Salgado Photo Journal

As a part of writing class at BYU (the local university I attend), we are posting blogs on photos of which were taken by a man named, Sebastiao Salgado. These photos have a lot to deal with refugees and the poverty in which the world is stricken with. These photos are very moving and emotional. If you any desire to view these photos I would suggest looking more into Sebastiao Salgado and his work, and also taking a look at his book, Migrations. 

In his book Migrations, by Sebastiao Salgado, we see this picture:

                             










U.S. -Mexico Border (Salgado 28)

I have always been one who is more conservative than most individuals, however one of the few issues that I still don't know my stance on is immigration. Each time this is brought up with me (because I enjoy talking about politics) I am not quite sure what to say. The main reason that I am hesitant to go the conservative way is because I believe borders are man made, and not God made.  I believe that those who are seeking a better life and coming to our country are doing exactly what each and every one of us would do if we were in their shoes, and not only that but what each and everyone of us are doing today, and that is securing a better future for ourselves but also for our posterity.
When I saw this picture it brought these emotions to me once again. Words that describe this picture to me are: envy, dreams, and hope. The body language in which each of these men have as the peer through the hole of the wall to a better life is heart breaking. Would we not do the same if we were in their shoes? How can we judge another when our actions reflect theirs.
As I studied briefly on the subject I read how many cross the border each day in hope of a better life. In an article in which I read by PBS, they quoted a smuggler who said,  “The smuggling people business, the pollero business, will stop only when there are no borders... Unless you can stop poverty or hunger, it will never stop, because people will always want to help their families. Doesn’t matter how tall the wall is, they will just dig a hole then.  So you will never stop people getting across [into] the United States" (PBS). 

This statement rung true in my ears. It brought to mind that there will never be an end to "illegal immigration" until poverty is fixed, and we are all treated as God would treat us. It is my hope that we when we see these immigrants come to the United States that we won't judge them immediately, but that we will treat them as we would want to be treated if we were in their shoes, because I believe we would do the same thing as them. 





Works Cited:

PBS. "Mexico: Crimes at the Border." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

Salgado, Sebastião, and Lélia Wanick. Salgado. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York:    Aperture, 2000. Print.