“The Morality and Politics of Justice”
Artist
Statement
Chase Pierson
My political
campaign poster represents my perspective on Immigration rights which is that we should allow for students who immigrated to the US to be able to get a college education the same way a US born citizen would. The symbolism I used in my poster is fairly obvious. With an American flag in the background and a student in the front wearing a Mexican colors around her neck you clearly see that there is some contrast between the two. Obviously with the last line from the Pledge of Allegiance on the top of the poster it imposes a point that not only contradicts the opposing side to the DREAM act but it pushes a statement forward that we are not following the pledge that our country was founded on.
As I stated previously my poster is very rhetorical. I used emotion when I placed a Hispanic young adult in the middle of my poster smiling after graduation. I also used ethos by quoting John Rawls. Many would say that he is a very prominent philosopher and could be undoubtedly quoted without people questioning his credibility. I decided to arrange the different aspects of my poster in a way so they were easier flowing. When you first look at the poster you see the young Hispanic in the very center of the poster. This gives you a sense of what the poster is going to be about. Then you look up top and see with 'liberty and justice for all' with the ‘all’ crossed out in the 'most' written underneath it. From there I added ‘DREAM’ sideways because it gives you a different perspective on the poster and I centered the quote over the stars on the American flag for a more balanced look. The American flag in the background gives an overall depth and makes a statement that these students who immigrated here are just trying to participate in the United States and make the best of what they have.
A higher education, for
everyone?
Chase
Pierson
“[E]ach person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible
with a similar liberty for others.”
― John Rawls,
Anti-immigration laws not only violate the
14th amendment, but they put a label on immigrants wanting to create
a new life for themselves.
Sonia, an undocumented immigrant, came to
Colorado at the age of two. Her parents had one goal: To make a better life for
themselves and their family. Throughout school, Sonia strived to be the best
that she could. Accumulating over 180 hours of community service, honors and
several leadership awards, she was going to succeed. That was until
11th grade, when she realized she was undocumented, with one nine
digit number holding her back.
Sonia knew at this point that no matter how hard she tried, she would not
progress past high school without paying high out of state tuition for colleges
within her home state (Nancy Mitchell). Sonia is not alone in her struggle for
domestic tranquility. The DREAM
act would provide Sonia with the opportunity to an education outside of high
school and a chance at citizenship in the United States.
John Rawls is a political philosopher from
the second half of the 20th century. He's primarily known for his theory of
“Justices as Fairness.” To John, the first and most important principle states
that every individual has an equal right to basic liberties. Furthermore, John
believed that everybody, regardless of their social background, color, age or
sex, should not only have the right to opportunities but should have an equal
chance as any other person with equal or less ability. John Rawls would be all
for the Dream Act. With the goal being ‘equality among all,’ (John Rawls) Rawls
would be pleased with the effort being put forth to try and pass the Dream Act.
His other major philosophy was the ‘Veil of Ignorance’. The “Veil of Ignorance’
simply states that when you are born you don’t get to choose what you have, what
sex you are, what the color your skin is or anything else, but that EVERYONE
should have the equal opportunity to achieve greatness.
In America we
have a belief, the American Dream—a belief that has been here since the founding
of the states, a belief that everyone can achieve success in this country if
they work hard enough. However, without the DREAM act this idea is but a myth
for those who immigrate to our country.
The 14th amendment covers a topic very close with the DREAM act.
The 14th amendment states that the state is to provide equal protection under
the law to all persons not only to citizens. This means that all people in the
United States who are under the 14th amendment, which is everyone, has the same
protection; the protection of their rights. Those rights are the rights to go to
college and achieve a higher education without any restrictions based on where
they were born.
The DREAM act is an opportunity to share
our liberty with those in search of jobs and education and to ensure domestic
tranquility.
With the rise and fall of the DREAM act,
new questions come to the surface: What is the next step to ensure that everyone
in the U.S. has equal opportunities to gain educational success? In 2001, a bill
named Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, (more commonly
known as the “DREAM” Act,) was introduced in Congress. The bill proposed, which
allows for in-state tuition and a shortened path to citizenship after either two
years of military service or two years of higher education, has been rejected
several times with the cause of rejection being the lack of votes for the bill.
The bill was proposed to Congress in January, 2013 and once again is being
further developed for better chances of approval by Congress. The hope is that
one day, the DREAM Act will provide an opportunity for all high-achieving
immigrants like Sonia, to be granted the opportunity of higher education along
with the possibility of citizenship in the United States. However the one
exception to this would be that the bill would only apply to those individuals
with a proven track record of positive community involvement (no arrests, a
good, clean record) and a 5 year minimum residency in the United
States.
Sonia’s story is one of thousands similar
to this. With ten states passing bills allowing undocumented citizens to attend
higher education, the percentage of Hispanic drop-outs has declined. The most recent available data shows that in 2011, only
14% of Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds were high school dropouts, half the level in
2000 (28%) (Pew Research Center). Furthermore, the number of Hispanic high
school graduates enrolled in college has come up, surpassing their white
counterparts. “A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates
in the class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall, two percentage points higher
than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts.” (Pew Research Center). Not
only does this mean that Hispanics consistently choose higher education beyond
high school, but they are choosing college at a 2% higher rate than whites.
In America we have a belief, the American
Dream—a belief that has present here since the founding of the states, a belief
that everyone can achieve success in this country if they work hard enough.
However, without the DREAM act this idea is but a myth for those who immigrate
to our country.
These
statistics on Hispanic graduation rates and college ambition challenge the
stereotype that Hispanics are unwilling to pursue education. Another equally
discriminatory stereotype is that Hispanics are a drain on the national
economy. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Many Americans still find immigration to be a conundrum. Let me drop
these bolts from the blue on you: In 2002, Hispanic-owned businesses generated
222 billion dollars in revenue, up 19 percent from 1997. The number of
Hispanic-owned firms with receipts of 1 million or more skyrocketed to an
astonishing 29,184 firms (2002 Census). Contrary to belief, Hispanics are more prominent financially then we
would like to assume. The rate of growth of Hispanic-owned businesses between
1997 and 2002 has tripled; now up by 31 percent compared to the national with
the national average of 10 percent for all businesses (2003 Census). So not only
are Hispanics providing services to the community, but they are providing those
services 21 percent higher than the national average. Hispanics provide our
communities with dozens of sources of income, not only for themselves but for
the community as well. By providing immigrants with domestic tranquility, they
can better benefit themselves and their communities.
If the DREAM Act were to be put in place,
thousands of lives would be changed forever. Providing domestic tranquility
among all people would be the goal but baby steps are needed to achieve this
goal.
Recently, College Board stated that –
“in strictly economic terms, the contributions that DREAM Act students would make
over their lifetimes would dwarf the small additional investment in their
education beyond high school, and the intangible benefits of legalizing and
educating these students would be significant.”
Regardless of birthplace, race, ethnicity,
skin color, parental origin, or immigration status,
ALL students should be given the opportunity of a higher education.
Until this happens, people are going to continue to fight for what they
believe is right. As of right now, ten states have already passed a resolution
allowing for immigrants to attend college without expensive out-of-state
rates—they are the example for other states to follow. If equal rights are
provided to everyone we will find ourselves in a much more accepting society
where immigrants find success in more than just a high school diploma. US
citizens need to change their prospective on immigration. If you work hard
enough nothing should hold you back, especially where you are born.
Works Cited
"College Board Continues Its Support of the DREAM Act at the
First Senate Hearing." College Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
< http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/undocumented-students-and-dream-act/news/college-board-continues-its-support-drea>.
Fry, Richard, and Paul Taylor. "Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of
College Enrollment ." PewResearch Hispanic Trends Project. N.p., 9 May
2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/05/09/hispanic-high-school-graduates-pass-whites-in-rate-of-college-enrollment/>.
"John Rawls > Quotes." goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Oct. 2013.
< http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/74263.John_Rawls>.
Mitchell,
Nancy. "Undocumented student tells her story." EdNews Colorado.
ednewscolorado.org , n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ednewscolorado.org/news/videos/video-undocumented-student-tells-her-story>.
Sanchez,
Andrea N. "New Study Cites Economic Benefits Of The DREAM Act."
THINKPROGRESS. N.p., 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
< http://thinkprogress.org/security/2010/11/17/176378/dream-act-economic-benefit/>.
"Survey of Business Owners (SBO)." United States Census
Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/>.
"To Dream or Not to Dream: A DREAM Act Summary ." Legal
Language Services . N.p., 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
< http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/dream-act-summary/>.
"Hispanic Heritage Month Facts." LatinoStories.com. N.p.,
6 July 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
< http://www.latinostories.com/Latino_Facts_and_Statistics/latino_statistics_facts.htm>.
Op-ed Reflection
Chase Pierson
The op-ed assignment for this project was to find a
controversial subject and to write an op-ed on the subject. Leading up to this
project we went over many different topics to spark out interests. One activity
for instance was looking at previous students art work and determining what
their issue was and what the artists’ perspective on the issue was. This made
us think about how to properly make a poster that engages the audience and
makes them think about the subject at hand. For the op-ed article we read over
a list of possible topics and wrote a thesis for the topic we chose.
This project was very difficult for me. However, I have
grown very much from this project. The biggest challenge I have had to overcome
and learned from would have to be finding an issue and sticking with it. I did
not change my issue during this project but I had my doubts which inevitably
slowed down the writing process. During this writing process I became more
aware of logos in our everyday life and how I can include it in our writing. I
feel like I advocated a lot during this project to get the help I needed. That
for me was very important because it is key that I get the help I need refining
my project. The largest challenge I had with my project was following the
guidelines. I always need really refined instructions to understand. This
project I really just had to apply myself to get the full picture.
My op-eds strongest points are my evidence points. I was
able to find many different types of statistics relating to immigration and the
DREAM act. For my poster however I designed it to make people think, to have
rhetorical impact on the reader. While a fairly educated person can look at and
tell that it is about immigration rights they still have to think and expand
their thought process to make sure that they are getting the full picture. The
area that I struggled in the most would have to be sentence craft. I have many
great ideas but typically they sound better inside my head than when I put them
down on paper. I worked on this for my project and overtime they will improve.
The largest area I struggled with for my poster would have to be integration. I
had trouble making my quote and main poster ‘ideas’ come together. This was a
problem because I was unsure of the quality of my poster the entire
time.
If I had another week to work on this project I would spend all of it revising my
op-ed and poster to make them more concise. My op-ed I feel is pretty good but I
definitely could have used more time to work on it. I could have also used more
help on my poster so it reflect my subject more concisely. (What Ashley could
have done is said it was done this week so we don’t slack and instead work
really hard and when it is supposed to be due give us another week for
refinement. This way you don’t have to worry about slacking and you don’t have to give
out as many bad grades).
everyone?
Chase
Pierson
“[E]ach person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible
with a similar liberty for others.”
― John Rawls,
Anti-immigration laws not only violate the
14th amendment, but they put a label on immigrants wanting to create
a new life for themselves.
Sonia, an undocumented immigrant, came to
Colorado at the age of two. Her parents had one goal: To make a better life for
themselves and their family. Throughout school, Sonia strived to be the best
that she could. Accumulating over 180 hours of community service, honors and
several leadership awards, she was going to succeed. That was until
11th grade, when she realized she was undocumented, with one nine
digit number holding her back.
Sonia knew at this point that no matter how hard she tried, she would not
progress past high school without paying high out of state tuition for colleges
within her home state (Nancy Mitchell). Sonia is not alone in her struggle for
domestic tranquility. The DREAM
act would provide Sonia with the opportunity to an education outside of high
school and a chance at citizenship in the United States.
John Rawls is a political philosopher from
the second half of the 20th century. He's primarily known for his theory of
“Justices as Fairness.” To John, the first and most important principle states
that every individual has an equal right to basic liberties. Furthermore, John
believed that everybody, regardless of their social background, color, age or
sex, should not only have the right to opportunities but should have an equal
chance as any other person with equal or less ability. John Rawls would be all
for the Dream Act. With the goal being ‘equality among all,’ (John Rawls) Rawls
would be pleased with the effort being put forth to try and pass the Dream Act.
His other major philosophy was the ‘Veil of Ignorance’. The “Veil of Ignorance’
simply states that when you are born you don’t get to choose what you have, what
sex you are, what the color your skin is or anything else, but that EVERYONE
should have the equal opportunity to achieve greatness.
In America we
have a belief, the American Dream—a belief that has been here since the founding
of the states, a belief that everyone can achieve success in this country if
they work hard enough. However, without the DREAM act this idea is but a myth
for those who immigrate to our country.
The 14th amendment covers a topic very close with the DREAM act.
The 14th amendment states that the state is to provide equal protection under
the law to all persons not only to citizens. This means that all people in the
United States who are under the 14th amendment, which is everyone, has the same
protection; the protection of their rights. Those rights are the rights to go to
college and achieve a higher education without any restrictions based on where
they were born.
The DREAM act is an opportunity to share
our liberty with those in search of jobs and education and to ensure domestic
tranquility.
With the rise and fall of the DREAM act,
new questions come to the surface: What is the next step to ensure that everyone
in the U.S. has equal opportunities to gain educational success? In 2001, a bill
named Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, (more commonly
known as the “DREAM” Act,) was introduced in Congress. The bill proposed, which
allows for in-state tuition and a shortened path to citizenship after either two
years of military service or two years of higher education, has been rejected
several times with the cause of rejection being the lack of votes for the bill.
The bill was proposed to Congress in January, 2013 and once again is being
further developed for better chances of approval by Congress. The hope is that
one day, the DREAM Act will provide an opportunity for all high-achieving
immigrants like Sonia, to be granted the opportunity of higher education along
with the possibility of citizenship in the United States. However the one
exception to this would be that the bill would only apply to those individuals
with a proven track record of positive community involvement (no arrests, a
good, clean record) and a 5 year minimum residency in the United
States.
Sonia’s story is one of thousands similar
to this. With ten states passing bills allowing undocumented citizens to attend
higher education, the percentage of Hispanic drop-outs has declined. The most recent available data shows that in 2011, only
14% of Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds were high school dropouts, half the level in
2000 (28%) (Pew Research Center). Furthermore, the number of Hispanic high
school graduates enrolled in college has come up, surpassing their white
counterparts. “A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates
in the class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall, two percentage points higher
than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts.” (Pew Research Center). Not
only does this mean that Hispanics consistently choose higher education beyond
high school, but they are choosing college at a 2% higher rate than whites.
In America we have a belief, the American
Dream—a belief that has present here since the founding of the states, a belief
that everyone can achieve success in this country if they work hard enough.
However, without the DREAM act this idea is but a myth for those who immigrate
to our country.
These
statistics on Hispanic graduation rates and college ambition challenge the
stereotype that Hispanics are unwilling to pursue education. Another equally
discriminatory stereotype is that Hispanics are a drain on the national
economy. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Many Americans still find immigration to be a conundrum. Let me drop
these bolts from the blue on you: In 2002, Hispanic-owned businesses generated
222 billion dollars in revenue, up 19 percent from 1997. The number of
Hispanic-owned firms with receipts of 1 million or more skyrocketed to an
astonishing 29,184 firms (2002 Census). Contrary to belief, Hispanics are more prominent financially then we
would like to assume. The rate of growth of Hispanic-owned businesses between
1997 and 2002 has tripled; now up by 31 percent compared to the national with
the national average of 10 percent for all businesses (2003 Census). So not only
are Hispanics providing services to the community, but they are providing those
services 21 percent higher than the national average. Hispanics provide our
communities with dozens of sources of income, not only for themselves but for
the community as well. By providing immigrants with domestic tranquility, they
can better benefit themselves and their communities.
If the DREAM Act were to be put in place,
thousands of lives would be changed forever. Providing domestic tranquility
among all people would be the goal but baby steps are needed to achieve this
goal.
Recently, College Board stated that –
“in strictly economic terms, the contributions that DREAM Act students would make
over their lifetimes would dwarf the small additional investment in their
education beyond high school, and the intangible benefits of legalizing and
educating these students would be significant.”
Regardless of birthplace, race, ethnicity,
skin color, parental origin, or immigration status,
ALL students should be given the opportunity of a higher education.
Until this happens, people are going to continue to fight for what they
believe is right. As of right now, ten states have already passed a resolution
allowing for immigrants to attend college without expensive out-of-state
rates—they are the example for other states to follow. If equal rights are
provided to everyone we will find ourselves in a much more accepting society
where immigrants find success in more than just a high school diploma. US
citizens need to change their prospective on immigration. If you work hard
enough nothing should hold you back, especially where you are born.
Works Cited
"College Board Continues Its Support of the DREAM Act at the
First Senate Hearing." College Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
< http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/undocumented-students-and-dream-act/news/college-board-continues-its-support-drea>.
Fry, Richard, and Paul Taylor. "Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of
College Enrollment ." PewResearch Hispanic Trends Project. N.p., 9 May
2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/05/09/hispanic-high-school-graduates-pass-whites-in-rate-of-college-enrollment/>.
"John Rawls > Quotes." goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Oct. 2013.
< http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/74263.John_Rawls>.
Mitchell,
Nancy. "Undocumented student tells her story." EdNews Colorado.
ednewscolorado.org , n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ednewscolorado.org/news/videos/video-undocumented-student-tells-her-story>.
Sanchez,
Andrea N. "New Study Cites Economic Benefits Of The DREAM Act."
THINKPROGRESS. N.p., 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
< http://thinkprogress.org/security/2010/11/17/176378/dream-act-economic-benefit/>.
"Survey of Business Owners (SBO)." United States Census
Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/>.
"To Dream or Not to Dream: A DREAM Act Summary ." Legal
Language Services . N.p., 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
< http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/dream-act-summary/>.
"Hispanic Heritage Month Facts." LatinoStories.com. N.p.,
6 July 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
< http://www.latinostories.com/Latino_Facts_and_Statistics/latino_statistics_facts.htm>.
Op-ed Reflection
Chase Pierson
The op-ed assignment for this project was to find a
controversial subject and to write an op-ed on the subject. Leading up to this
project we went over many different topics to spark out interests. One activity
for instance was looking at previous students art work and determining what
their issue was and what the artists’ perspective on the issue was. This made
us think about how to properly make a poster that engages the audience and
makes them think about the subject at hand. For the op-ed article we read over
a list of possible topics and wrote a thesis for the topic we chose.
This project was very difficult for me. However, I have
grown very much from this project. The biggest challenge I have had to overcome
and learned from would have to be finding an issue and sticking with it. I did
not change my issue during this project but I had my doubts which inevitably
slowed down the writing process. During this writing process I became more
aware of logos in our everyday life and how I can include it in our writing. I
feel like I advocated a lot during this project to get the help I needed. That
for me was very important because it is key that I get the help I need refining
my project. The largest challenge I had with my project was following the
guidelines. I always need really refined instructions to understand. This
project I really just had to apply myself to get the full picture.
My op-eds strongest points are my evidence points. I was
able to find many different types of statistics relating to immigration and the
DREAM act. For my poster however I designed it to make people think, to have
rhetorical impact on the reader. While a fairly educated person can look at and
tell that it is about immigration rights they still have to think and expand
their thought process to make sure that they are getting the full picture. The
area that I struggled in the most would have to be sentence craft. I have many
great ideas but typically they sound better inside my head than when I put them
down on paper. I worked on this for my project and overtime they will improve.
The largest area I struggled with for my poster would have to be integration. I
had trouble making my quote and main poster ‘ideas’ come together. This was a
problem because I was unsure of the quality of my poster the entire
time.
If I had another week to work on this project I would spend all of it revising my
op-ed and poster to make them more concise. My op-ed I feel is pretty good but I
definitely could have used more time to work on it. I could have also used more
help on my poster so it reflect my subject more concisely. (What Ashley could
have done is said it was done this week so we don’t slack and instead work
really hard and when it is supposed to be due give us another week for
refinement. This way you don’t have to worry about slacking and you don’t have to give
out as many bad grades).