a story that is relatable to every audience, especially younger generations because parts of the novel take place during the characters’ college years. 

CNN, AJ Willingham, CNN Design: India Hayes. “Applying for Asylum in the US Takes, on Average, 6 Months, 2 Interviews and One Big Decision.” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/01/world/asylum-process-refugee-migrant-immigration-trnd/index.html. Accessed 1 May 2019.

This popular media source comes from CNN, which is typically known as a left side political bias opinion. This article was written by AJ Willingham, and it describes the differences between asylum status and refugee status. The difference between the two is that refugee status is granted for people outside the United States and asylum status is for people who are seeking protection who are either already in the country or are seeking entry and asylum at the border. There are two ways to request asylum, the first one being if someone has been in the country for less than a year or is seeking asylum at a port of entry, which is known as an affirmative asylum. The second way to request asylum is if someone is facing deportation and is caught trying to enter the US illegally, which is known as a defensive asylum. The article explains how there is lots of paperwork involved, biometrics appointed, and an interview. The author states that the applicants may have costly and time-consuming travel arrangements, and the scheduling process for the interview is “actually kind of backwards,” because the USCIS prioritizes more recent filings to discourage people from filing for asylum for fraudulent reasons. This process could take months to complete. On average it takes about 180 days, which is about 6 months. The author refers to this as a “tense wait,” and the fate of the asylum seeker lies in the asylum officer’s hands. The final decision is not always the final decision because it may not be a simple “yes” or “no.” This article does have a sympathetic bias in favor of refugees and the struggles that they endure during this long process. It does not give the Trump Administration’s reasoning for such strict processes, it just shows those seeking asylum have a long wait and large costs in order to try to legally stay in the US. This article does lean left in political bias. 

“Fact Sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement.” National Immigration Forum, https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-u-s-refugee-resettlement/. Accessed 1 May 2019.

This scholarly article comes from the National Immigration Forum. The article defines “refugee,” and provides information regarding who determines the number of refugee admissions, and what the refugee limit is for the fiscal year 2019. Over the past few years, the US is attempting to cut down on the number of people that they are allowing to seek refuge, and this year’s fiscal number is 30,000. It also states that the US mainly admits refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Ukraine, and Bhutan, and refugees are resettled in states like Texas, Washington, and Ohio. Primarily the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees refers refugees to the US for resettlement. The article mentions that it takes refugees an average of nearly two years to be screened and vetted. Resettlement agencies who have agreements with the U.S. Department of State help take the refugees to their new homes when they arrive in the US. Additionally, the resettlement agencies help refugees start their lives by assisting them in obtaining a Social Security card, registering children in school, and learning how to access stores for shopping. The article also states that the Office of Refugee Resettlement helps provide refugees with cash, medical assistance, employment, and social services. It also provides information on how refugees can legally work in the United States, and refugees can apply for a green card to become a permanent resident after one year in the US. This article provides information with a neutral bias. It does not provide an opinion, but useful facts about the immigrant process.

Felter, Claire, and James McBride. “How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 10 Oct. 2018, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-does-us-refugee-system-work.

This scholarly article comes from the Council on Foreign Relations, which is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher. There is a wide variety of individuals who contribute to this organization like scholars, lawyers, journalists, educators, and business executives, etc., who fact check the information that is published. This article informs readers of the legal definition of a refugee, the history of how long the United States has been accepting refugees, and how the numbers of refugees allowed into the United States has declined. Additionally, the article discusses what countries the refugees are from, how they are screens and approved, and what government agencies are involved in the process. While the article does appear to be neutral and provide legitimate information regarding refugees, the authors do have a bias within the article in favor of refugees. It briefly mentions at the end of the article how only a handful of more than three million refugees have implicated terrorist plots. It also states that most terrorist attacks have been committed by U.S. citizens, and the 9/11 hijackers were in this country on visas. It also explains how states cannot directly block federal government decisions on where to place refugees, but they can complicate the process by directing state agencies to refuse to cooperate with resettlement agencies. It does show a bias in favor of refugees, while also providing legitimate information. This article leans towards advancing the positions of refugees and places federal decisions in a negative light, without giving much deference to the actions of the federal government.

This Is the End of Asylum for Refugees as We Know It in the United States (Opinion) – CNN.https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/01/opinions/trump-administration-asylum-seeker-crackdown-zakaria/index.html. Accessed 6 May 2019.

This popular media source comes from CNN, which is typically known as a left side political bias opinion. This article is written by Rafia Zakaria, and it discusses how the Trump Administration has proposed to require those seeking asylum to pay processing fees for their applications and limit their access to work permits. The bias in favor of refugees is evident throughout the article because it uses words to put President Trump in a negative light. For instance, the author says that the Administration has “nipped and hacked” at asylum laws and rules. The author explains that under the new program, applicants could face questioning by a border patrol guard who will evaluate whether they have a credible fear of persecution, and then it gives an analogy of how this would be equivalent to a police officer who makes an arrest also the judge at the first court hearing. Additionally, the author also describes Attorney General Jeff Sessions to have “antipathy” toward asylum seekers and claims the “US thumbs its nose at the world’s tortured.” It also claims that administration is hiding xenophobia under legalese and statutory “mumbo jumbo.” This language meant to share a negative opinion against the administration, and it fails to address the reasoning behind the government’s new proposals. Readers are not given information as to the reasons for this new program.  It uses name calling rhetoric in order to advance a left side political bias.

Amanda Israel, Erin Stephey, Jessica Merrick

Proposal

Gender roles are “the role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural norms”  (Lumen Learning). We see it all the time in the United States, whether its women not being paid the same as men, or people just not taking women seriously overall when it comes to them being in STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering and math).  As we continue further research on this topic, we know that gender is a conflicting topic within our society as well as outside of the United States.

For example, in Nigeria, women are “expected to plan office parties because it’s a ‘woman’s job’…..As a woman, I am expected to make my own meals…”(Samiha Nettikkara). Women are considered and expected to be “nurturing, caring, social, emotional” (Treleaven 1). They were also considered to stay at home and become the caretakers . On the other hand, men were considered  “aggressive, instinctual, private, promiscuous”, while also expected to be the breadwinners of the family (Treleaven 1).

As we see in Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, gender role conflicts play a major theme, as it continues to be a common issue throughout the book. Whether it be showing Obinze’s constant power struggle overall compared to Ifemelu, or just the lack of independence Aunty Uju has.  

Another factor that we see with regards to gender roles is the financial differences. According to Onward Healthcare, male nurses “make an average of about $84,000 annually vs. $80,000 for women”. It is said that even in the same career, males get paid more than females.

For our group project, we are specifically going to use the scene from chapter 5 of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. In this scene, we can see gender roles from when Ifemelu was shocked when she found out that Aunty Uju didn’t have her own money because the General refused to let her handle the money.

For the visual aspect of this project, we are doing a storyboard comic. We thought this would be a great way to show the chosen scene from Americanah because we thought it would be a fun way to show visual representation of the gender/generation roles from the Nigerian aspect.

 

Script

2 columns of comic- 1 for Nigeria, 1 for US.

Nigeria-

Page 92

Characters- Aunty Uju, Ifemelu, The General

Aunty Uju- concerned about money; asks General about money; feels helpless; Dependent

The General-Prideful/Stubborn; refuses to ask/take money from others who wish to help; more Independent

Ifemelu- Concerned about Aunty Uju

Scene 1

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Ifemelu

“Hey Aunty Uju, what’s wrong?”

Aunty Uju

(with a sad expression)

“I just spoke to the landlord. He says we could lose the house.”

Ifemelu

“ You don’t have money?”

Aunty Uju

“ My account is almost empty, but The General will give it to me.”

Ifemelu

“ You don’t have money? Ahn-ahn, Aunty, how can you not have money?”

Aunty Uju laughs

Aunty Uju

“The general never gives me big money. He pays all the bills and he wants me to ask for everything I need. Some men are like that.”

Ifemelu has a shocked expression

Aunty Uju

“Ifem, don’t look as if somebody died”.  (she laughs)

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

The general sits in the living room, looking at a slip of paper that says “Bills Due!”

END

 

USA

Family of 3- Husband, Wife, Daughter

Daughter-High School; Senior; looking for colleges;Husband and Wife work similar jobs

(Husband:Jeff, Wife: Catherine, Daughter: Rachel)

INT. RACHEL’S BEDROOM – DAY

Scene 1

Meant to depict what it’s like in US

Rachel looking for a college as she finishes her senior year of high school; at her desk; shows laptop screen of colleges.

(Catherine enters)

“What are you doing?”

Rachel

“ I’m just stressed out looking for colleges”.

Catherine

“Well what do you want to pursue a career in?”

Rachel

“Maybe something in the medical field like you and Dad.”

Catherine

“Well the salary difference isn’t that great.”

Rachel

“What do you mean?”

Catherine

“Male nurses make an average of about $84,000 annually, compared to $80,000 for women.”

Rachel

“Really? Is that normal?”

Catherine

“Yea, in a typical job, a woman makes 80 cents of every man’s dollar.”

Rachel

(with a shocked expression on face)

“Well how is that fair?”

Jeff walks in holding paycheck

Jeff

“Catherine, your check from work was too small today, so dinner’s on me.”

END

Storyboard THAT

Annotated Bibliography

BBC Trending. “What it means to be female in Nigeria”. BBC News, 1 Jul, 2015.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-33239356

The article is “What it means to be female in Nigeria”. BBC News interviewed Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is a feminist who believes in spreading the word about gender equality, especially dealing with women, had many women use “a hashtag on Twitter to share their experiences of everyday gender discrimination” (BBC). The intended audience is for those who can relate to a similar story of their own about when they were discriminated against. A secondary audience could be those curious about gender roles in Nigeria, specifically females, even though it is based off personal experiences.

The main claim that is taken away from this is the inequality of gender roles between men and women. The article is bias because it only shows tweets about the gender inequality that women face, which is obvious since the focal point in the article is about gender roles of women in Nigeria. Not only that, it’s only about the women in Nigeria and not the general population. This is a weakness that can be noticed in the article. However, some of the tweets are straightforward and help the viewers get an idea of the role of women. It does support and is relevant to the project because the tweets show the gender discrimination and role women of Nigeria.

Long-Crowell, Erin. “Social Roles: Definition and Types of Social Roles”. Study.com, 2018.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/social-roles-definition-and-types-of-social-roles.html

The source used here is a video that gives a quick lecture on “Social Roles: Definition and Types of Social Roles”. The speaker of the lecture is Erin Long-Crowell. Long-Crowell has studied Psychology and has her M.Ed. The lecture is a quick discussion of what a social role is and how we as men and women contribute to a certain role. Based off the lecture, a social role “defines a set of behaviors that are expected of someone who holds a particular status” (Long-Crowell). Women, mothers especially, are meant to stay at home and be nurturing caregivers. Men, especially fathers, are said to be the breadwinners and bring in the money.

The lecture claims a social role and the different types. The audience intended for this lecture is for students or people in general to learn about social roles. This video supports and is relevant to the project because it gives an overall idea on what should be expected of men and women in social roles. Social roles do have an influence on gender roles.

“Gender Roles in the U.S.” Lumen Learning. Retrieved from,

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/cochise-sociology-os/chapter/gender-roles-in-the-u-s/

This article helped us with the final project by giving us some ideas of scenarios where the gender roles are different. This website goes into thorough detail about the variety of gender roles not only in United States, yet in different countries. This website uses theories (gender and social role theory, and socialization) to help explain how controversial this topic is.  This helped spark the idea of how we can compare the United States gender roles to Nigeria’s.

Brownstein, Ronald. (9 October, 2018). “There is a huge and growing divide on gender roles in the US”. Retrieved from

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/politics/us-divide-gender-roles-kavanaugh-women-college/index.html

This source helped us towards our final by helping us give some common ideas of gender roles specifically in the United States. It talks about the “Me Too” Movement, and overall continued to support our point in which we are trying to show how men are supposed to be dominant and strong, while the female is continued to be perceived as weak minded. It continues to talk about how men can basically get away with a lot of questionable issues, yet won’t be questioned in society.

Treleaven, Christina. “Gender, Generation, and Jobs: Differences in Gender Role Ideologies by Age and Occupation”, 2015.

https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=sociology_masrp

This research paper is titled “Gender, Generation, and Jobs: Differences in Gender Role Ideologies by Age and Occupation” by Christina Treleaven. The author of this research paper has a bias towards the argument that there is gender inequality in the workplace. She states that gender inequality is still an issue today and women are getting paid less than men, which is in part due to the gender norms. Her major claim states that it is important to understand the structural factors that our opinions towards gender and gender roles come from, which is important when looking at gender equality.

This source is very relevant to our project because it is giving evidence of gender inequalities around the world that women are facing. This evidence is backed by very reputable sources including whitehouse.gov, text about Segregation in American workplaces by race, ethnicity, and sex, etc.

Searls, D. (2019). Do Male Nurses Earn More? Survey Says Yes. Retrieved April 29, 2019, from https://www.onwardhealthcare.com/nursing-resources/do-male-nurses-earn-more-survey-says-yes/

This article from Onward Healthcare explains that there is a difference between salary for female and male registered nurses. The author of this article gives multiple statistics that were found by the University of California San Francisco. This is a known university and the research conducted seems to be legit information. One weakness to the data given is that no locations are given for the data. By stating that the average salary is lower for women RNs than male RNs, that is beneficial information to know; however, does the salary gap differ depending on the state that these RNs are working in?

The major claim that Searls makes is that while male RNs make more than female RNs when looking at salaries, both males and females make the same average of about $37 an hour. The information given from the conducted research is very beneficial to our project because it gives specific data regarding the pay of male and female RNs, which backs up the claim that there is in fact gender inequality in the workplace.

Lans Tristan Abrenica & Annya Pereira

Pitch

The scene we have decided to depict from the novel Americanah is Chapter 30, when Obinze was getting arrested by immigration officers in England prior to completing his secret contract for permanent residency through marriage with Cleotide and his time in the detention center, up until his deportation. This scene is a common practice in many parts of the world, particularly in the United States. While there are many legal processes for acquiring permanent residency, one of the options is through what is commonly known as a “Green Card Marriage.” It is considered fraudulent and illegal. The scene highlights Obinze’s situation and resorting to marriage just to stay legally in the United Kingdom. In a dialogue between the policemen and Obinze, Obinze was being asked his legality (Adichie 344):

           “Were you aware that your visa had expired?”

           “Yes,” Obinze said.

           “Were you about to have a sham marriage?”

This scene is important because it emphasizes people’s unwavering desire to live in foreign countries for a better life, while also portraying the struggles they face in pursuit of acquiring it. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. citizens are able to petition their foreign national fiancé for a K-1 nonimmigrant visa to travel and apply for permanent residency (USCIS par. 1). This is similar to Obinze’s situation because he is marrying Cleotide to obtain his permanent resident status in the U.K. Obinze was trying to acquire his legal residency through this process with Cleotide, however, he was arrested and placed in a detention center moments before they were married.

In our remix of the chapter, we decided to we decided to use StoryboardTHAT as the medium to portray the scene because the audience are able to visually see the process that took place before his marriage, his arrest, and the detention center Obinze was placed at before his deportation. The setting we chose for our version is in the United States. Using a storyboard to showcase the marriage and arrest would have a greater impact on the audience as opposed to if they were to read it because they aren’t afforded the same visual cues as a storyboard.

Script

Character List:

Obinze: protagonist; a Nigerian man who moves to the United States and tried to become a citizen but ended up getting deported. He still loves Ifemelu a citizen but ultimately marries Kosi when he goes back to Nigeria then has a child.

Nicholas: Obinze’s cousin who lives in the United States and helps him with the marriage.

Cleotide: A woman who was paid to marry Obinze. She is a legal citizen of the United States.

Iloba: Obinze’s distant cousin who lives in the United States and helped him find work.

Scene 1 Script: The Arrival

Acquiring permanent residency status in the United States is known to be a long stringent process for anyone who applies. According to the official United States government website, one of the methods to be granted a green card is through spousal sponsorship. If an individual is a United States resident, they have the ability to sponsor a foreign spouse and receive permanent residency status (USAGov par. 12). Following this method has been a quick and common way for migrants to gain official immigration status in the United States. They are afforded almost the same rights as citizens, with limitations in voting participation and that it can be revoked under the right circumstances. Chapter 30 of Adichie’s Americanah focuses on Obinze’s legality in the United Kingdom and his unfortunate arrest moments before his wedding to Cleotide. We have decided to remix Chapter 30 to highlight the lengths migrants go just to obtain permanent residency status. In our version, the setting is in the United States rather than the United Kingdom because we believed it has more relevance to us, as we live in the United States.

Scene One depicts the preparation of a false marriage between Obinze and Cleotide. This scene is a representation of the number of false marriages that occur in the United States just to acquire permanent residency status. Like Obinze and Cleotide, spouses pay for their marriage and sign a contract to ensure the foreign spouse will receive permanent residency status.

Scene 1 Script:

1.1

Standing in front of the Civic Center all dressed up alone.

Nicholas: How do you like the suit? It’s small on me, it should fit you well.

Obinze: The trousers are a bit large on me but it’s fine.

1.2

Obinze sees Cleotide in the distance wearing her wedding dress surrounded by her friends.

Obinze thought bubble: She’s beautiful, in her ivory dress

Obinze approaches her by the trees and gives her a hug

Iloba: Cleotide, do you have the rings?

Cleotide: Yes, we picked them up last week. We stopped by a corner store and chose the cheapest

Friend: Are you guys ready to tie the knot?

1.3

They are back outside the Civic Center.

Iloba: It’s time. Let’s go in.

The group approaches the Civic Center, a photographer follows them from behind taking pictures.

1.4

Obinze opens the door to the Civic Center, two policemen standing inside by the doors

Obinze thought bubble: Everyone is waiting for us

A police officer stands by the side of the elevator suspiciously looking at Obinze.

Officer: Yeah, I have eye on him

Scene 2 Script: Obinze’s Arrest

In today’s current political climate, immigration officers face extreme pressure from the media and general public about the arrests of illegal immigrants. Arrests made by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) rose significantly. According to Ron Nixon’s analysis of ICE data and statistics, “About 159,000 foreigners during the 2018 fiscal year that ended September 30, an increase of 11 percent from the previous year” (Nixon par. 2). ICE officers have been raiding suspected illegal immigrants in public places including their workplace. They would apprehend the individuals while they are working, at school, anywhere they are. Nixon also included “Officials said they also deported 256,085 people last year, a 13 percent increase from fiscal year 2017” (Nixon par. 4).

Scene Two is Obinze’s arrest at the Civic Center. He was arrested by the immigration officer before could marry Cleotide. Despite the important ceremony about to occur, he was arrested. While it is unfortunate Obinze was arrested, he was about to commit marriage fraud.

2.1

Obinze and Cleotide walks off of the elevator. Obinze notices a police officer glaring at him, but puts it off because it’s routine to have an officer in the Civic Center.

Cleotide: Are you ready?

Obinze: As ready as I’ll ever be, Cleotide.

Obinze and Cleotide steps off of the elevator and heads in the opposite direction as the officer and heads to the room

Officer: Excuse me, Mr. and Ms.

2.2

Obinze gets stopped and question by the police. He explains that he needs to leave the country. Cleotide stands a few feet away confused and scared.

Officer: Are you Obinze Maduewesi?

Obinze looks at the man with a straight face

Obinze: Yes, I am.

Officer: Your visa is expired, you are to leave the United States immediately.

Officer hands proper documents to Cleotide

2.3

The officer begins Obinze’s arrest. He hands the couple proper documentation and threatens deportation.

Three more officers enter the scene

Leading Arrest Officer: Put your hands behind your back, you’re under arrest.

Officer 1: He is to be sent to a detention center.

Cleotide falls to the ground and begins to cry

Officers walk towards the exit of the building

2.4

Obinze is taken to the police station and locked in a cell. He was told to take off all articles of clothing and gets informed he can arrange to have a lawyer.

Officer 2: Take off all articles of clothing, shoes, socks, everything!

With Obinze’s hands still handcuffed, they walk over to a cell

The cell was a small, grey concrete room with no windows. Metal bars align the entrance to the cell.

Officer 3: Were you aware your visa is expired?

Obinze: Yes

Officer 3: Were you about to have a sham marriage?

Obinze stayed quiet and kept walking. He knew saying anything more will build a stronger case against him.

Officer 3: There’s no doubt you will be deported. We can arrange for a lawyer to represent you.

Scene 3 Script: At the Detention Center

The treatment of detained immigrants at Detention Centers across the United States have been under criticism over the past few years. Personal stories of individuals experiencing subhuman treatment have been circulating the media more and more. One of the most critical conditions they face are sexual abuse. New York Times Matthew Haag stated that there are “more than 4,500 complaints about sexual abuse… [Records] detailed allegations that adult staff members had harassed and assaulted children, including fondling and kissing minors, watching them as they showered, and raping them” (Haag par. 1 & 2). The living conditions in detention centers have also been questionable. The Guardian’s Andrew Gumbel reported, “sleep was almost impossible; lights were left on… All they were given to eat were half-frozen bologna sandwiches and water with strong chlorine taste” (Gumbel par. 7).

The National Immigration Law Center provides a list of rights undocumented immigrants are entitled to, however, they state, “[migrants]  have more rights if you are arrested by Immigration at work, on the street, after a traffic stop, or at home” (NICL par. 1). They warn that rights change depending on the location of their arrest. In airports or at the border, rights can be limited and could deny migrants a right to see a lawyer.

Scene Three depicts Obinze’s experience in a detention center where he was placed in a cold cell with three inmates awaiting for deportation. He was given a chance to meet with a lawyer to help his situation, but admits that he is willing to return back to his home country. It is a portrayal of Obinze’s wasted time doing nothing in his cell.

3.1

Obinze’s immigration lawyer enters an interrogation room.

Lawyer: The U.S. government has a strong case against you. We can appeal and delay the process, but you will eventually be deported.

Obinze: I am willing to return to Nigeria.

Obinze looks down at the table in sadness. The lawyer looks surprised at his response.

3.2

The immigration lawyer is walking out of the room.

Lawyer thought bubble: Thank God, he’s making my job easier.

Obinze sits on the chair silently as the lawyer leaves.

3.3

Obinze is brought back to his cell, along with two other Nigerian men.

Cellmate: What brought you in here?

Obinze: Ignores the question.

Obinze: Hey officer, is there a book I can read in here?

Officer: No, you can watch TV in the rec room after lunchtime, that’s it.

Obinze: Thinks to himself. I want a book to read not to entertain myself.

3.4

In the cafeteria room the other deportees scattered exchanging stories.

Man 1: It’s my second time here. The first time, I came with a fake passport.

Man 2: That’s crazy man.

Man 1: I’ll come back, give me a few years.

Obinze stands across the room, listening to them, admiring their determination to come back.

Scene 4 Script: Transferring to a Different Facility

One of the most critical conditions they face are sexual abuse. New York Times Matthew Haag stated that there are “more than 4,500 complaints about sexual abuse… [Records] detailed allegations that adult staff members had harassed and assaulted children, including fondling and kissing minors, watching them as they showered, and raping them” (Haag). The Trump administration has been under scrutiny over the child separation policy. In an article from NBCNews, it stated that children of immigrant parents that crossed the border illegally were taken by the Department of Health and Human Services, with no order to reunify them (Ainsley par. 2). There is no current report on the number of children who have been reunited with their family members. This issue does not only occur at the border, but also during transfers between facilities and spontaneous arrests.

Scene Four portrays Obinze’s transfer from his initial holding facility to another in Dover, England. Since our version is set in the United States, we picked Florida as the destination of his transfer. The new detention facility introduces him to a new cellmate who is determined to avoid deportation.

4.1

Back in the interrogation room with Obinze and Nicholas. He is visiting Obinze before he is placed on a flight.

Nicholas: Are they treating you well? Are they?!

Obinze: They’re transferring me to a detention center in Florida. I am to be sent back to Lagos when a seat on a plane becomes available.

Nicholas: So, what now?

Obinze: Now I go home, it’s time.

4.2

In a Florida detention center. Obinze is sitting in his cell shared with one man also waiting to get on a flight to Lagos.

Obinze thought bubble: This cell is smaller, colder, and reeks of the sewer.

Cellmate: I will not allow them to bring me back to Nigeria. I have a plan.

4.3

Obinze’s cellmate continues to discuss his plan

Cellmate: First I’m going to strip off my clothes when they begin the boarding process. I will take off my shirt and shoes when they try to board me.

Obinze: Why?

Cellmate: Let me finish.

Cellmate: I will ask for asylum at the gate. They won’t board you half naked.

Obinze: That’s your plan? I hope it works out for you, I’m going to bed.

4.4

Obinze is sitting on his bed in deep thought.

Obinze thought bubble: I feel like I’m suffocating in this cell. It’s so small I can’t breathe.

Obinze’s face turns blue from sadness.

Obinze thought bubble: I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can feel my body deteriorating.

Scene 5 Script: At the Airport

As more attention is brought to the general public about the deportation process and arrests of undocumented immigrants, some U.S. citizens have stepped up to prevent the deportations of the immigrants. In one instance, a New York activist, Bryan MacCormack blocked an attempted arrest of two undocumented immigrants in his car by ICE agents. The agents attempted to manipulate MacCormack saying their warrant allow them to take custody of the immigrants, but MacCormack noticed that the warrant was not signed by a judge, therefore they cannot enter his private space (Sheets par. 7). Other similar situations have circulated the media of citizens attempting to delay the deportation of immigrants.

Scene Five is a depiction of Obinze’s return to Nigeria. In the novel, no one tries to stop his deportation. In our version, he has not returned to Nigeria yet, but we decided to create a scene in which a bystander attempts to delay his flight.

5.1

Obinze and three other deportees are escorted around Miami International Airport with handcuffs. They gather near the gate going to Lagos. A woman sits near Obinze and makes conversation.

Woman: Are you being deported?

Obinze: I am.

Woman: How long have you lived here?

Obinze: Long enough.

Woman: I’ll help you and your friends stay, don’t worry.

5.2

The plane begins the boarding process and the woman makes a commotion. She stands in the way of the officers trying to bring the deportees onto the plane.

Woman: You can’t bring them.

Officer: Ma’am please move out of the way.

Woman: You can’t bring them on the plane.

Woman: Everyone, help me stop these innocent men from being deported.

Officer: Ma’am please move out of the way before we arrest you.

5.3

The woman was relentless and stood her ground.

Officer: Can I get some backup at Gate 17? There’s a woman causing a scene.

Woman: I will not let you do this.

Two officers arrive at the scene and apprehends the woman.

Officer 1: Ma’am you’re going to have to come with me. You will not be permitted to board the plane.

Officer 2: Put your hands behind your back

The woman is handcuffed and escorted by the two officers. Obinze and the other deportees are boarding the plane.

5.4

The officer taunts Obinze as they board the plane, mocking his situation.

Officer: Next time, come here legally. You’re making a fool out of yourself. And that woman? What a joke.

Obinze keeps his eyes on the ground as he is about to board the plane.

Conclusion

Marriage fraud, undocumented immigration, and arrest methods has been an important issue in American society the past few years. Obinze’s experience as an illegal immigrant in pursuit of permanent residency through marriage  is common among foreign individuals searching for a better life. While there are legal and safer ways to accomplish legal permanent residency, it is usually not guaranteed and requires time, money, privilage, and a lot of luck. It is important to know become aware of the situations immigrants face on a regular basis and possible ways others can help through activism and raising awareness.

Annotated Bibliography

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah (Ala Notable Books for Adults) (p. 342-351). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

 

Julia Ainsley’s article “Thousands More Kids Separated from Parents under Trump Than Previously Reported” analyzed reports from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The author included statistics that compared the number of reports from 2017 and 2018. The article is critical of the reports due to the lack of government information about the children that have been separated. The reports from HHS only mentioned the reports of separated children, but nothing about their reunification.

The source is reliable and credible. NBC News is a popular news site and is usually accurate in their reports. Ainsley’s article in itself used data from the Federal Government and presented it. Their is obvious bias in the article by the use of quotes that criticized the Trump administration and the policies that allowed the continuance of child separation.

Ainsley, Julia. “Thousands More Kids Separated from Parents under Trump than Reported.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 17 Jan. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/thousands-more-migrant-kids-separated-parents-under-trump-previously-reported-n959791.

The article gives advice to immigrants who don’t know their rights. It lets them know what they should do if they ever get arrested. The main idea of the article is that you should wait for a lawyer and do not speak to anyone until after you speak with your lawyer. It is possible to claim asylum before getting deported if a detainee is afraid of going back to their home country. I thought this was a reliable article because they were truthful and insightful about immigration. It was in the best interest for immigrants. Immigrants have more rights if they are arrested at work, home, or on the street then they would at the border or airport. Most immigrants probably did not know that and that is very beneficial to know to help their cases.

NILC. “Arrest or Detention by Immigration.” National Immigration Law Center, Aug. 2007, www.nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights/to_do_if_arrested_2007-08/.

This was a powerful story written by Daily Mail. It’s a story about a citizen who was transporting two undocumented immigrants from court about a minor traffic citations. ICE pulled over Bryan MacCormack who was transporting the undocumented immigrants in the back seat. When ICE officials approached his car, they said they were looking for the two people in the back seat and were going to arrest them. ICE presented a document authorized by the Department of Homeland Security, however, that warrant does not authorize agents to make the arrest. MacCormack insisted there needed to be warrant signed by the judge to make a judiciary arrest however, they did not have it so agents called in for backup while MacCormack called his lawyer. MacCormack and the passengers were able to leave and go on their way since he was right. MacCormack is an executive director of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and makes sure to show them what the difference looks like. This article is reliable because it is a real story but it is a bit bias since it favors immigrants and it’s an article from daily mail.

Sheets, Megan. “Activist Blocks ICE Arrest of Two Undocumented Immigrants by Explaining Constitutional Rights .” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 28 Mar. 2019, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6860163/Activist-blocks-ICE-arrest-two-undocumented-immigrants-explaining-constitutional-rights.html

The article is an informative source about the living conditions of migrants in detention centers in the United States. The facility Andrew Gumbel visited was a detention center in the Rio Grande valley in southern Texas. Gumbel interviewed the detained migrants about their experience from the food they were fed, sleeping areas, and the health concerns in the facility. He provided personal experiences about a child become sicker by the day and how the officials that run the facility deals with them.

The source is from The Guardian which is an online source that reports national and international news for online readers. The article Gumbel’s article leans towards the leftist side on the political spectrum and is evident by the use of words the inspire sympathy for those held in the detention center. The author reported first hand experiences of the migrants and provided pictures of the detention center as an example of what a normal facility looks like. The author has worked as a foreign correspondent in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

Gumbel, Andrew. “’They Were Laughing at Us’: Immigrants Tell of Cruelty, Illness and Filth in US Detention.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/12/us-immigration-detention-facilities.

Matthew Haag’s article analyzes the reports of sexual abuse and harassment detained children experienced in U.S. custody. The author included statistics from the United States Health and Human Services department about the complaints against workers in the detention centers. He included statistics that ranged from major complaints to minor complaints. The article is more informative, but there is subliminal biases against the Trump administration that criticizes its handling of the immigration issue and the children in the detention facilities.

The article comes from a reliable news source The New York Times. However, there is a usual bias in their reports that leans towards the left. The article is obviously critical of the detention centers. The author is a general assignment reporter for The New York Times and was previously a copy editor for The Times.

Haag, Matthew. “Thousands of Immigrant Children Said They Were Sexually Abused in U.S. Detention Centers, Report Says.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/us/immigrant-children-sexual-abuse.html.

The website discusses immigration laws and lawful methods of acquiring permanent residency in the United States. The source specifically mentions the process for acquiring a green card through spousal sponsorship. The website is the most reliable for green card information because it’s directly from the United States government. The website also provides information about citizenship, residency forms, and legal resources.

The website is relevant to the project because our focus is about acquiring permanent residency status through marriage. The government website provides all the necessary and accurate information. The information provided has been reviewed in 2018.

“K Nonimmigrant.” USCIS, 2 Sept. 2009, www.uscis.gov/greencard/fiancees.

This article gave a lot of statistics about detention centers and the amount of people who get detained. Many detainees are held in private detention centers rather than public ones because it is costly having immigrants in detention centers. The charts present the data of all private detention centers. It also shows charts of where immigrants get detained the most and the age group that gets detained the most. According to the chart, 26- 35 year olds are the most likely ones. There is another chart showing where they come from with the most coming from Central America. It shows multiple charts for abuse and length of stay in detention centers. This article is reliable because it shows more than you can see anywhere. It is difficult to find actual statistics on immigration since they run the risk of getting caught. However, I feel it could be slightly biased about how bad it could be since it is a website to help immigrants.

“Detention Map & Statistics.” Edited by Cindy Knoebel, Freedom for Immigrants, 2018, www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-statistics.

The article reports the rise in immigration arrests and deportation since the Trump administration. The author, Ron Nixon, provided statistics from government data provided by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The author reported the demographics of the arrested individuals, claiming that most have a criminal records.

The source is reliable and relevant to our final project due to the statistics it provides about the arrests and deportations by the government. The author provided information derived from a government agency. While the article had a statistical typo, there is a footnote at the end that corrected the statement into a more factual one. Ron Nixon is a homeland security correspondent that covers border and aviation security, immigration and other fields of security.

Nixon, Ron. “Immigration Arrests and Deportations Are Rising, I.C.E. Data Show.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/us/politics/illegal-immigrant-arrests-deportations-rise.html.

This article is an official website of the United States government. It explains how to get a green card or to check your status. There are multiple links to send you to renew, apply, or check status. It also advises you to beware of any scams since people like taking advantage to get their information. It also shows the eligibility requirements for the visa but also mention that it is a lottery to get a visa. It also gives you the option of being sponsored by a spouse, child, or family member. It explains how that process works which is difficult depending on who is sponsoring you. This article is reliable because it is a government website but it also gives a lot of information about immigration and how to obtain certain documents.

USAGov. “Green Cards and Permanent Residence in the U.S.” USAGov, 7 Mar. 2019, www.usa.gov/green-cards.

Group Members: Rawan Mahmoud, Daria Mosley, Mariah Williams

Pitch

The alteration of hair used as an assimilation mechanism can be seen in the book Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Most of our inspiration comes from the scene where Ifemelu, straightens her natural hair for a job interview. When her boyfriend asks why she straightened it, she says, “My full and cool hair would work if I were interviewing to be a backup singer in a jazz band, but I need to look professional for this interview, and professional means straight is best, but if it’s going to be curly then it has to be the white kind of curly, loose curls or, at worst, spiral curls but never kinky. (Adichie 252)”. This scene among others in the novel depicts how natural hair is viewed in the workplace by America’s society.

“Ever notice makeover shows on TV, how the black woman has natural hair (coarse, coily, kinky, or curly) in the ugly “before” picture, and in the pretty “after” picture, somebody’s taken a hot piece of metal and singed her hair straight? (p 367).”

In the United States, afro, kinky, and dread textured hair have been viewed negatively for decades. The Eurocentric standard, long straight hair has become America’s standard of beauty(“Beauty Is Pain” 1). Natural hair discrimination has been an issue for over 50 years. In 1981, a black woman employed by American Airlines was told her cornrows violated the company’s grooming policy (Kanigiri and Reidy 2). In 2017 the United States army updated the regulation 670-1 which authorized black men and women to wear dreadlocks, and twist on the job (Dirshe par.7). Cornrows are currently still prohibited hairstyle in the military. High-level managers in corporations advise that women should straighten their hair for an interview to have a better chance of getting a job. Americans equate straightened hair in the workplace with intelligence, hard worker, and socially acceptable (Kanigiri and Reidy 2). In a survey conducted by Essence, many black women in various professions stated that they feel comfortable wearing their natural hair to work. However many women also mentioned not having representation in the workplace causes them to confirm by putting their natural hair in an updo style (Dirshe par.11-18).

The medium we plan to use to portray this scene is a podcast. With a podcast, we will be able to have an open dialogue using the book Americanah, personal experience, and research to further the conversation on natural hair in America.

Script

Interviewer: Rawan

Ifemelu: Daria

Wambui: Mariah

Introduction– Interviewer: Welcome back to our show! Thank you for tuning in on our “Immigrant Experience” podcast. Today we are joined by two Wellson alumni, Ifemelu who immigrated from Nigeria. Ifemelu has resided in America for the last 10 years until recently she decided to move back to her home country. We also have Wambui with us today, a friend of Ifemelu who also immigrated from Kenya. Today the topic we will be discussing is natural hair in the workplace. Recently, I saw an article in the New York Times titled “New York City to Ban Discrimination Based on Natural Hair.” The article the New York City Commission on Human Rights announced in quote “ the targeting of people based on their hair or hairstyle at work, school or in public spaces, will now be considered racial discrimination” Hence people who have hairstyles such as locks, cornrows, twist, braids, Bantu knots, fades, afros have the right to keep their hair in an uncut or untrimmed state. How do you both feel about this reform? (Stowe par. 1-2)

Ifemelu: I love the fact New York City has recognized that companies do discriminate against black men and woman over their natural hair. I know that in 2015 the Marines approved braid, twist, and lock hairstyles which before was banned. In addition, in 2017 the Army lifted its ban on dreadlocks which again, was previously banned. I have friends that I met in the states who served in both the Marines and the Army. I feel it’s unfortunate and unfair that these individuals have put their lives on the line for an occupation that discriminates against embracing natural hair (Stowe par.17).

Interviewer: Yes, that is how I felt when reading the article. I hope that more states will reciprocate the actions of New York City. It is unfortunate that this is still a problem in many corporations in 2019. Well speaking of natural hair in the workplace:  

Interviewer: Why do you feel it’s easier to get a job with non-natural hair?

Wambui: I think it is proven you can get a job with non-natural hair. In the academic journal by Bencosme, “Beauty is Pain: Black Women’s Identity and Their Struggle With Embracing Their Natural Hair.” Bencosme talks about how black women face societal pressures from a young age to become more eurocentric by altering their natural hair. Not to call Ifemelu out, but she had many people in her ear telling her to change her hair so that she would get the job. That’s not to say she isn’t qualified for the position, but the fact that everyone is telling her that her hair could potentially make or break whether she gets a job or not is beyond me.

Ifemelu: I completely agree with Wambui, and I would even go to the extent of saying that Americans do not like change. As a result of that, people are not willing to challenge traditional rules. For decades women have worn their hair straight in the workplace because straight hair is “labeled” as professional. However, when women of color finally want to embrace their natural hair, corporate America does not want to adjust to this change.  To answer your question, yes I believe it’s easier to get a job with non-natural hair because in America straight hair is the norm.

Interviewer: What products do you use?

Wambui: Products I currently use are Cantu, natural oils, JBCO, and banana shea butter conditioner. Finding the right products has always been a trial and error. It is hard to find a product that is going to moisturize, strengthen, and soften your hair all in one. There will be products that say they do, but they do not. I believe finding a good priced product for 4C hair is hard to find. For those who do not know, 4C hair is the most coiled and coarse texture of natural hair.

Ifemelu: I use many of the same products as Wambui, I currently use the Shea Moisture JBCO line. I also like OGX biotin and collagen conditioner. As of lately, I am mindful of the products that I use in my hair. I do not like products that contain sulfates, parabens, and other chemicals I cannot pronounce. In Nigeria, we use many American and Nigerian made products, however, I feel the most effective hair products are natural ingredients such as Apple Cider Vinegar for shampoo, eggs, and yogurt for protein treatments, chebe powder, rice water, and rhassoul clay. Many ingredients I use are household items that you can find in your pantry.

Interviewer: Did you feel as if you were forced to straighten your hair?

Ifemelu: When I first came to America,  I never realized that something as trivial as hair could have a huge impact on how people treat you and what type of job you get. I remember when my Aunty Uju passed her medical license examination test, she felt that she needed to take out her braids and relax her hair for the interview (Adichie 146). At the time it was hard for me to comprehend why my qualified aunt would need to prove to an employer through appearance why she’s qualified. However, throughout my life, I have felt the repercussions of wearing my natural hair. After college, it was hard for me to find a job, which I feel was due to my appearance. Therefore in order to provide for myself, I felt the need to straighten my hair.   

Interviewer: When did you first encounter the stigma that natural hair isn’t “good hair”

Ifemelu: I believe my first encounter with the “good hair” stigma was during my childhood. Growing up my mother had long black relaxed hair. My father would often call my mother’s hair her “crown of glory”(Adichie 49). I always believed that when he said that he was implying that straight hair is superior. People would always ask my mother if her hair was real or if she was was from Jamaica. People within the African community never could believe that my mother’s hair grew so luxurious without being mixed with another race. I remember feeling hopeful when I got older my coils would become looser and my hair would eventually resemble my mothers. As I got older, I encountered this stigma again in secondary school. My best friend Ginika was voted the prettiest girl in school. Do not get me wrong Ginka is gorgeous however, I believe she was voted prettiest due to her caramel skin, and wavy textured hair (Adichie 67). Therefore,  all my life I have witnessed the effect or advantage straighter hair has on others.

Wambui: I first encountered the good hair stigma through my own experience. When I first came to the states from Kenya I saw a lot of people around me with relaxers and blowouts. I use to hate the control my natural hair had over my actions.  I noticed this in my colleagues as well. I hate how natural hair can easily sweat out and too many products will make it look greasy. I couldn’t even go swimming without chemicals damaging my hair. I always never witnessed or heard women with straight hair experience these problems so as a result, I believed my hair wasn’t good hair.

Interviewer: How do you feel about protective styles in the workplace? Braids, weave, etc

Ifemelu: I feel protective styles like braids, weave, and twist are beneficial for my hair. I enjoy not having to spend time doing my hair in the morning before work. I personally wear protective styles because of their versatility and simplicity. However, I do not appreciate the stares I get from my coworkers when I change my protective style. In Nigeria, women wear faux locks, braids, yarn twist, and wigs to work interchangeably. In my country, hair is a form of self-expression. In America, hair is a form of self-expression as well, but the self-expression has to be limited in the workplace. Bosses and coworkers, particularly from caucasian descent, feel long braids, and colorful weaves are “urban.”  Often times, my coworkers question my hairstyles rather than ignore it or complement it. Although the stares bother me, I plan to continue to wear protective styles at work.

Conclusion- Interviewer: Well, that’s all the time that we have today. Thank you guys for being here today! We hope that this movement of women embracing their natural hair continues to grow and progress because it really is vital. Thank you guys for tuning in and make sure you tune in next week for our new podcast on immigration.

Annotated Bibliography

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah (Ala Notable Books for Adults) (p. 250-367). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

The author of Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, discusses multiple topics, such as love immigration, and race. Essentially, this story follows Ifemelu and the struggles she faces in both Nigeria and when she moves to America. Before leaving for America, Ifemelu believed that by moving there, her problems would become non-existent. However, that was not the case. Ifemelu had a hard time adjusting to America and it’s culture. She faced multiple different obstacles, which includes racism, discrimination, and depression. When Ifemelu came to America, she had a very difficult time trying to obtain a job due to her skin color, her accent, and her hair. Because of the fact that she could not obtain a job for a long period of time, she had to resort to working for a man that took advantage of her for a simple one hundred dollars. Because of this Ifemelu was pressured to conform. She felt that if she had straight hair and practiced her accent then people would not discriminate or be racist towards her.

Dirshe, Siraad. “Black Women Speak Up About Their Struggles Wearing Natural Hair In the Workplace.” Essence, Essence, 7 Feb. 2018, www.essence.com/hair/black-women-natural-hair-discrimination-workplace/.

This article, written by Siraad Dirshe effectively discusses the natural hair movement and the struggles that black woman face to wear their natural hair in the workplace. This source is a reliable source. Siraad Dirshe served as beauty editor for Essence Magazine. Her educational background is in Digital Marketing. Dirshe has also written additional publications for Vogue, Allure, Elle, Refinery 29, Teen Vogue, and Man Repeller. The article began by identifying the start of the natural hair movement in the mid-2000s. The author credits natural hair YouTubers, and natural hair blogs as being the start of when black women started to embrace their natural hair. The author ended the article by asking seven women from various occupations on their feelings and experiences of wearing their natural hair in the workplace. This article is written for black women who are in the labor force. This article contains hair terms for women who are familiar with natural hair textures. The genre is an article published in Essence Magazine in the hair category. This source demonstrates the discrimination black women face in the workplace. This source also supports the thesis through primary interviews, and references from the military regulations. This source will provide information to create and inspire dialogue to create change.

Meher Kanigiri, and Steven Reidy. “How Are Ethnic Hairstyles Really Viewed in the Workplace?” Cornell University ILR School, 2016, digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=student.

This article, written by Kanigiri Meher and Steven Reidy examines the controversy of African American hair when worn in natural styles such as afros, braids, dreadlocks. The theme of this article is to expose the stigma that society believes natural hair is unprofessional, unacceptable, and ugly. The study analyzed the importance of natural hair in black culture and assessed natural hair discrimination in the United States since 1981.  The authors included the underlying theories of organizational culture and society’s desire to conform to an ethnic identity. The authors conducted secondary research on how job agencies feel about how appearance relates to intelligence. This source is a reliable source, implications are supported with case studies and percentages. This article is written to educate students at Cornell University. The genre is an academic journal published by Cornell University digital commons. This source supports our thesis that employers feel that individuals with straight hair are more preferable candidates. This source was created to provide information on the discrimination that black woman have faced in the workplace since the 1980s. This source will create dialogue for employers to evaluate the issue as an organizational problem.

Parke, Phoebe. “Heads up! Africa’s Billion Dollar Hair Care Industry.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Feb. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/02/05/africa/hair-care-africa-view-feat/index.html.

Phoebe Parke, author of “Heads up! Africa’s billion dollar hair care industry”, which was published on CNN, discusses the amount of money that is spent on hair in Africa. According to the data, it appears that Nigeria is the leading country in Africa, that spends the most on hair products. People in Nigeria spent approximately $440 million in hair products. The reasoning behind the increase in spending in Nigeria is due to the fact that they have an increase in their younger population and their usage of internet and cable TV has also increased, which is causing many of the consumers to become influenced on what they are viewing on the internet and TV. In the next couple of years, Euromonitor predicts that growth in the usage of hair product will continue to increase due to the rise of more natural hair and natural ingredients. While natural hair has become increasingly more popular, social media is still pushing the idea that black women with long and straight hair, are more attractive and have it easier when it comes to managing their hair. The article also happens to discuss the top leading hair brands in Africa. HACO Tiger Brands, L’Oreal East African, PZ Cussons East Africa, Procter & Gamble, and Amka Products, all happen to be the top leading hair product brands in Africa.

Stowe, Stacey. “New York City to Ban Discrimination Based on Hair.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/style/hair-discrimination-new-york-city.html.

This New York Times article written by Stacey Stowe discusses a new placed in New York by the Commission of Human Rights, that bans any form of discrimination against hair, whether it be at school, out in public, or in the workplace. The article dates information from today and all the way back to the 60s with examples of discrimination against natural hair and specific hairstyles. This article can be seen as biased to other races as the article states examples of discrimination specifically from people of color. Stowe includes examples on all levels while noting how hair is perceived. According to the article in the 1960s, wearing your natural hair in an afro was seen as a political statement rather than choosing to wear your hair in its natural state. The article features an informational video directly from the Marines, showing hair regulations which feature, and is directed towards people of color. According to the article, almost 18% of the United States soldiers are black. In 2015 the Marines approved of hairstyles such as braids, twists, and locks. In 2017 the Army finally allowed dreadlocks. The article even mentions how discrimination against hair can happen at any age. According to the article, an 11-year-old and a 6 – year-old were sent home from school due to having braids and dreadlocks respectively. This article shines a light on injustices against hair and how a state like New York is making a change to the issue at hand.

“Beauty Is Pain: Black Women’s Identity and Their Struggle with Embracing Their Natural Hair.” Perspectives (University of New Hampshire), Jan. 2017, pp. 1–13.

The academic journal “Beauty Is Pain: Black Women’s Identity and Their Struggle with Embracing Their Natural Hair.” touches on the modern topic of what equates to “good” or “bad” hair for black women.  The journal also discusses how natural hair is viewed and embraced in America. According to the journal, there is a culture of black women adapting to Eurocentric ways. Black women have resulted to mechanically and chemically straightening their hair to meet other’s standard of beauty while erasing their own. The journal mentions that straight hair is the norm in the workplace. According to the journal, a woman in West Virginia was fired from her job at a prison for having braids. The journal shows how hairstyles like braids, weaves, relaxed, and short hair are accepted, but it is taking longer for hairstyles such as locks, twists, and afros to be approved. The journal also notes the different textures of black hair that would be accepted in relation to America’s standard of beauty. The looser the coil, the more beautiful you are. According to the journal, black women have gained self-hate by altering their natural hair, and natural women are proving that the link between afros and the Black Power Movement is not always present. This journal breaks down the standard of beauty involving hair, and how society is restricting black women today because of it.