Free 21 Savage
If you've been on social media lately, you've most definitely heard of the plight of Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph: 21 Savage. On Super Bowl Sunday, he was detained by ICE when they accused 21 of being a British national who has been in the United States illegally since his non-immigrant visa expired in July 2006.
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| He really does have ICE on his wrist now. |
Now, I won't go into the politics of immigration policies, but 21 was seven years old(and unaware of his immigration status) when he entered the United States with his parents. Since then, he’s been living in the United States without authorization and trying to legalize his immigration status(by applying for a U-visa). According to 21’s lawyers, he has three US-citizen children, and his mother and four of his siblings are all either US citizens or legal residents.
Ultimately, 21 Savage has deeper ties to the United States, and Atlanta in particular, than his birth country. I can understand ICE's motivation to deport illegal immigrants involved in criminal activity, but 21 has been committed to bettering his community. He donated $10,000 to Atlanta's Continental Colony Elementary School and launched his 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign, which promised 21 teenagers $1,000 each in a scholarship to help them become financially literate. In addition, every year he hosts "Issa Back to School Drive", where he provides supplies for each student's success but also free hair styling for young girls, fresh haircuts for young boys, and school uniforms.
Ultimately, 21 Savage has deeper ties to the United States, and Atlanta in particular, than his birth country. I can understand ICE's motivation to deport illegal immigrants involved in criminal activity, but 21 has been committed to bettering his community. He donated $10,000 to Atlanta's Continental Colony Elementary School and launched his 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign, which promised 21 teenagers $1,000 each in a scholarship to help them become financially literate. In addition, every year he hosts "Issa Back to School Drive", where he provides supplies for each student's success but also free hair styling for young girls, fresh haircuts for young boys, and school uniforms.
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| Ok, now this is epic. |
The reason I'm talking about this is because of the passage we read and discussed in class this week, Just Walk On By, by Brent Staples. In Just Walk On By, Staples recounts many of his experiences where he was treated unfairly by others, purely because of his skin color. Starting with public interactions, he has to be aware of the people he might make scared, purely because he is a black male. Furthermore, when Staples was a journalist, he was mistaken for a burglar when he was simply trying to submit a deadline story to his editor. Even worse, when Staples entered a jewelry store, a proprietor intimidated him into leaving by bringing out a fierce Doberman pinscher.
Like 21 Savage, Staples grew up among gang warfare, street knifings, and murders. And like Staples, 21 Savage overcame these same hardships to grow into a successful role model for his community. The unfair detainment of 21 Savage is just one of many examples of the discrimination of black males in our society today.
Staples ends Just Walk On By by saying that he would make passerby feel comfortable by "warbling bright, sunny selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons". I believe that Staples could've done one better by warbling masterful 21 Savage lyrics like "I'm a real dawg(21) you a lil' dawg(21)". When I reflect on the hardships that are placed on these two men, my commentary is that it really do be like that sometimes.
Hey Amogh,I love how you used a real world application to emphasize the point you are trying to make. I love the humor you used at the end of your blog telling Staples to use 21 Savage's lyrics instead of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Overall, great work!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Amogh. I really liked how you tied what we learned in class to a current event. Just a quick clarification: are you implying that 21 Savage would not be in this situation if he was white?
ReplyDeleteHey Dhruv, good question! There is no doubt that anyone's circumstances in life would be different if they belonged to a different race; in Abraham-Joseph's case, most definitely. However, the color of his skin was not the only factor in his detainment. His celebrity status no doubt put him on ICE's radar, and the fact that he had been in the United States for nearly 11 years before beginning the application process for a U-visa.
DeleteGowde, I love your blog post about the situation with 21 and how you tied it to Staples' story regarding his backstory and how he overcame it. Overall, this is great and I hope the rest of your blog posts are like this!
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