Sherry Chandler

The Mexican Mural Project is an oral history project undertaken by the staff of New Madrid for their Mexico in the Heartland issue. The staff interviewed Mexicans living and working in and around Calloway County, Kentucky and the local citizens who serve them in some way. These local citizens include teachers, ministers, public defenders, and volunteers for the Baptist “tobacco church” project, a service ministry. This cross-section of interviews provides a wide perspective on the cross-cultural impact between Mexican workers and Western Kentucky society.

I was particularly struck by these questions from Father Ken Mikulcik, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Mayfield, Kentucky:

The immigration debate is a kind of soul searching by the U.S. We have to ask ourselves, what does it mean to be a citizen, or what does it mean to be an American? We have to ask that question because there are people knocking at our door saying they want to be citizens, and if we are saying no to that, then we have to ask ourselves what it means that we are American. What makes us what/who we are, where do we draw the line, and why do we draw the line there? If we need workers so badly, why do we want them only to be guests? Why don’t we really want them here? Are they not good enough to be citizens? Why not have a more open immigration policy, if there is a need for workers?

from the Times of London online:

The Crown Prince is sitting in the front row. So are several of his wives. It is Tuesday night and in a large theatre on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi the recording of Million’s Poet, the most popular prime-time show in the Middle East, is about to begin.

With its catchy theme song, coloured lights and giant video screens, the show bears a striking resemblance to Pop Idol. But in the deeply conservative United Arab Emirates, the studio audience is segregated according to sex, the judges hold doctorates and the hostess wears a hot-pink abaya.

Most of the contestants in Million’s Poet come from poor Beduin villages, where the ancient art of Nabati poetry is dying. Similar to an ode and recited in colloquial Arabic, the form dates back to 4th-century Arabia, where poets were revered as messengers, inspired by God, who elevated their tribe’s sense of pride.

Tonight they perform for a live television audience and 70 million viewers across the Arab world, competing for a cash prize of one million dirhams (about £140,000).

via