Made it! San Diego, CA. What to do next you ask — okay, no one is asking — but, photographing the border of course! Oh! And nature, it’s Earth Day y’all!
Last month, I headed south from Denver, CO to El Paso, TX. As I wrote in earlier posts, I was tired of what was being said about people arriving at the border, and how such an injustice could pass with only ire from those that are drawing a firm line against the President.
It shouldn’t have been about politics and being right, but that’s what it looks to have become. Meanwhile, I knew in my heart that these people were tired, hungry, afraid, and looking for asylum from injustices that draw a clear line to Washington, D.C..
Doing nothing and saying nothing, became clearly the equivalent of supporting these policies, the conflicts, and the hate most of all. Not asking those that fall silent, or worse, those who continue to support the actions of this President, would be almost as awful as building the 30-foot wall that would hurt children most of all, myself.
I wanted to raise money for the organizations helping those children and families, and along the way create content and a story as to why it matters to say something. Especially now.
I took to my own two feet to really get a grasp of some of the distances that would have been traversed by these mothers, children, and fathers. Yesterday was Earth Day, so I ask that everyone reading this considers a nice long walk as well.
While I walked, I worked. With reporting under fire from the same President and same supporters, I needed to start from a place of integrity in creating my own organization (TBA).
To be clear, I haven’t pitched anyone about what I’m doing. Follow me on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook stories and you can see the wear and tear.
I’m making the struggle work for me, as I wrote earlier, more or less within my means.
I’m still raising money for migrant refugee/humanitarian aid, but I have a much more specific goal in mind now after having worked with the orgs helping these families. Freedom isn’t free, as any American would tell you through intermittent oral drips of pure irony.
According to a 2014 post by Citizen Path, “the total [DACA application] fee includes a $380 filing fee for Form I-765 and an $85 biometrics fee.” Totalling, $465. The fee in 2018 was $495, and in addition to the I-765, applicants must complete the I-765WS (worksheet), and, I-821D.
Here’s the GoFundMe to help this girl get a degree and work as a guitarist and veterinarian, safely within the United States.
Please share, because we all suffer when others are in pain, and through helping allieve the suffering of others, we heal our own wounds. This Earth Day, let’s try to change the narrative.
As always, thank you for reading.
Brienna Parsons 