Dr. Erika Lee discusses xenophobia at 2019 Core Convocation
Dr. Erika Lee, author of “America for Americans,” spoke at St. Catherine University’s Core Convocation on November 9th. The Core Convocation is part of St. Kate’s One-Read program, which encourages students and faculty to read the same book, with the hope that it will become a talking point on campus throughout the year. The book for this year’s One Read is “Dear America; Notes of an Undocumented Citizen” by Jose Antonio Vargas. The book is required reading for students in The Reflective Women and Global Search for Justice courses. Lee spoke of Vargas’ impact on her most recent book, saying that she sees Jose as, “one of the most important voices in the immigrants’ rights movement.” TRW and GSJ students were required to attend the convocation, although the entire St. Kate’s community was invited to attend. High attendance resulted in an overflow of guests being directed to the Jeanne d’Arc Auditorium. Lee hoped that her talk, which focused on xenophobia (prejudice against people from other countries) and her new book, would complement TRW and GSJ students’ immigration-focused coursework.
Lee began her presentation by reading a short excerpt from her book “America for Americans,” and then continued on by describing the history of xenophobia in America. She noted that the scholarship she read when writing her book concluded that xenophobia flourished during times of stress and anxiety, such as during war or economic depression. However, she believes that “xenophobia can flourish during times of peace and war, economic prosperity and depression, low and high immigration, and racial struggle and racial progress. Even in the midst of our great Civil Rights Movement.” She discovered through her work that xenophobia is profitable; xenophobic messages were used in advertisements and best-seller books throughout history. Currently, private immigration detention centers allow companies and groups of people to profit off of xenophobic practice. The Department of Homeland Security, she said, spends more on immigration enforcement than all other federal enforcement agencies combined.
During the question and answer portion of the convocation, Erika Lee was asked the question, “How can we combat xenophobia in our daily lives?” She said, “First we have to recognize xenophobia for what it is. [...] It is a form of systemic racism and racial violence.” She added that people have to be informed and work to debunk the myths associated with immigration. She called students to be advocates for “real talk” about immigration.
Reflecting on the convocation, Awna Clausen ‘23 (Elementary Education) said, “It was very enlightening. I thought it was interesting and I learned a lot.” Lee was candid as she described the long history of discrimination of immigrants, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment camps. Rin Kilde ‘23 (Education) attended the convocation as a requirement for TRW. “It was eloquent, but in a way that didn’t pull any punches when it came to the horrible history and horrible present of immigration and xenophobia.”
Kilde noted that, while listening to Lee, she found herself becoming increasingly angry, and drew angry doodles in place of her notes. She was not angry with Lee, but with the culture of xenophobia and the policies that have sustained it. Kilde said, “We hear the word “dehumanization” [so often] until it, ironically, loses meaning. People are the ones who are being locked up and caged. People! Even this [people] is ringing hollow because these words have been said enough that they can be tuned out.”
Discussion of xenophobia on campus will continue with a Bag Lunch Discussion with Anika Fajardo, author of “Magical Realism for Non-Believers,” titled “Where Do I Come From (And Does It Matter)?” on November 20th. See the flyer below for more information.
