Article begins<\/h2>\n
First there was the AAA public education initiative called\u00a0Understanding Race<\/a>, a rich multimedia and interactive traveling exhibition that began touring around the country in 2007, nearly twenty years ago. For visitors to the exhibit and those who access the array of resources on the project\u2019s website, the information brings cutting-edge, eye-opening knowledge about race and racism. Today, in too many places across the country, there are politically inspired, reactionary initiatives to silence such knowledge. Nevertheless, the scientific facts are there and the long history of race and racialization is documented. Remaining also are the human stories of those harmed by racism.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now comes the AAA\u2019s second public education project:\u00a0Understanding Migration<\/a>, and another fantastic exhibition called\u00a0World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration<\/em>. As an association volunteer for many decades, I was around when ideas for a second project were floated. In my first\u00a0\u201cPresident\u2019s Column\u201d for\u00a0Anthropology News<\/em><\/a>, I described\u00a0World on the Move<\/em>, still in its incubation stage:<\/p>\n Building on AAA\u2019s past achievements and\u00a0looking to the future, I expect to help\u00a0bring\u00a0anthropology more fully into the public conversation about critical local and global social issues and policy debates. This includes\u00a0World on the Move<\/em>,\u00a0AAA\u2019s new Public Education Initiative on migration, a timely, enduring, and difficult to discuss topic that matters to anthropologists and to the larger public.\u00a0World on the Move<\/em>\u00a0has great potential that has yet to be fully realized. It ties to many anthropological concerns, past and present and across the subfields. In the present moment, processes and dynamics of contemporary migration intersect with the global political economy, involving law, labor, ideology, policy, war and more. There are the chronic conditions that lead to the refugee crises we see on the ground and in the waters. People are moving, displaced from their homelands. Objects (including antiquities) are also moving, displaced from their homelands, another kind of crisis. From so many angles, perspectives and locations, anthropologists have a lot to teach each other and a lot to teach the world about this topic.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n World on the Move<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is now on the road, making its way to public libraries across the country. It came to my town last November, news I learned from Ed Liebow, AAA\u2019s former Executive Director who worked tirelessly to bring about\u00a0Understanding Migration<\/a>. New Rochelle, New York is an ethnically diverse, edge city, located less than 20 miles from midtown Manhattan, and home to a large proportion of immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n And there it was at the New Rochelle Public Library\u2014an engaging, accessible, and interactive exhibition\u2014just as we imagined it might be so many years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: <\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA photograph from the New Rochelle Public Library exhibition.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Tobe Sevush, the library\u2019s Program Director, explained how she made it happen: Seeing an announcement about the exhibit, Tobe applied for and received a grant from the American Library Association to bring it to our library. She also coordinated with teachers and students at the local public high school to showcase student projects designed to complement the exhibition. One evening it was student dance performances; another was the closing night\u2019s event. Drawing on their own experiences of migration, students would perform their original slam poems. I got to be part of the last evening\u2019s events.<\/p>\n It was thrilling. Six talented high schoolers bravely shared their migration stories in powerful spoken word poetry. The stories were often poignant and painful, always beautifully told and performed, touched with grace and humor. Two are featured here, by public high school students Isaac Evans and Neiva Franco. They have much to teach us and the world about this topic.<\/p>\n A Defined Mystery<\/strong> This poem isn\u2019t for empathy or sympathy. We were born free.\u00a0 Without a prick to pick our lives from our land. Placed on a boat, we scrammed. Ripped from our parents, questioned by white men and white women.\u00a0 Our answer? I don\u2019t know. Just because.<\/p>\n Growing up accusation towards white men sounded mind bending. I don\u2019t know what legend in my ancestry broke free from this bondage of pain. They can\u2019t see the effect of having a loss in culture because they know where they\u2019re from.<\/p>\n The loss of a culture makes classrooms very awkward. Now I\u2019m more American than I\u2019m African.\u00a0<\/p>\n I know my family has come from slaves, but our country is a mystery. Like really, 23andMe charges $100 dollars to find out what type of black I am.\u00a0 So honestly, this poem could be for sympathy. \u201cQuerer es Poder\u201d<\/strong> \u201cQuerer es poder<\/em>\u201d Applying to College<\/p>\n Ooof was that something We can\u2019t really afford this traditional \u201cideal\u201d of the American college experience I knew I was alone on this Or go to the big city\u00a0 Where there is no pause I knew though that it would be \u201cunrealistic\u201d for me I was the first in my family to go through this whole process of applying\u00a0 I had no guidance I didn\u2019t want to disappoint my parents\u00a0 But I still did it though<\/p>\n I filled everything out\u00a0 And here I am And there is a lot more where that came from!<\/p>\n But I didn\u2019t do it You see, I\u2019m from hot grounds Manzanillo, right next to the ocean<\/p>\n That is where my mamma and papa are from\u00a0 For me\u00a0 Many of us hear but don\u2019t LISTEN<\/p>\n Of our blessing It\u2019s up to us to allow ourselves to change \u201cQuerer es poder<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Mamma stresses that we have the power to want and be capable of doing so<\/p>\n We are only stopping ourselves from achieving our own personal legend<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article begins First there was the AAA public education initiative called\u00a0Understanding Race, a rich multimedia and interactive traveling exhibition that began touring around the country in 2007, nearly twenty years ago. For visitors to the exhibit and those who access the array of resources on the project\u2019s website, the information brings cutting-edge, eye-opening knowledge about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11767],"tags":[11341,10881,41329,2976,5477,2379],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-83059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","tag-move","tag-poets","tag-slam","tag-teenage","tag-truth","tag-world"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLeah Horowitz<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.anthropology-news.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/World-on-the-Move-at-New-Rochelle-Public-Library-856x1141.jpeg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
Isaac Evans<\/p>\n
Nor is it for satisfaction in the retelling of traumatic history.\u00a0
To put it simply, it\u2019s to tell with a straight face and define my origin and its mystery.<\/p>\n
Born in our land.\u00a0
Born with our own culture.
Born without a prick in our minds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a prick to take chains; throw them on our hands.
Without a pick of cotton to bruise our plans.
Without a stick to beat us, their whip on-hand.
Culture stolen, languages mixed up, now each other we couldn\u2019t comprehend.<\/p>\n
Our minds too weak to stand.
Our minds like scrabble,
Now in voodoo we dabble, to try and take a spiritual breath of air.\u00a0
Contemplation of suicide
and inspiration unrecognized
led to those who swam.
Jumped off the boat to find land
but ultimately\u2026died.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stripped from our culture.
And scrabbling for an answer.
Why? Why me? Why us?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t let them sugarcoat the truth, this journey was tormenting.
Whips that tore off our skins and hate began our lamenting.
Shame that picked at our brain without therapy for venting.
We felt less than humane, now black mental health rates look depressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And maybe they never did.
Maybe legislation broke the chains.
But this is the point that I\u2019m saying.
Coming into the world, if I\u2019m Black,
there\u2019s a white man waiting for my blunder in the chess game that we\u2019re playing.<\/p>\n
And sometimes it feels like a classroom of Black people has our origins backwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The identity of my ethnicity is a blank underline in my history.
I\u2019m grateful to be here, with all this luxury and technology.
Living a life directed wherever my God is calling me.
Even glad I can brush my teeth and use some listerine.
But unfortunately, one thing that was lost was my history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a shame.
Dang, man<\/p>\n
A little bit of satisfaction in retelling my history.
But still putting it simply, telling with a straight face my origin and its\u00a0mystery.<\/p>\n
\n
Neiva Franco<\/p>\n
My mama projects\u00a0
Whenever I tell her about some set goal I have for myself
I\u2019m a pretty determined person<\/p>\n
I\u2019m first generation student
Whose parents can\u2019t English<\/p>\n
That whole big state school and dorming style up north
Where the land is quiet and isolated
But within is loud and full of energy circuits
Parties and meeting new people<\/p>\n
Most of my friends were planning on going far
Far away
To meet the world<\/p>\n
Arms open with opportunity and prosperity
Forced into the actual real world<\/p>\n
Being set right in the middle of contagious chains of energy
Eyes wide open<\/p>\n
But just for me?<\/p>\n
And boy was it stressful<\/p>\n
But myself<\/p>\n
at the same time satisfy them
I knew that all my hard work would pay off
And I knew it was going to be tough going on all on my own\u00a0<\/p>\n
Translated documents to my parents\u00a0
forms, application, aid forms
You name it
Submitting everything<\/p>\n
Rejected from my dream school
But redirected to the best school<\/p>\n
It was my parents
Mi mama y papa<\/em><\/p>\n
Where the roads are made of big old fat rocks
Rocky hills<\/p>\n
And they came here
Left it all, family, the love, warmth and comfort from home
To the unknown \u201cpromise land\u201d
My mamma build a House!
A House!
Just to leave it\u00a0<\/p>\n
For us<\/p>\n
Our purpose
Why are we here?<\/p>\n
To discover
In any movement toward \u201cour plan\u201d<\/p>\n