The Heredity We Carry

By Owen Jenkins

"Displacement is not the loss of home. It is the reminder that we carry home within us, like seeds waiting for the right soil". This quote by Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, "Braiding Sweetgrass", points to the idea that the origins that we carry are still lived in us, making a seed the perfect analogy. When we see a fruit, it has seeds inside the core. These seeds contain the biological information to grow other fruit trees. Seeds can be extracted, and in this analogy, displaced from the original place from which it grew, much like those displaced from their lands. When seeds are placed into the right soil, they flourish to create a home away from home. When these seeds cannot find a place to rest and plant, the cannot create the trees that they need to become to thrive. The analogy is accurate, because when people and families are displaced because of climate disasters, political dictatorships, and war-torn countries. These people need somewhere to grow; they need soil in order to place down roots. 

A story of displacement that really stood out to me from the Immigrant Defense Project was Lundy Khoy and her families experience. Escaping the genocide in Cambodia, her parents lived in a refugee camp, where Lundy was eventually born in. When she was one years old, her family immigrated to the United States and received permanent residence. During her freshman year in college, she was convicted and plead guilty for possession of ecstasy, a schedule one drug. The judge agreed that she was no drug dealer, she was just "young and dumb" at the time. 

Things might have looked bad for her, but after serving 3 months of time behind bars, she got a job and enrolled in community college, as well as 4 years of supervised probation without missing any appointments and passing all the drug tests needed. When she was going to show her report card showing straight A's she had been getting to her probation officer, she was confronted by immigration officers and thrown into a van to be taken to an ICE facility. After 9 months, she was released from being detained. However, she continued to deal with monitoring from ICE. But in 2016, with her work with activist groups like SEARAC, IDP, and the IJN, she was granted a pardon from the Governor of Virginia. 

More than 20 years after her conviction, she was faced with deportation once again. At this time, she had a son and a husband dealing with health problems that needed her support. Her and her family's story shows how there is usually no rest for immigrant families when it comes to fighting for their existing status as American citizens, making it hard for them to plant their seeds to the soil they strive to find a sense of place in.
They are other ways of handling immigration situations like Khoy's. Some ways of supporting displaced communities include providing resources like immediate aid that exist today. Many may not know that if you dial 211 in the United States, you will be referred to services that assist for human needs, employment, and mental/physical health help. In a time where the United States is becoming increasingly unwelcoming of immigrants, any amount of help can really go a long way to set displaced people on the right path. 

Climate displacement is common, and it shouldn't be common. Some top-down ways of supporting those facing potential climate displacement is include promoting climate justice to help prevent further families being displaced are supporting movements, being mindful about the carbon footprint you contribute, and holding corporations accountable for their contribution to fossil fuel production. 

Communities and institutions can further promote education about supporting displaced communities and seeking out ways to promote climate justice. Building the public's awareness and education about these harsh realities and the things we can do to help these people is a big step towards preventing unjust hardships to displaced people. The more the public is informed, the more communities can collaborate to bring about more inclusive and supportive public policies.
​
The image depicts us helping seeds grow, connecting to how we should help our displaced communities to not only survive, but thrive in the soil in which they seek to put down their roots. 

Sources:

• Chason, Rachel . “7 Pills, a 20-Year Fight: A Teen’s Mistake Ends in Deportation Threats.” Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/05/01/lundy-khoy-deportation-virginia-law-immigrationLinks to an external site.
• "Immigrant Stories: The Khoy Family".  Immdefense.org, 16 Feb. 2016, www.immdefense.org/immigrant-stories-the-khoy-familyLinks to an external site.
• Immigrant Defense Project. “Episode 2: Sisters, Separated by Birth .” Immigrantdefenseproject.org, 30 May 2017, www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/indefensible-episode-2Links to an external site.