RICH BROWN CLASS SEMINAR

In my opinion, there could have been many different ways that different Global Studies themes connected to create the Guatemalan migration crisis.  The main cause that is driving Guatemalan citizens out of the country is the lack of money they have to support themselves. This is causing people to be unable to afford health care (global public health), education (human rights) and everyday human necessities, including food, heat and electricity.  The lack of these important things has lead to the migration crisis, as people strive for a better life where they don’t need to choose between healthcare and electricity and they are able to provide for their families without fear of malnutrition. I am sure that all of these different Global Studies themes played a role in the migration crisis, like the environment struggles (lack of rain and difficulty maintaining a plot of land for themselves) and violence (people live in dangerous areas where murders and scandals are common), but the inability to provide for their families and lack of human rights is high on the list of reasons people are fleeing the country.  
I really enjoyed the talk Rich gave about the Guatemalan migration crisis.  I liked the way he brought history into the discussion so that we were provided with background information, and I liked how the language he used was simple to understand, even though the topic was quite tense.  It was interesting to learn so much about a place that is so close to us geographically, but overall so so different. I never imagined what life might be like there (I don’t feel like I here a lot about Guatemala on the news compared to the type of news coverage other countries get), and Rich’s talk gave me a really good insight into the lives that other people are facing and how the U.S. can make a difference.  
The videos on the migration crisis that we watched before class to prepare for Rich’s presentation were really interesting.  I wasn’t entirely shocked by what I saw, as I knew that a lot of it was going on, but I was still really saddened by it. The second video I watched talked about how a family was separated by the migration crisis, and I saw a lot of similiarities between it and Rich’s talk.  Rich and the video both discussed how you can’t really know how the situation you put yourself in will turn out so you have to hope for the best. If your life is really that bad, then it is a choice of whether or not you want to risk losing it or being separated from your family.  The Villacis-Guerrero family was separated by the crisis, and the 22 year old daughter of the family, Dani, discusses how difficult it is being away from her family and what the crisis, and Trump’s presidency has done to her. Because her perspective is one of a person who has actually suffered from the situation, and Rich’s is from a perspective of a witness, their views are generally the same, but it is easier to feel for Dani, as she is actually going through it.  Rich delivered a lot of factual evidence defending how bad the situation is, and he told stories of people who are suffering from it, but Dani is actually in the situation. They both hold similar views that the crisis is causing problems and splitting up families, and they both feel that Trump is making things infinitely more difficult, but because Dani is actually experiencing it and Rich is informing us from an outsider’s perspective, they have different types of information to portray.  While Rich is able to give us more statistics and factual statements about the situation, Dani is able to provide in depth emotion and context to reference about the crisis.