Blog Week 4

On Monday February 12th I attended the lecture presented by Erin Garcia and
Patty Adams called, The Legacy of US involvement: El Salvador, War, Gangs, and Migration. It was a program about the trouble El Salvador is in and how the United States is helping them. This went along with the Jesuit idea of being aware of the world around you.
El Salvador was in a Civil War for many years and during this time and even now many people are fleeing the country and trying to come to the United States. This is causing many economical problems in the country. During the war there were thousands of casualties and since El Salvador is about the size of Massachusetts everyone in the country was directly affected by the war. When the war eventually ended in 1991 many of the people that fled the country and came to the United States were then deported back to El Salvador because it had become safe again.
Now that the war was over the problems were just beginning. While many of the people that fled the country were in the United States two gangs were formed. The names of these gangs were the 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha gang which originated in Los Angeles. When many of these gang members were deported back to El Salvador these gangs then reformed. In El Salvador it became very violent and the gangs began to rule the streets. Bus drivers would have to pay “taxes” to the gangs to be able to drive on certain roads safely. The United States provides much aid in helping El Salvador get back on its feet and in return El Salvador send troops to Iraq.
Even though I didn’t attend the talk given by David Simon, the creator of The Wire it seems to have some of the same ideas in mind. It’s about stepping outside your bubble and becoming aware of events and problems that are taking place in our world. Gang violence and other such problems don’t just take place in countries such as El Salvador. Baltimore and many other cities around the country are facing these same problems. The first step in change is awareness. We have to be aware of the problem and plan a form of action to make a positive change in the world.
Jesuit Education is helping me step outside my shielded bubble and realize that these are real life problems; they aren’t just problems in movies people deal with these things every day. This education isn’t just about the classroom; it’s about enriching the whole self. Jesuit Education is helping me realize I can become a leader and not always a follower. Becoming a leader means making a change in the world and not letting change happen to you. In the talk by Mr. Lowney about leadership this became very evident in my mind. He made me realize that there is a leader in each and every one of us, we just have to take advantage of it.
The year of the city is the best way to become aware of my surroundings and the problems many people have to face on a daily basis. Being from a very homogenous town I haven’t experienced much diversity and differences people may have. The year of the city will force us to go into Baltimore and make a difference. While making a difference we might learn something about ourselves and make a positive change to our outlook on life.
Even though El Salvador may seem like a world away the problems that are affecting them are also in our countries every day life. It is our obligation as educated Americans to inform the rest of the population about these problems so that action can be taken. It is up to us to take charge and not just think someone else will do it. We have to change our way of thinking into if we don’t make a change no one will. Jesuit Education does a great job in teaching us how to become leaders and also in making us become aware of our surroundings.