The United States has always been known as a country of immigrants. You need only to turn to the revered Statue of Liberty and read the chiseled words, “Give me your tired, your weak, your huddled masses...” to understand that immigration is central to us as a nation. In the last ten years, there has been unprecedented immigration along our southern border as “people made poor” from the effects of globalization have been pushed from their countries and pulled into the United States to work in our gardens, hotels, and kitchens. This workshop will focus on globalization and how it affects communities which in turn stimulate immigration into our First World country. It will lift up the plight of the migrant and illuminate the deep instinct for survival and love of family. It will describe and lay out the rich culture and climate of the borderlands, and it will tell the story of a humanitarian group called the Green Valley Samaritans, who give food, water, and medical care to those whose lives are on the line. Many from the Common Ground on the Hill community have visited the Samaritans in Arizona to further understand their mission and work, often while attending our sister event, Common Ground on the Border.
