MJ Calderon, author of A Kids Book About Immigration and Un libro para niños sobre inmigración, talks about life as an immigrant and how immigrants are just like everyone else.
MJ Calderon, author of A Kids Book About Immigration and Un libro para niños sobre inmigración, talks about life as an immigrant and how immigrants are just like everyone else.
A Kids Book About Immigration (view book in English and Spanish)
Full Book Description:
How do we convey to kids what immigration really means? How do we explain all the difficult decisions people make when they choose to leave their home country to start over somewhere new? This book will help! It breaks down many of the complexities of immigration while reminding us all that no matter where we come from, we are all human and should be treated as such.
About the Author:
MJ is a Mexican-born and Oregon-raised dreamer. He loves all art of any kind, but his truest passion lies with writing and music.
*If you want to be on a future episode of A Kids Book About: The Podcast or if you have a question you’d like us to consider, have a grownup email us at listen@akidsco.com and we’ll send you the details.
A Kids Book About: The Podcast
S2 EP15, MJ Talks About Immigration
[INTRODUCTION]
Matthew: What is immigration?
MJ: Immigration refers to moving from one place to another. In this case, immigration is moving to a new country from the country you were born in.
Matthew: Welcome to A Kids Book About: The Podcast! I’m Matthew. I’m a teacher, a librarian, and I’m your host. The voice you heard just a moment ago was from MJ.
Each week we talk about the big things going on in your world with a different author from our A Kids Book About series.
MJ: Hi everyone. My name is MJ Calderon. I'm a Mexican-born, Portland-raised trans man. I like to consider myself a poet. Writing is the best artistic skill I have.
I'm very in tune with the universe and I try my best day to day to be the best human I can be.
I am the author of A Kids Book About Immigration. I was brought here to the U S as a child by my single, hard-working mother of four.
I am an immigrant.
[TOPIC FOUNDATION]
Matthew: Hello, podcast listeners! This podcast is listened to by kids and families all over the globe and on every continent. We’ve even had some downloads from Antarctica! I wonder if they’re climate scientists?
You come from all over the world, but some of you started your life in one country and later immigrated to another country.
I love that! And I hope that you feel like today’s episode captures your experience in some small way.
MJ: Oh yes. Uh, there's people constantly moving to different countries. And not just to the U S there is. There’s even US citizens that move to a different country and settle there.
Matthew: We’ll talk in a moment about reasons why individuals or families might leave their home country, but I want to first acknowledge a country’s government in this process.
The government of the country that a person or family is trying to enter follows a process to classify each incoming person based on the reason they left their home country.
Different statuses are given different rights or protections.
MJ: An immigrant is someone that moves to a new country and settles there legally or illegally. A refugee is a person that is running away from danger and follows a procedure to be allowed into a different country.
But itself, most undocumented immigrants are also running away from different sources of danger, which is interesting because the laws currently in place don't consider every reason enough to be a refugee.
Matthew: Refugee status is granted to those fleeing a recognized conflict in another country. But, as MJ shared, not every conflict or circumstance qualifies for the person to be seen as a refugee in the eyes of the law.
It’s complicated, why people leave their home country. It’s also very personal.
MJ: Yeah. There's many, many different reasons [00:05:00] to why people leave their home country.
It all really depends where in the world they live, their living situation, social class, their family, or in their environment in general.
But some of the most common reasons are the lack of basic human needs, like food, healthcare, proper education, the lack of opportunities their home countries have to offer.
And of course, mentioning it again that, um, some of the biggest reasons are running away from crime.
Matthew: If you are a listener in the United States and if you and your family have always lived in the United States, you may notice new families immigrating to our country and to your state and to your city and maybe even to your school. And this experience might be unfamiliar to you.
But there are also US citizens who immigrate to other countries.
I’m sure this isn’t surprising. But I felt like it was important to acknowledge that immigration is something that happens all over the world and in every country.
But, as you just learned, not everyone who moves to your country is an immigrant. People relocate their families for many different reasons.
And, to be honest, it’s not really our business to know why or how someone or someone’s family came to our country. As I said, it’s personal. If they choose to share with us, we bear the responsibility of their trust that we will take good care of them and of their story.
MJ shared his story with us. He trusted us with this story. So as you listen, bear that in mind. It’s a privilege and an honor that he shared. Here’s MJ.
MJ: You know, it's, it's a really interesting question because I've recently asked myself and my community, why do people not talk about their journey to the U S and crossing the border?
And for, for example, to start with myself, um, I think that the journey's just really hard to digest and even more for children. Um, but I'll share with you guys a little bit.
Um, it took us, it took me and my little brother two weeks to arrive to Oregon and finally be reunited with my mother after many years.
On our way here, we were taken to different houses with different people. And unfortunately, most of the people that we encounter were really unkind to us. And the thing now, that we were children then. Uh, I remember riding in different cars. We even ride in trunks, on the floor of the cars. We weren't really allowed to pick our heads up.
We actually as children understood that we were being smuggled in this country.
It wasn't very safe. It was not a safe trip for anyone, but it's specifically for children.
I remember clearly that we ran into another set of siblings, much younger than us. The little boy was, was crying and, uh, his sister was trying to pamper him. It was really, really emotional, I think, to see.
So later on we were told that, um, the little boy was crying because they knew that they were, they were being seperated. They weren't continuing the trip together. And, um, I remember my mom calling me and letting me know that she had paid enough money to the person smuggling us to allow us to continue the journey together.
And I see that now I understand why most people don't speak about their journey for a couple reasons. From personal experience I've learned that people who don't understand this process., that people aren't familiar with the idea of immigration, h ear my story and don’t... They don't care about the hardship. They focus on the fact that we're here illegally.
And secondly, on top of it all, there's a lack of validation. Talking about our journey is reliving trauma and emotional damage.
I think that that is a door that every immigrant isn't usually ready to open. We're usually told, “Be thankful you made it here.” Like if you're story ends on the other side of the border, and it's hard for me to talk about it, it makes me sad to remember all the details.
Matthew: To repeat, “Talking about our journey is reliving trauma and emotional damage. I think that that is a door that every immigrant isn’t usually ready to open.”
I was moved by MJ’s story when he first shared it with me. And I’m moved again now.
I think about all of the kids I’ve taught who were immigrants to the United States. I think about their families. I think about the hundreds of decisions that led them from where they were to where they ended up, and that where they ended up was, in small part, with me.
And that makes me feel big emotions as well. For how I welcome them. For how I honor their story. For how I offer support to them.
So, listeners, how does thinking about immigration or even just thinking about MJ’s story make you feel?
Anya: It makes me feel quite sad, because I feel like it’s quite hard for those people to have to flee or move from another country or another state to another place. And then most of the time they get rejected from the place they’re trying to go to, which just makes me sad.
MJ: I feel like being an immigrant makes me feel a little, like, vulnerable in a way. It makes me feel like no matter how hard I try, like, I don't belong.
It's it's a really interesting, uh, question because, and then again, let me find the right words to, to more clearly explain.
There's many aspects of, um, of my life, where it comes up, the fact that I'm not able to do as many things as other people. It's, it's hard to explain how it makes me feel. I remember asking, um, people around when I was writing down the answers and there was many different answers.
One of them is, “Oh, I actually don't like to think about it.” And then there's other people that have so much to say that I can go on and on and on about the feeling of being an immigrant in this country.
MJ: The truth is I don't think you ever stop being an immigrant.
I've seen it a lot. Even once one achieves a safe, legal status. Those in this country and society itself, remind us immigrants that we are not born here.
For example, Oregon recently approved licenses for everyone living in the state, regardless of their legal status, but the licenses for immigrants aren't real IDs. They're marked. So is that a reminder and for the world to know that there's a difference between US citizen and undocumented immigrants.
I think that it really depends on, like you said, the person. And I think everyone I've run into no matter of their legal status, if they were, you got the opportunity to, to fix it they always remember who they are.
And again, being an immigrant is not for us. It's not just an obstacle. It's a reminder of our roots and the community we represent. So we do take pride being an immigrant. There's nothing wrong. But I don't think that anyone ever stops being an immigrant regardless of their legal status, you know?
Matthew: We will be back in a minute with MJ Calderon and a conversation around what it looks like to treat all people with dignity and respect. All of that, right after this quick break.
[BREAK]
Matthew: Welcome back to A Kids Book About: The Podcast. On today’s episode we’re talking about immigration with A Kids Book About author MJ Calderon.
MJ has said some moving, vulnerable things in our conversation so far and it often left me at a loss for words. That’s when I would turn back to the words in MJ’s book to look for guidance.
MJ writes in A Kids Book About Immigration, “The legal status of a person should not be used to stereotype or dehumanize anyone. Oftentimes, mentioning it or bringing it up is unnecessary. Everyone around you deserves to be treated with respect, fairness, and kindness.”
And so I asked MJ if there is ever an appropriate time to talk with someone about their legal status. Here’s MJ.
MJ: In a given case, be mindful of the words that you choose to ask this question. For starters, it's important to mention, like in the book do not use the word “illegal.” Try and say “undocumented”.
Also to be very honest, like we've mentioned most of the time, there's no need to bring up someone's legal status, but I know I find myself in situations that I unfortunately needed to mention it, like at the bank when I'm opening a new bank account.
So when I do need to clarify my legal status and, um, say it out loud, the best response that that I've gotten from people is when they truly listen to me.
Personally, it makes me anxious and nervous to talk about my legal status. So again, when I need to bring it up, I like when people don't ask more. When they allow me to say as much as I want to share, and don't ask about anything else, because if I didn't mention it, I probably don't want to talk about it. And that's okay. But if you’re curious, for some reason, just don't ask rudely or unnecessary or insinuating, anything type of questions.
Now, if someone shares that information with you, do not pass it on to anyone else.
I know sometimes you want to help and if you do have some help, um, I think that is better if you ask the person first, if it's okay to share that information.
[LISTENER QUESTION]
Matthew: This advice from MJ was something that I took straight to heart. If someone confides this information with you, it’s your responsibility to take good care with it.
Listener Anya was wrestling with something similar when they sent in this question, which also, in part, shows Anya thinking critically about our immigration system in the United States.
Anya: I don’t have any direct questions, but I just would like to think that like why countries, I get that they don’t have enough space to let them in, but they should at least try and care for them better. So I have like, the question is why can’t we treat them better than we do instead of just having them sit at a border or something?
MJ: Right? No, definitely. And I know it's a, it's a really good question. Um, I, it's a good question for politicians, uh, and the answer, is in the question. We should just be capable as humans beings to treat the rest of humanity with dignity and respect, right?
And it's interesting that that is a question my community constantly asks politicians in the US government. I mean, we are already here. We are working, influencing the communities we live in, and it's so important to mention that we are part of the economy.
But then again, there's the current immigration laws, which are outdated. And, in need of reconsideration. I feel like we are constantly using, uh, the immigration topic and politics, but there's never an answer and nothing gets done.
But I all I can ask and say, USA, US citizen, just be a decent human being. Don't look down on anyone, uh, specifically immigrants, any anyone. Treat them like regular human beings yourself. And that's where the change starts to happen.
When we, as a community, as citizens, start treating each other equally and with respect, that eventually gets there to the people that make the changes.
Matthew: Immigration is a topic that divides our country, here in the United States. There are people who have strong feelings about immigration, both in support of and in opposition to current immigration laws.
MJ is very clear on where he lands on the topic.
MJ: At the end, we should just advocate for change in general for everyone. Fair treatment and equality for everyone around us.
I want to share story. When I was in high school, before Veteran's Day, we had a one-on-one time with, a couple veterans and they were speaking from their heart.
And we heard about their experiences in different countries. But I remember clearly how the gentleman who I was with looked at me. And like for a second, it felt like he was just speaking to me.
He said, “When I'm fighting for my country, I don't think I'm picky who I'm defending at home. I fight for every person living in my country. I am passionate about my country as a whole. Anyone leaving and breathing on US soil, regardless of the language to speak, where they came from, how they got here, if they weren't born here, I'm out there in other countries fighting and thinking of everyone that appreciates my country enough to feel like it's home.”
And then he finished, “We're stronger together.”
Matthew: MJ’s connection to A Kids Co goes back not so long ago, to when he was in middle school.
A warning… I do not make any effort to hide my enthusiasm at this point in my interview with MJ.
MJ: First of all, I, I need to, um, mention Kristine Napper, The author of A Kids Book About Disabilities.
Matthew: You know Kristine?
MJ: Yes, all I know she's my, my lifetime hero.
No, she was my, um, ESL teacher in middle school.
Matthew: Oh, my word. You were one of her kids! That’s amazing!
MJ: Yes! Now where we're friends officially. We're allowed to be friends after many years.
She suggested to me to the company, I think to Mr. Jelani, and right away, I felt really lucky. And I appreciate it representing this topic, representing my community in this project.
I have to say that since the beginning of this process, the team of A Kids Book Abou has been making me feel very validated. And that means a lot to me. Like my story does matter and that it should be heard.
And, um, it makes me feel like through my story, I'm adding my grain of sand for the betterment of the future generations. I really believe that it's easier to build and shape the minds of the little ones versus trying to change the already developed way of thinking of grownups.
Matthew: And so we close our time together with MJ focusing on adding that grain of sand, as he puts it, for the betterment of future generations.
Listeners, MJ knows and I know that you all have an incredible capacity to care and to love and to support.
MJ leaves you these words, and he leaves them for the grownups in your life, too. We need this reminding. It helps us all to keep our work and our hearts focused.
MJ: I know children are a little, but I think we should highly encourage children to get politically involved as they grow up.
Just take a look at the current immigration laws in place. Do your own research, uh, obviously to encourage future politics change. Understand, like just everyone else, when you show respect towards people that encourages my community to believe in themselves. And then they ask for respect themselves.
It's like planting positive seeds in my community. I've seen it in my mom. When her clients at work show her respect and kindness, she starts to realize that that's how it should always has been, you know? And I've seen that positive influence in my mother and it, it, it's definitely that giving respect and not just giving and receiving what it., but it just.. Wow.
It makes me feel emotional because I've seen my mother go through so much and I feel like I'm just beginning this journey of an adult. So it, it changes, uh, it, my, my views have changed throughout the years as being an immigrant children now and, um, immigrant adult.
But definitely, the way you can make the most impact is by just being kind to people.
[CLOSING]
Matthew: Thank you to MJ Calderon, author of A Kids Book About Immigration, for joining us today. And special thanks to Anya for lending their voice to this episode.
Anya: Hi my name is Anya. I’m 13 years old, and I live in Maryland. My favorite things are theater, drawing, and videogames.
Matthew: Want to be on a future episode of A Kids Book About: The Podcast? Write to us or record a message and email us at listen@akidsco.com.
A Kids Book About: The Podcast is written, edited, and produced by me, Matthew Winner, with help from Chad Michael Snavely and the team at Sound On Studios. Our executive producer is Jelani Memory. And this show was brought to you by A Kids Podcast About.
Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are found and check out other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.