Dear Oscar, I find it really amazing all the work you are putting into this project of yours at school. Immigration is defiantly a topic that needs to be discussed more, and changes need to be made especially during times like this. Being an up-stander is something that I think is important for people to know about, so that they can use this information later on if they ever happen to be in a situation like that. Being a 9th grader and trying to get your voice heard when there are so many adults who are over-looking all of us students because they feel we don’t know enough can be really frustrating. I think that working in groups and having the support of other students at your school can be helpful though when it comes to spreading the word about your topic and it defiantly helps improve social skills and experience working in groups. At my school we are also doing group projects about topics we are passionate about. Me and my group also happened to chose immigration because we all found that it affected our lives in one way or another, and we don’t want other people to have to ever worry about losing family members, or even worrying about our own safety in the United States. We have a blog all about how to help keep New York a Sanctuary City so that immigrants can come here to seek safety and shelter without having to worry about being deported. Please go visit our blog and check out our post (https://wordpress.com/view/nycasafehaven.home.blog)! Thank you! I loved your post and being able to learn about what you were able to learn.

Your targeted audience is a great place to start, your going directly to the source. The two body paragraphs you have really capture your message and get it across. Including direct quotes also helps bring about your message. You could include stories from immigrant families or those who know immigrant families. Also, your way of raising awareness if creative and effective. Has the awareness been working?

Thank you so much for reading our letter. We have been working really hard to be Upstanders and raising awareness about how people treat immigrants in this country. We appreciate you taking your time to read our letter. If you want to know more about the actions that we did to be upstanders follow us on instagram: @immigrants_r_people_too

Dear Oscar, I am amazed by your letter, “Immigration”, because it is moving to see that our younger generations are becoming more aware of this issue and the extent on how hurtful it can be to immigrant families. I get extremely happy to see that you are taking advantage of your right to be listened by these people in office, this may seem like a small act, but the awareness you are spreading on this topic is huge to many immigrants. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “ Also since Donald Trump is a person that has a lot of power and people listen to what he has to say and follow what he does and says to the world.” I think this is remarkable because for someone so young to understand that words can be powerful, means that our generations to come may be more well-founded, in comparison to the people that support these comments that just create more hatred. Being able to think critically and to analyze allows for more comprehension of the root of the problem instead of having media or powerful leaders decide what is right or wrong. Another sentence that moved me was: “these are stereotypes that harm the immigrant community and can lead to hatred and racism towards them.” This stood out for me because of how much truth your words have, stereotypes and prejudice have played a big role on many tragedies. Do you think stereotypes will ever stop existing? Your letter reminds me of my very own immigrant family. My parents are from Mexico and they have gone through some discrimination, but what impacts me more is that this did not stop them from doing the best they could for their children. My parents are some the most diligent people I know as well as many other immigrant people. I believe that the hardships they have had in their life just pushes them to do more. Immigrant people are defying stereotypes along with the newer generations who are not staying quiet on this issue.

Dear Oscar,
Your post on immigration has really impressed me. Reading through this shows much you care for this situation that is going on. I loved how you specifically addressed people and gave so many examples of how the ‘zero tolerance’ order, separation of families, and the injustices that the Latino community receives. I suggest looking at both sides of the situation. You did mention ow this all affects the Latin community. But play Devil’s Advocate. What problems or issues arise when there are people trying to get across the border? Looking at both sides of this issue could help make your claim/point much stronger. But overall, I think you did a really good job. I recently did a whole research project on children and undocumented parents and this post really just tied in and made me think more upon my own research and analysis that I came up with
Good job!