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Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

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June302018Vol 8Issue 5

GUYANA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES

3-YEAR FESTIVAL PROGRAMUnder the banner of Ma’iupe, a Makushi word for Working together in Solidarity,we are inviting your participation in a three-year project. The goal is to culminate

with a grand expression in February 2020 – the 50th anniversary of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Year #1: Study the history and celebrate the heroes and heroines. Year #2: Innovate and Design—workshops in Guyana. Year # 3: Display at home and across the diaspora.

3IN THIS ISSUEPAGE 3: We’ve MovedPAGE 7-17: Folk Festival 2018 themePAGE 6-26: Festival ArtsPAGE 27: Interns from GuyanaPAGE 30: Arts in the CommunityPAGE 36-38: Immigrant FamiliesPAGE 34: Clara Durent at 100PAGE 35: GCA Metroplus Award

EditorEdgar Henry

Cover DesignClaire Goring & Ashton Franklin

Copy Editors-Edgar Henry, Lear Matthews

Layout and Design by Claire A. Goring & Ashton Franklin

Contributors:Dr. Lear Matthews

Dr. Vibert Cambridge, A.A.Dr. Juliet EmanuelClaire Goring

GCA Media TeamAve Brewster-Haynes (Chairperson), Juliet Emanuel, Edgar Henry,Lear Matthews, Claire A. Goring,

Ashton Franklin,Margaret Lawrence Gail A. Nunes,

Francis Quamina Farrier.

Please join our Facebook group, Website: www.guyfolkfest.org

GCA Secretariat -1368 E.89 Street,Brooklyn, NY 11236Tel: 800-774-5762

Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

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Every year the month of June marks the beginning of the celebratoryevents of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York.

Now in its 17th year of existence, and still going strong, GCA, cognizant of thechallenges ahead, continues to make the molding of youthful minds a priority,by making significant contributions, particularly in areas of education andcultural development in the Caribbean community right here in Brooklyn.

It is our goal that this edition of our magazine will inspire you to continuesupporting and become a part of GCA’s colorful, cultural sustaining proceedings.This year and for the following three years we are professing continuity andtogetherness while celebrating the Festival Arts.

Each year Guyanese nationals in the Diaspora, the home country and furtherafield look forward to celebrations such as Mashramani, Phagwah,Emancipation, Easter - which include the Bartica Regatta and the RupununiRodeo - Amerindian Heritage month, Arrival Days, Deepavalli, both Eid-ul-fitr and Eid-ul adhaza, Youman Nabi and Christmas, to name a few. In planningand implementing these festivals, we hope to bring about unity and treasuredtogetherness. The Summer Workshop Series (SWS) this year welcomes two(2) new administrators: Mr. Maurice Blenman and Mr. Clive Prowell.Through the kind courtesy of Fly Jamaica Airways, the Department ofCulture, Guyana and Roy Singh of SCB World Realty, three interns fromGuyana; Clinton Duncan, Mwanza Glenn and Paul Charles will join the GCA’sSWS and the 2018 Folk Festival this year.

In this issue, GCA’s President Dr. Vibert Cambridge enunciates the theme forthis year and explains the in-depth meaning of our theme “Ma’iupe = “workingtogether.” THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY within Guyana’s Festival Arts andhow it will be applied to our three year program of events from 2018 thru2020; Read Dr. Juliet Emanuel’s article, explaining how the Festival Arts willfit into our Summer Workshop Series; A perspective on the current U.S.immigration issue regarding the perils of separating immigrant families ispresented by Dr. Lear Matthews; Centenarian and Matriarch, Clara WinifredDurant celebrates 100 years, among many other interesting stories, commentariesand articles.

We certainly hope that you will join us at these year’s scheduled events as wecontinue to celebrate various dimensions of our cultural heritage in theDiaspora.

You are urged to secure a clipping or palm card displaying our calendar ofevents so that you don’t miss any of the action! Join us on Face Book, andlink to www.guyfolkfest.org for all of the scheduled activities.

As we forge forward, we need your input as well as your financial support.

Sincerest thanks to our advertisers, sponsors and well-wishers for yourdedication, continued patronage and support.

Edgar HenryEditor, June 2018

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Dr. Vibert Cambridge, A.A.

Although it is necessary and important to under-stand and to celebrate the histories of Guyana’sindividual racial/ethnic communities, it is equally

necessary to begin to explore and to celebrate the historiesof solidarity and exchange in the Guyanese experience .

For almost two decades GCA has been exploring andcelebrating the wisdom of Guyana’s folk heritage. Webelieve that our folk heritage is the accumulated wisdomgarnered from more than 12,000 years of settlement inthe Guyana space. This body of knowledge offers us away to try to address the seemingly intractable problemsfacing the people of this land. For almost two decades, we have been grappling withfour interrelated questions:• Who are we?• What has been our journey?• What can we become?• How do we get there?

Our early efforts have focused on the “Who are we?”question. Through our annual Folk Festival seasons andthe “We bridgin …” initiative, we have sought to identifythe origins, geographies and histories of what PeterKempadoo has referred to as our root cultures. Theencounters, interactions, and exchanges among the peo-ples of these root cultures over the past 12,000 yearshave created the distinctiveness in Guyanese expressions,e.g., art, food, fashion, music, dance, and language.

Exploring “who we are” has also improved our under-standing of the long journey of the Guyanese experience.The question “What has been our journey?” brings tomind the spirit of solidarity—working together. Thisspirit is evident in the Guyanese response to many ofour persistent problems, including safety, shelter, clothing,food, economic life, health, and recreation.

This season, we will consider: “What can we become?”

and “How do we get there?” Central to these questionsis the task of working together—the essence of solidari-ty. We propose to explore the spirit of solidarity withinthe Guyanese festival arts.

Guyanese have used natural, imported, and “found”materials. We have bent wire, painted with lights, paint-ed on bodies, and experimented with a wide colorpalette to create costumes and to decorate floats, publicbuildings and homes to express the perennial stories ofour festivals.

Guyana has many national and community festivals.Among the national holidays in which we experience thefestival arts are Mashramani, Phagwah, Easter (includ-ing the Rupununi rodeo), Arrival Day; CARICOM Day;Emancipation Day; Amerindian Heritage Month, Eid-al-Adha; Deepavali; Youman Nabi; and Christmas(Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Old Year’s Night). Ofcourse, our individual communities also celebrate “FirstCrop,” Kwe-Kwe, Matticore, and organize the TurtleFestival, Parasharas, Fairs and Melas. These too alsodraw upon the festival arts.

Guyanese festivals celebrate births, rites of passage,changing seasons, national political achievements, andthe reaffirmation of our spiritual and religious affilia-tions. The preparation for these festivals is an act of sol-idarity bridging communities, generations, genders, andethnicities to apply the festival arts in the design of arti-facts and costumes and the sharing of other creativeexpressions. The Festival arts are barometers of thestate of the Guyanese experience.

GCA’s “Spirit of solidarity in the Guyanese Festival Arts”launches a three-year program of activities to culminatein 2020 during the events to celebrate the 50th anniver-sary of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. As is ourtradition of participation, our goal is to bring togetherthe community (e.g., Guyanese designers, the Neil ChanFoundation, and other stakeholders) to design a pro-gram of events to showcase innovations in the Guyanesefestival arts. We anticipate that a series of technicalworkshops will be held in Guyana during 2019.

One of our goals is to promote the Guyanese festival artswith the diaspora. We anticipate that elements ofMashramani 2020 will be shared at major Guyanese cel-ebrations—Atlanta Carnival, Guyana Folk Festival,Labor Day, and Last lap Lime.

The new Ma’iupe phase is GCA’s contribution to theexploration and celebration of the history of solidarityand fusion in the Guyanese experience.

We believe the three-year program will begin to answerthe third and fourth questions: What we can become?How we can get there?

As we say in Akawaio, “Tambolo byuk goh'manodok!”“Together we live!”


FOLK FESTIVAL 2018 THEME:

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Guyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line MagazineGuyana Cultural Association of New York Inc. on-line Magazine

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When Nanley andBettelheim’s CaribbeanFestival Arts was published in 1988, theauthors identified three festival tradi-

tions – Carnival, Johnkunnu (Christmas masquer-ade), and Hosay – that were at the heart ofCaribbean festival art. There was little reference tothe scope of the Guyanese tradition and practice.Thirty years later, any survey of Caribbean festivalarts must include the Guyanese experience.

Guyana has many national and community festi-

vals. Guyanese have used natural, imported, and“found” materials. We have “bent wire,” paintedwith lights, painted on bodies, and experimentedwith a wide color palette to create costumes and todecorate floats, public buildings and homes toexpress the perennial stories of our festivals.

Here are some examples:

The FESTIVAL ARTS IN GUYANADr. Vibert Cambridge, A.A.

MASHRAMANI

Sunscape. Photograph by Dmitri Allicock.


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The Dragon at Mash 2012. Photograph by VC

Macaw at Mash 2012. Photo by VC

All the Presidents, Mash 2016. Photograph by ??

Mash 2018: Photo by Amanda Richards


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Students of E.R. Burrowes School of Art, 2018

PHAGWAHPhotograph by Nigel Hughes

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Photograph courtesy of Carinya Sharples

Phagwah 2018: photograph by John Greene

EASTER

Photograph courtesy of Amanda Richards


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15ARRIVAL DAY

EMANCIPATION

DEEPAVALI


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17CHRISTMAS SEASON (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Old Year’s Night).

Photo by VC

Photograph by Amanda Richards?Boysie Sage All Stars 1971. Photograph courtesy of Julio Thijs

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Victoria Renegades. Photograph courtesy of Carinya Sharples

“The African sensibility of masquerade is a majorfocus of the festival arts. Despite their differentorigins. Africans in the Americas understood andpracticed the masquerade, combining music,dance, costume, sculpture, and drama in a singleperformance.” (N&B. 1988)

Guyanese festivals celebrate births, rites of pas-sage, changing seasons, national political achieve-ments, and the reaffirmation of our spiritual andreligious affiliations. The preparation for thesefestivals is an act of solidarity bridging communi-ties, generations, genders, and ethnicities to worktogether and apply the festival arts in the design of

artifacts and costumes and the sharing of othercreative expressions.

Community gatherings, including Kwe Kwes,Matticores, Parasharas, fairs and melas are alsosites for the Festival Arts.

The Festival arts are barometers of the state of theGuyanese experience. Take the case of Tadjah andKwe Kwe. The reference to Guyana in CaribbeanFestival Arts was related to Hosay – Tadjah. Thearticle used the loss of that aesthetic to the 1930swhen it was banned.

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21DECORATED BUILDINGSThere is a tradition

Dis awe Tadjah sequence in a Kwe Kwe. Photo by VC

Dis awe Tadjah sequence in a Kwe Kwe. Photo by VC

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Bookers Universal 1953. Photograph courtesy of Wayne McWatt

Christmas in Georgetown. Photograh by Dawn Fraser.


24 25THE HINTS OF INNOVATIONWe believe that over the years there has been a maturity and cross fertilization in the festival arts in Guyana. Among the innovations and fusions is a new generation of body painting:

Photography by Kreative Arts

Photography by Kreative Arts Hat Parade 2017 . Photograph by Dawn Alexis Brathwaite


2726 YOUNG GUYANESE ARTISTSINTERN AT GCA SUMMER

HERITAGE WORKSHOP SERIESAND FOLK FESTIVAL 2018

Through the kind courtesy of Fly JamaicaAirways, the Department of Culture, Guyanaand Roy Singh of SCB World Realty, Clinton

Duncan, Mwanza Glenn and Paul Charles arrivedin New York to intern with the GCA’s SummerHeritage Workshop Series (SWS) and the 2018Folk Festival.

This is the 3rd year young artists from Guyana willbe interning with GCA. In addition to working withthe young people, Clinton, Mwanza and Paul willthemselves attend workshops to enhance their ownartistic development.

In 2017, working along with GCA’s Youth DirectorClive Prowell and other members of staff of theSWS, a play written by Clinton Duncan for the closingrecital entitled “Celebrating Our IndigenousHeritage” was a tremendous success. A rave reviewof the play made the pages of the New York Times.

Clinton Duncan, an experienced writer/director,make-up artist and part time lecturer at theNational School of Theatre, will again be workingon the Performing Arts Module with the youth andhas already written an exciting short play entitled“The Campfire Chronicles.” The play reflects the

GCA’s 2018 theme “Ma’iupe = “working together.”THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY within Guyana’sFestival Arts. Mwanza Glen, fashion designer,choreographer and visual Arts teacher, will beworking along with other Counselors on the DanceModule and will assist with costume making forthe closing recital. Dancer, choreographer PaulCharles will be responsible for the Dance Moduleof this year’s SWS.

For the tenth year, the Guyana Cultural Associationof New York, Inc. has included an extended pro-gram for children in its events for the season. Thisprogram is part of our Summer Heritage WorkshopSeries, which is open to all children of the commu-nity.

The program is housed at St. Stephen’s ChurchAuditorium 2806 Newkirk Avenue, Brooklyn, NewYork. It commences on Monday, July 2 and endson Friday, August 10, 2018. Each day’s activitiesrun from 8 am to 5 pm. The program consists of:Music, Dance, Arts and Crafts, Science andCommunications, as well as the module for theolder students “Introduction to Film Making”which will be conducted by the Caribbean FilmAcademy.

Claire A. Goring

Clinton Duncan Mwanza Glenn Paul Charles

Under the banner of Ma’iupe, a Makushi word for Working together inSolidarity, we are inviting your participation in a three-year project. The goalis to culminate with a grand expression in February 2020 – the 50th anniver-sary of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Year #1: Study the history andcelebrate the heroes and heroines. Year #2: Innovate and Design—work-shops in Guyana. Year # 3: Display at home and across the diaspora



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About the Summer Heritage Workshop:-The series include:

Music: Folk songs, folk music, ring play, gospel,music theory and practice and the history of music inthe Caribbean Diaspora

Dance: Theory of movement, history of dance,dance form and meaning related to the CaribbeanDiaspora, instruction and practice of specific move-ments.

Arts and Crafts: Theory of art in general, artforms related to the environment of the Caribbean,found art.

Science: Science in the art of construction of toys,including kites, cooking and observation of andinteraction with the environment, including space.

Communication: Understanding communication,voice and diction, action, the written word, publish-ing (the chap book)

In addition, the activities of each week are literacybased with a critical inquiry component. The use ofan on-site library is planned.

Our staff is largely volunteers as it has been in previ-ous years and we thank them for their commitmentand interest in the development of the underservedyouth of our community.

SWS this year welcomes 2 new AdministrativeDirectors: Mr. Maurice Blenman and Mr. Clive

Prowell. Dr. Juliet Emanuel and Mr. Edgar Henrycontinue to oversee the Workshop Series as membersof the the GCA Board. Other Counselors for this yearinclude: Edgar Henry, Hilton Hemerding, RaymondBacchus Boysie Bishop and Keith Proctor (music);Lear Matthews, Charles Liverpool and Selwyn Collins(Literacy); Roy Brummell (STEM); Grace Hale, artsand craft; Pat Jordon-Langford (Etiquette);

Nurse Claudette Howell has been our resident RNand will be available again this year to take care ofthe needs of the students when necessary.Counselors in training include: Yves Coussou,Triston Isles, Jacqueline Medford and other formerstudents over 16.

GCA thanks the Pastor and Council of St. Stephen’sChurch for accommodating and welcoming theSummer Workshop Series each year.

The Summer Heritage Workshop Series is sponsoredby New York City Council Members MathieuEugene, Jamaane Williams and Alan Maisel; ConEdison, Metroplus Health Plan, Fly Jamaica Airways,New York State Council on the Arts with the supportof Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York StateLegislature. SWS is also supported by CaribbeanVision Center, Guiding Light Construction, EdwardIsaacs of the Crayola Company, The Bishops’ HighSchool Alumni Association Tri-State Chapter, NewYork Tutorial Support Group and other communityorganizations.

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Let us start our article on GCA’s SWS by quotingfrom the most recent essay, “School’s Out! TheVerdict is In!” by the well known journalist, Ms.Yvonne Sam:

School will soon be over for the year. Here comesSummer!–Days are becoming longer, and the sunis positioned higher in the sky. our children’sthoughts are now turned to video games, skate-boarding, swimming, mall hopping and bike rid-ing.

Yes, school is out and parents will be looking forthings to keep their children occupied.Unfortunately for far too many kids, summervacation is a time for forgetting. The saying “Ifyou don’t use it, you’ll lose it,’ is apt as kids who donot keep in touch with academics, especially read-ing over the summer regress. Their hard-earnedreading skills decline.

Although kids are on vacation from school, it isextremely important that they continue to learn.Working on different subjects over the summerwill have them in a state of readiness, prepared tothrive academically when August rolls around.

What will your kids be doing this summer? Thetruth is plain, their post-summer return shouldreveal considerable academic gain.

Well said, Ms. Sam, and we at Guyana CulturalAssociation of New York, Inc. are positioned byvirtue of a decade of proven practice to provide thetype of resource this global commentator pre-scribes.

Starting on July 2 and ending on August 10, underthe guidance and tutelage of experienced andaward winning practitioners, youngsters from ages,5 through 14, will be introduced and encouraged inseveral content areas guaranteed to ensure theywill e at the top of their game at the beginning ofthe new school.

From Monday through Friday, from 8 in the morn-ing to 5 in the afternoon, they will enjoy workshopsas varied as art, music, dance, cooking demonstra-tions, STEM, performance, voice and diction, digi-tal production and prose and poetry composition,all underpinned by attention to literacy in the sev-eral subject areas. The days are spent in a fun, safeand respectful atmosphere thereby generating andpromoting creativity in mind and body.

For early registration in Arts in the Community,Caribbean Heritage Summer Workshop Series(GCA’s SWS) and for a brochure containing all theofferings, please visit the SWS dedicated space: St.Stephen’s Lutheran Church Auditorium, 2806Newkirk Ave, Brooklyn, NY 1226, any Saturdayuntil the end of June or call 718 209 5207 and1800 774 5762 for more information.

Join SWS for one of its Movie Nights!!!

GCA’S 6-WEEKS

“Arts in the Community”SUMMER HERITAGEWORKSHOP SERIESSTART MONDAY JULY 2Dr. Juliet Emanuel

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The Guyana Cultural Association (GCA) HeritageSummer Camp, Summer Workshop Series (SWS)is poised to begin on July 2nd and Professor KeithProctor, Hilton Hemerding, Boysie Bishop andseveral instructors will add their unique touch asthey demonstrate and impart musical notation,folk music, gospel and steel pan to the juniors.Last year the focus was on our Indigenous peopleshowcasing musical talents, customs, literacy,dance art and performing arts to reflect some ofour ancestors such as the Caribs and Arawaks.This year the camp will create and showcase asynthesis of togetherness and a somewhat differ-ent image. Our Cultural Director Claire Goringwith her masterpiece designs and exquisite cos-tumes will liaise with Clive Prowell and threeartistic young men from Guyana, Clinton Duncan,Mwanza Glen and Paul Charles who will bring tofore the music fusion art form, performing arts,digital production, STEM and dance to coincidewith our 2018 theme “Ma’iupe= ‘working togeth-er’ in the Spirit of Solidarity within Guyana’sFestival Arts.” The entire season will use its signa-ture mark to display events to support a multi-sensory exploration of some Guyanese traditionsof solidarity within the Festival Arts.

Every year the Guyana Cultural Association ofNew York celebrates the Literary Hang and theSymposium. These exercises are spearheaded byour Secretary Dr. Juliet Emanuel and PresidentDr. Vibert Cambridge. Readers and presenterswould express the word in true musical rhythmi-cal pattern placing emphasis on meter, iambicpentameter, blank verse, and other models of fic-tion and nonfictional proficiency. One did nothave to understand the rudiments of music tocomprehend and appreciate the augmented anddiminished rhyme, poetry and prose that were soeloquently enunciated in musical style in the past.I have full assurance that the trend will continuemuch more to advance and maintain that stan-dard for sustainability.

Music is defined as a succession of tones,singly or combined to form melody, har-mony, time and rhythm. As we celebrate

the different forms and formats of music, it is nec-essary that we pause to reflect on its structure,shape, design composition, construction andappreciation while it fits squarely into our culturalheritage.

Music is an element of creation and improvisation,and throughout the years, various emotions havebeen expressed through this medium. For some,music captures the soul of the musician and cata-pults the listener to spheres beyond the finite. Forothers, it provides a comfort to a troubled soul ortriggers emotion against corrupt systems.

The Guyana Arts and Cultural Center (GACC)kicked off to a good start on June 2nd and the ballis set in motion for weekly Saturday sessions at theSt. Stephens upper level location at 2806 NewkirkAvenue in Brooklyn for music and dance from11:00 a.m. to 3:00p.m. Enthusiastic students werevery eagerly concentrating on the theoretical analy-sis and poised to read sheet music while playinginstruments such as the violin, guitar, piano saxo-phone and flute. Music masters Erwin Edwards“Sir Flantis” and yours truly are working arduouslyto assemble a quartet for the final performances ofboth dance and music by December this year.

MUSIC INFLUENCE FRENZY AT GCA /GACC FOR 2018THE STAGE IS SETEdgar Henry


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Sister Winnieturns 100Glowing Congratulations tobeloved Centenarian, ClaraWinifred DurantClara Winifred Durant, known as Sister Winnie,celebrated her 100th birthday on June 4, 2018.This milestone was marked by a gathering of familyand friends at the American Legion Post Ballroom,Valley Stream, Long Island on Sunday, June 10th.The White Attire Affair turned out to be an after-noon of elegance, praise, thanksgiving, love, joy,memories, nostalgia and admiration for an extraor-dinary daughter of the Guyana’s soil.

Sister Winnie was born in Charlotte Street, Bourda,Georgetown, British Guiana on June, 4, 1918 toparents Alberta and William Durant. She was

known as a woman of class, pride and sophistica-tion, upholding standards of etiquette that posi-tively benefited those around her. She was dedicat-ed to family, friends and was aware of the socialattributes essential to personal growth. During thewonderful celebration of this important occasion,the matriarch was congratulated and honored byrepresentatives from every generation present, allof whom showered love, gratitude and sharedindelible memories of a life well-lived and continueto grace our presence.

RECEIVES WRITTEN PAPALBLESSING FROM POPEFRANCIS AND CITATIONFROM COUNSEL GENERALBARBARA ATHERLY

Clara, a staunch Catholic, received a written PapalBlessing from Pope Francis, which was read andpresented at the celebration. She was also therecipient of a Citation of Congratulations from theCounsel General of Guyana, Honorable BarbaraAtherley, who praised Sister Winnie for her love,dedication to her family and friends in the homecountry and in the USA.

The Guyana Cultural Association joins the extend-ed family and friends in congratulating SisterWinnie on this remarkable achievement.

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GCA RECEIVES METROPLUS HEALTH PLANCOMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AWARD

The Cnrnmunity Partnership Award is given to the nominatecl organizations that achieves the highestscore based cn a detailed criteria, The categories of the Annual Cornnnunity Partnership Awarcls

{ACRA} criteria include variou aspects of our partnership including but not limited to; Organization’sConmon Goals & Objectives, longevity of our relationship, Co-partnerships in community activities,

Quantifiable Results based on educating/ enrolling the uninsuredpopulatinn and ability tn connect MetroPlus to new Partnerships,

Receiving the Award on behalf of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, was Vice PresidentEdgar Henry (not in picture Assistant Cultural Director Maurice Blenman)

Making the presentation: Left to right: Roger Miliner, Executive Director Marketing Dept.,Lisa Simms, Associate Director, Edgar Henry GCA, Leroy Beresford Metroplus

and Victor Bell III Director Marketing Dept.



36 37As we celebrate National Caribbean HeritageMonth, we must be vigilant about contem-porary immigration issues. Restrictive

immigration policies have undoubtedly escalatedunder the current U.S. government administration.Implications for the wider immigrant community,including the negative impact on cross-cultural

understanding and collaboration must be takeninto consideration by all immigrants.

The potential clinical and social perils of the egre-gious policy of separating families are clear. Theforced separation of parents from their children, anact justified with biblical quotes, have evokednational and international outrage. Seeking asylumor refugee status is permitted by U.S. Immigration

Law. However, this unconscionable, callous policy,labelled “zero tolerance” is reminiscent of the his-tory of the U.S. as a country separating childrenfrom their parents among the poor and particularlypeople of color. This was prevalent during the1800s with the Indian Boarding Schools, theOrphan Train movement and chattel Slavery earlier.

Separating children from their parents puts themat risk for myriad problems. These children oftenexperience emotional trauma, potential safetyrisks, and their overall well-being is compromised.This causes anxiety and depression, manifestedthrough aggressive and acting out behaviorsincluding joining gangs to acquire a sense ofbelonging.

THE PERILSOFSEPARATINGIMMIGRANTFAMILIESA PerspectiveDr. Lear Matthews

When parents are detained or held in custody forlong periods, they are generally afraid to retrievetheir unaccompanied minor children due to fear ofdeportation, and the children often end up in thechild welfare system. The intersection betweenimmigration law and child welfare compounds theproblems for both systems, the families and thestaff. The department of Health and Human

Services (HHS) has been assigned to manage thesocial services aspect (and hopefully mental healthneeds) of migrant detainees. However, excessivedelays at designated Ports of Entry exacerbate theseparation of families. While family reunificationand family permanency are central to the child wel-fare system, language barriers and cultural differ-ences/nuances can cause negative repercussions.

Privately contracted detention centers featuredprominently in administering services.

Barriers can increase because of the following:Constant changes in immigration policies; lack ofknowledge of personnel in both systems on how tonavigate each system; family court judges lack ofawareness of why parents may not be available toattend permanency hearings when they are

detained; immigration judges who are not able tokeep parents and children together. One govern-ment official stated, “we don’t need judges, weneed more arrests”; and staff in both systems deal-ing with their own compassion for or biases againstimmigrants. Although most English speakingCaribbean immigrants emigrate by choice, thetransnational experience can be daunting for some.


38 39Humanitarianism is a doctrine based on humanityand the duty to promote human welfare. It is con-sistent with the values of “dignity and worth of theindividual, service and social justice” that allhuman beings deserve respect and dignity. It is auniversal doctrine we hold to be true personally ,professionally and as nations. Consequently, westrive to help people who are oppressed due to per-secutions, violence, religious differences, politicalphilosophy, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, orthe aftermath of wars and natural disasters. The United States and hundreds of other countriesratified the 1951 United Nations RefugeeConvention treaty that builds on Article 14 of the1948 Universal Declaration of the Human Rights,

which recognizes the right of persons to seek asylumfrom persecution in other countries. According tothe U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS) website, “Refugee status or asylum may be granted to peoplewho have been persecuted or fear they will bepersecuted on account of race, religion, nationality,and/or membership in a particular social groupor political opinion.” USCIS states that an individual may apply for asylumin the United States regardless of country of originor current immigration status. The asylum seekermay include her or his spouse and children who are

in the United States on the application at the timefiled or at any time until a final decision is made onthe case. To include a child on one’s application,the child must be under 21 and unmarried. CurrentU.S. immigration policy (not law) informed by thebelief that “America is overrun by illegal aliens andcriminal refugees” is not based on facts, but onnativist rhetoric presumably designed to amp up apolitical base. It is clear that immigration has become a simmeringsocial issue churned by politics, economics andsentiments related to ethnocentric ideals.Politicians have been accused of using the issue ofimmigration as a ‘football’ to gain political latitude.The current administration exhibits xenophobic

tendencies and is unpredictable in its actionsregarding immigration. There is an urgent need tofocus less on not appearing “weak” on immigration,but to be guided by moralistic and social justiceprinciples. Policy decisions should be based onunderstanding the causes and consequences ofpush/pull factors of immigration and devisingmore coordinated humane strategies.. ICE should not be "abolished", but reformed toreflect less politically motivated and more compas-sionate intervention for those who don't pose asecurity threat to the nation.


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