United States, Latin America, The AmericasAlejandra Mejía

1.5 Gen Testimonios: Why I do this Work | Alejandra Mejía

United States, Latin America, The AmericasAlejandra Mejía
1.5 Gen Testimonios: Why I do this Work | Alejandra Mejía

Sociologist Rubén G. Rumbaut coined the term “1.5 generation” to describe the experiences of immigrants who move to the United States between the ages of 6 and 12. These immigrants, like myself, have had formative experiences in both their home and host nations and have unique educational, occupational, linguistic, and social experiences as well as a distinct connection to the concept of belonging.

When I first stumbled upon the term “1.5 generation immigrant” in college, I felt like it more closely captured my experience, rather than first or second generation immigrant labels. The deep disconnect I felt from all the nations which I belong to: at birth, Honduras, Panamá until age 11, and then the United States. Holding this in-between identity has allowed me to develop a distinct and critical understanding of global migration and a commitment to the work of Migrant Roots Media (MRM).

My grandmother, mother, and I in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

My grandmother, mother, and I in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Growing up a 1.5 generation immigrant was a tumultuous experience. As a young child raised in Latin America, I internalized the American Dream narrative in large part because of the media I consumed. It constructed an image of American exceptionalism. Over time, however, I have personally witnessed the harmful effects of global U.S. exceptionalism abroad and anti-migrant discourse in the United States, two related forces.

My older brother, mother, and I in Panamá City, Panamá.

My older brother, mother, and I in Panamá City, Panamá.

Harmful narratives about migrants continue to circulate in the United States and MRM seeks to intervene in this dialogue by showcasing real stories of migrants. Mainstream narratives from all sides of the political spectrum are rarely told from the voices of migrants themselves. Politicians often criminalize migrants and focus on the negative economic effects of migration, such as native unemployment, and positive stories center narratives of successful integration. MRM  explores the emotional and psychological battles faced daily by migrants and contextualizes the social, political, economic, and cultural realities of Latin America at different points in history. These stories appeal to human connection but, perhaps more importantly, point to the real causes of Latin American migration: U.S. imperialism in the Global South.

In Panamá, American control over the Panamá Canal lasted until December 31, 1999. While in control, Americans denied Panamanians access to the Panamá Canal Zone unless one worked there and, many times, natives performed menial jobs such as cooking, washing uniforms, and cleaning boots. It was not until January 9, 1964 when the lives of students were taken in anti-American riots for Panamanian sovereignty that the United States began working toward transferring control of the Canal to Panamá. As a result, U.S. imperialism has left lasting economic and environmental effects as well as tensions between Panamanians and Americans. These consequences led my single mother of two who was struggling to find a job in Panamá to migrate to the United States: a nation operating on a reductive, dichotomous understanding of migration.

My family’s journey in the United States has not been easy. As mixed-status, working-class immigrants, we have been relegated to second-class citizenship. I have been made aware, in my schooling and work experiences, how race, class, sexuality, gender, and citizenship status among other markers of difference are deeply ingrained ideologies that affect people’s experiences in navigating these spaces. Because of privileges I hold, including my lighter complexion and “good” English, I have been given access to spaces that many people in my communities have not. It is with this conscious awareness that I choose not to comfortably settle into the fully-assimilated American Dream narrative and, much less, the violent anti-immigrant discourse voiced by the current administration. Through MRM, we are making a conscious effort and commitment to explore and reveal the history of U.S. imperialism in Latin America and, consequently, contextualize immigrant experiences in this nation.

My subsequent article will further explore the history and effects of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.

*This article has been redacted to use the word “migrant” instead of “immigrant” in some cases to acknowledge different types of movement patterns.

Alejandra Mejía (she/her) was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and lived in Panamá, her mother's home country, until age 11. Her family migrated to the United States in 2005. Since migrating, she has been committed to community building, starting with multicultural organizations and evolving into social justice-oriented work. Her politics and devotion to immigrant rights work are largely informed by being the daughter of a single, working-class immigrant mother. She graduated from Williams College with a degree in Comparative Literature and a concentration in Latina/o/x Studies and is currently an Editorial Associate at Duke University Press.

United States, El Salvador, Latin America, The AmericasAdriana Cerón

How our Family Stories Shape Us: Identity, Cultural Memory, and the Central American Diaspora | Adriana Cerón

“Although I am glad to see attention finally given to the current plight of Central American refugees and migrants, I am appalled by the ways we continue to overlook decades of U.S. policy intervention in Central America and fail to connect how it has fueled migration since the 1980s. In doing so, we continue to ignore the long history of violence  against Central American peoples and their historical and socio-political experiences and analyses.”

United States, El Salvador, Latin America, The AmericasAdriana Cerón
How our Family Stories Shape Us: Identity, Cultural Memory, and the Central American Diaspora | Adriana Cerón
Honduras, Latin America, The Americas, United StatesAlejandra Mejíatestimonio, imperialism, climate change, catholic school, US South

1.5 Gen Testimonios: My Family’s Journey | Alejandra Mejía

“In recent years, my birth city has experienced growing rates of unemployment, poverty, and crime, becoming one of the most dangerous cities in the world with a murder per capita of 59 per 1,000 people as of 2016. This is especially true after the 2009 U.S. backed coup to remove democratically-elected Manuel Zelaya from the presidential office. Corrupt post-coup governments have been closely linked with police and drug cartels, which have only exacerbated the inequity, violence, and poverty in Honduras, leading many people, including unaccompanied youth, to embark on dangerous journeys to the North. I often wonder what my life would have been like had we stayed in Tegucigalpa, yet the social and political context of Honduras at the time drove my mother’s hard decision to leave and subsequently shaped the experiences of my family.”

Honduras, Latin America, The Americas, United StatesAlejandra Mejíatestimonio, imperialism, climate change, catholic school, US South
1.5 Gen Testimonios: My Family’s Journey | Alejandra Mejía
Honduras, Latin America, The Americas, United States, PanamáAlejandra MejíaHonduras, Panamá, family, mother, brother, Panama Canal, migration, American Dream, racialized, DACAmented, markers of success, immigrant guilt, U.S. cultural imperialism

1.5 Gen Testimonios: How my Migrant Identity Informs my Politics | Alejandra Mejía

“Our story of migration is like that of many working-class Latin American immigrants: motivated by the search for better opportunities and, ultimately, for survival in countries where U.S. intervention and global asymmetrical power dynamics dating back to colonization have left limited options for people. Direct U.S. involvement in Panamá, where I lived from ages 3-11, can be traced back to the nineteenth century when what is now Panamá was a province of Colombia.“

Honduras, Latin America, The Americas, United States, PanamáAlejandra MejíaHonduras, Panamá, family, mother, brother, Panama Canal, migration, American Dream, racialized, DACAmented, markers of success, immigrant guilt, U.S. cultural imperialism
1.5 Gen Testimonios: How my Migrant Identity Informs my Politics | Alejandra Mejía
United StatesAlejandra MejíaLatinx Heritage Month, Black Marxism, Cedric Robinson, concentration camps, rising White nationalism, Americanization, MexicanidadComment

Beyond “Latinx Heritage Month” | Alejandra Mejía

Umbrella terms like “Hispanic,” “Latino,” and “Latinx” attempt to label an immensely varied group of people living in the United States, homogenizing differences in countries of origin, reasons for migrating, and historical experiences. This ethnic label, while sometimes a tool for unity, can also serve as a reductive ethnic category that overlooks unique cultures, experiences, and various levels of oppression and privilege (such as obscuring the experiences of Afro-Latinxs).

United StatesAlejandra MejíaLatinx Heritage Month, Black Marxism, Cedric Robinson, concentration camps, rising White nationalism, Americanization, MexicanidadComment
Beyond “Latinx Heritage Month” | Alejandra Mejía
El Salvador, Latin America, The Americas, United StatesAlejandra MejíaEl Salvador, Central America, U.S. imperialism1 Comment

Made in USA: Images of Incarcerated Mareros Perpetuate Fear of Migrants Amidst COVID-19

“La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18, two of Latin America’s most infamous street gangs, originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s and were exported to Central America via the U.S. deportation machine. The gangs’ origins coincide with the start of the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992), whose primary actors were the Marxist-Leninist guerilla group known as the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the heavily U.S.-supported, repressive military government of El Salvador. Waves of Salvadorans were forcibly displaced from their communities throughout the course of the war, many fled to Los Angeles to escape violence, poverty, and instability.”

El Salvador, Latin America, The Americas, United StatesAlejandra MejíaEl Salvador, Central America, U.S. imperialism1 Comment
Made in USA: Images of Incarcerated Mareros Perpetuate Fear of Migrants Amidst COVID-19