Why the US History Class Immigration Interviews Are Important

In the last few years, juniors have conducted interviews with people who have immigrated to the United States as a part of their US History curriculum. As this year's juniors prepare for this assignment, they are trying to decide who to interview as well as what questions to ask. The assignment is simple: generate eight to 10 interview questions and perform an interview with someone who immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 or older. Why is this important though? Why should students take this seriously? 

There are a lot of immigrant families in the United States, especially in California, but a lot of people don’t know how challenging it is to be an immigrant. The intimacy that comes with a one- on-one personal interview provides depth that you won’t get from watching a Netflix Documentary on immigration. The work that goes into writing down thoughtful questions, setting aside time, and taking a moment to hear and understand the process someone personally went through can change the way you look at a person, the immigration process, or how our society treats immigrants in general. People can easily get wrapped up in their own personal lives so much that they can forget to take a step back and reflect not only on how lengthy and difficult an immigration process can be, but at how privileged people born in the US are to be born in a country so many people have to fight to get into. Not only that but how certain people do the most painful and unimaginable things just to come here, and how they are treated poorly and seen as unequal in the “land of the free.” 

For students to be able to experience an assignment like this, they are intentionally taking the time to learn each other's stories and learn about hardships and experiences that immigrants within their own communities have had to go through. They interview people who have come here as teenagers or adults, and have the privilege to listen and share their story. A story that would otherwise go unheard. All around us are people who had to fight to be here. Friends and family members may even know the same struggle that not everyone born in the US can understand. We take advantage of immigrants and their abilities yet for the most part look down on them and occasionally try to prevent them from coming to the United States. This assignment is about more than a grade; it helps students connect with the people in their communities and gives those people a chance to share their stories.