The prophet Isaiah said, “The wolf shall live with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” The following essay was written by Victoria Battistini, the 10-year-old daughter of Ivonne Battistini—both members of the Fools Mission community. And we’re all cheering for Victoria around here, because this contribution just won the annual, state-wide Fourth Grade California History Essay Contest! Congratulations, Victoria, not only for the quality of your writing—but for the simplicity, elegance, and truth of your message. Maybe we should listen to the children to learn how to repair our immigration system—they appear to be among the few who understand that the Emperor hasn’t got any clothes on.
Immigration
Do you agree with immigrants coming to California? Immigrants bring a lot of great things to California. They can teach us how to write and read in multiple languages, and help us to learn about other cultures. You can find immigrants working in restaurants, important companies, and many other jobs. California also depends on immigrants in order for the population to grow.
Immigrants are very smart people. They make our state highly diversified. They can teach communities important values and historical information, such as reading and writing. It is a great benefit to be able to speak in other languages.
Many immigrants work very hard at their jobs also. You can find workers in the fields, and in the hot sun, for long hours, just so we can have food to eat. Most Americans would not ever do work like this, which shows just how valuable are immigrant workers. California depends on them, and would suffer greatly, if immigrants were not a part of the state’s economy.
Immigrants have been coming to the United States for many years. In the late 1800’s, and early 1900’s, immigration increased the population dramatically. By 1880, almost 40% of the total population in California was made up of immigrants. We all come from many different countries around the world. We learn and teach one another about our cultures, which helps us grow as a community.
As you can see, immigrants are very helpful, not only to California, but to the entire nation. Immigrants teach us so many important lessons, and work very hard to keep our economy alive. They share their roots and customs with us. I am so lucky to have nine family members that are immigrants. They help me to understand the importance of my heritage and culture, and they also teach me about working hard and family values. I have three family members that are from Italy, and six family members from Colombia. We practice many traditions from Colombia. A couple of them take place during the holidays. On New Years Eve we eat twelve grapes and make twelve wishes, and the nine days before Christmas, we do a Novena Prayer, and make a small village, known as a “Pesebre,” in celebration of Navidad.
–Victoria Battistini