Tag: Immigration

Haboob Time

A week ago a tremendous dust storm or haboob dropped a haze-filled blanket over Phoenix. My son was driving at the time. He pulled off a highway for 10-15 minutes. Some choose not to stop driving, the recommended practice, receiving an accident from their choice. Flights were grounded. Homes and businesses lost power. Haboobs are a threat in dry climates, especially in the Southwest. Without warning or a possibility of containment, a haboob whips dust into a mass several thousand feet high in an intense wind that rages for a brief time. As incredible as it sounds, the haboob forcefield of dust can extend up to 100 miles wide. Sudan has an average of 24 such terrorizing dust storms annually. Haboobs also occur in the Sahara Desert across Northern Africa and in Central Australia.

This weekend many are weathering different kinds of storms. In Washington state, two firefighters were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol while on the job fighting a ferocious wildfire in a remote part of the state. Their reported reason for arrest was “illegal entry and reentry” into the U.S. This wildfire is only 13% contained. These apprehensions of supposed violent behavior are 0% contained.

Meanwhile, in the other Washington (DC), National Guard troops have been ordered to patrol the city to stem violence. Local restaurants and hotels have fewer reservations. Tour guide companies lost revenue. One company reports that typically August is high season for Washington tourists with 80 tours booked; their current number is 40. Canadian bookings have disappeared. Whether crime has been contained depends upon one’s source of statistics. The slogan of the Arizona Department of Transportation regarding haboob time is, “Pull aside, stay alive.” Can we apply this to the National Guard? Hopefully, their duty does not cost them personal street violence that they are expected to contain.

On this Labor Day, celebrations may be as somber as haboob skies. There are many folks without labor to return to on Tuesday morning. Some retired, with many choosing early retirement. Some government workers lost their career post when a termination haboob swept through their office. Without notice, a worker could receive the news at 5:00 PM and not have time to say goodbye to co-workers while being escorted out their work door. Depending upon the worker’s age, some will have difficulty finding new employment. Who helps displaced government workers reenter the labor pool? Who calculates lost revenue in ability to pay federal/local taxes? More importantly, what psychological effects trickle down to their families?

Labor Day is traditionally a time for families to celebrate American workers and to gather for picnics to celebrate the last hurrah of summer as the nation’s children start another school year. America begins this school season with another senseless school shooting. Who provides school security for children and teachers? I have more questions than answers.  

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

425. What meaning does paid employment have for you?

426. Have you ever experienced a job termination? If so, what happened?

Ancestor Pearls

Ever curious, I traveled to the UK to find my English ancestors in the Yorkshire dales (Viking word for valleys). On my plane ride over the ocean I read the history of Yorkshire’s people – industrious and opinionated – check and check. I also found a new understanding about my 9-times-great grandfather. Gathering Yorkshire lore, there is a line-up of possible gene diversity in early times. My Lonely Planet travel guide gives a history of a variety of people occupying Yorkshire. Originally there was a local tribe called “Brigantes” who were linked to the Celtic goddess Brigantia. But many adventurers desired claim to the lovely rolling hills and dales of Yorkshire. A revolving door of conquering warriors settled there:

  • AD 71 — Romans fought off Brigantes, building roads and fortifications.
  •  AD 122 — Roman emperor Hadrian, born in Italica, used the fort at York for “campaigns.”
  • AD 325 — Roman priest Paulinus converted Yorkshire people to Christianity.
  • AD 410 – Roman Empire rule ended in Britain with Anglo-Saxons taking charge.
  • AD 866 — Vikings arrived, making York a successful trading post.
  • AD 954 — King Eadred of Wessex took command, ousting the Vikings.
  • AD 1066 — King Harold II held off a Norwegian invasion, only to die at the Battle of Hastings.
  • AD  1066 – Vikings rebuilt York, including the beginning of the large cathedral…
  • AD 1644 – “Civil” War nearly destroyed the city of York.

My ancestor, Joseph Whitacre (also spelled Whitaker), was born in Yorkshire in 1680. Was he part-Viking? Was he Norwegian? I already knew that he was a Quaker who set sail from Liverpool to Philadelphia on the ship Britannia in 1699. The pacifist Quakers were persecuted for their religious beliefs. They rejected the Church of England’s rituals containing elaborate ceremonies and set ways of worship. Quakers held a different understanding of divinity, believing in the “Inner Light,” or the presence of divinity within each person.

In the University of Leeds Brotherton Library basement, my daughter and I viewed microfilm records of the Quakers in Yorkshire in the 1600’s. There were so many names beginning with the letter W and my relative was not at the beginning of the W names (not listed alphabetically). The last name of Wilson might be next to Wood. When I finally saw Whitaker, John, whose father was also John, it was amazing!

Unfortunately, there was no occupation listed for his father, or his mother’s name, but I found what I was really interested in – his identity confirmed, his hometown named, and his siblings’ names. I was able to visit the site of his Quaker Meeting House, and his family’s town of Halifax, important in the wool industry at the time. Halifax was delightful, nestled in the dales of Yorkshire…one immigrant family line traced to their hometown, three lines to go.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

395. Where did your precious ancestors live?

396. How many diverse groups of people might make up your family tree?  

Independence Day Pearls and Perils

July 4, 2024, celebrated 248 years since the birthday of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. While many Americans enjoyed celebrating July 4th another year, for some folks it marked their first Independence Day. Babies born in the past year and others who were granted citizenship marked their first July 4th holiday. I enjoyed family time along with watching an annual parade of community groups celebrating connections. The parade was energizing (even in light rain) with kids, candy bags, and colorful cars. Later in downtown Chicago, singing patriotic songs along with the Grant Park Symphony was memorable.

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Mother Theresa’s words are timeless, but especially meaningful in today’s divided states of America. It was heartwarming to see everyone waving tiny American flags that were handed out at the concert.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated Independence Day this year by handing out citizenship to approximately 11,000 newcomers in more than 195 naturalization ceremonies during June 28th – July 5th. Deputy Assistant to the President Blas Nuñez-Neto participated in a naturalization ceremony at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, while similar celebrations took place across the country, including Battleship in New Jersey, Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri and Fort Clatsop (Lewis & Clark National Historic Park) in Oregon.

 In 2023, USCIS welcomed 878,500 new U.S. citizens. This year USCIS made significant strides in reducing naturalization pending queues, already welcoming 589,400 citizens. USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou summarizes: “These new citizens add diversity and character to our great nation, and we are committed to helping all who are eligible to experience the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as U.S. citizens.”

I cannot imagine leaving my country, especially if a language barrier existed. It must feel precarious to encounter uncertainty as unnerving as clinging to electrical wires. Even more daunting, I cannot imagine dealing with the traumatic conditions that can make it mandatory for some parents to carry their babies, with little else, across several countries to reach their dream of safety and second chances.

Let’s recall the Declaration of Independence intentions: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”   

Gaining citizenship as an immigrant is not guaranteed, but many communities across America have extended a helping hand to these newcomers. “There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about. Ask: ‘What’s possible?’ not ‘What’s wrong?’ Keep asking. Notice what you care about. Assume that many others share your dreams.” These words by organizational consultant Margaret Wheatley are a blueprint for moving forward.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

305. What meaning does July 4th hold for you?

306. How might you participate in helping others reach their American dream?