sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States
Last Halloween, University of Louisville President James Ramsey apologized for dressing up with staff members in sombreros, serapes, and bushy mustaches. But many Americans wondered what the big deal was. The big deal is cultural appropriation. Find out why it's not okay for people to dress up as or parody other ethnicities.
The American holiday of Hallowe’en comes on the last day of October. It is one of those holidays where schools and businesses are not closed, and not everyone celebrates. However, if you want to join in the fun, I really encourage you.
If you’ve seen Hallowe’en, you think it’s all about costumes and parties. But where did it come from?
Originally, the holiday is a recognition of November 1 in the Christian church as All Saints Day. One of the meanings of “saint” is a friend or relative who has died before you. Hallowe’en comes on the evening before All Saints Day and is spelled with an apostrophe between the two E’s. “Hallowe’en” is an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve(ning).
In the United States, whether people do or don’t celebrate All Saints Day in church, they don’t usually think of Hallowe’en as a religious holiday. It is just a day for dressing up in costumes. Because the theme of the day was inspired by dead people, you will see lots of costumes related to death, for example, ghosts or skeletons. At school parties and later in the evening, children can be seen dressing up like their favorite superhero.
Flo (from Progressive Insurance Co.)
Adults often have competitions at parties to see who can dress up most creatively. Last year, my nephew and niece went to a costume party dressed up as the spokespeople for two national insurance companies, Flo and Mr. Mayhem. (NOTE: Flo is short for Florence. Mayhem means chaos, confusion, complete disorder.)
If you are someone who likes parties or likes to dress up, ask your American friends about what they do to celebrate Hallowe’en. Maybe they’ll invite you to a party!
Mayhem (from Allstate Insurance Co.)
For more about Hallowe’en customs, click here.
Here is some advice on how NOT to dress for Hallowe’en.
Finally, here is somewhere to go if you are shopping for costume ideas.
During our conversation with Tigers catcher Brayan Peña, we learned about his 1999 defection to the United States to pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball. It turns out, many others have had this dream over the years since Cuba became a closed society.
Since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 in Cuba, dozens of professional baseball players have defected to the U.S. Currently, 17 Cubans play baseball for the MLB, including two who defected just this year. For professional ballplayers, the allure of defecting is to play a sport they love at the highest level—and for the potential of huge salaries. Coming from a poor country like Cuba, this is a huge incentive. The downside, as mentioned by Brayan in our interview is the risk of arrest, punishment, and losing all chances to play again. A bigger risk is the possible harm to their families, or never seeing them again, if they stay behind. So America still remains a symbol of freedom to many, even though we continue on our journey toward a more perfect union.
One question many of my students ask from this story is: “What is a defector?” Let’s take a simple look at the ways internationals might come to the United States.
One-way ticket: Round-trip ticket:
Defector Expatriate worker
Refugee/Asylee Migrant worker
Immigrant
Defectors, asylees, and refugees all move to another country because they are running away from something. Refugees are escaping life-threatening events like war or famine. Asylees (people seeking asylum) are escaping persecution because of their political or religious beliefs. Defectors are escaping a country whose government is trying to keep its citizens locked up inside the country.
Refugees fleeing Kibati, Democratic Republic of Congo (source: Julien Harneis)
Immigrants choose to move to another country for reasons of work, opportunity, or family.
Expatriates move to another country temporarily—for a few years—because of job training or education.
source: fotolia.com
Migrant workers move in and out of an area with regularity, often following seasonal work, with less opportunity to put down roots.
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.
