Averie Bishop All Rise Minorities In Law Scholarship

Being Latina and a first generation student at a predominantly white institution, has at times felt like an uphill battle. Previous to my work in the archival research with The Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo Project (The GAM) this semester, I knew nothing about research or how it could be used as a tool to address social issues. I didn't know anyone who had done research or how to even start and a lot of my minority friends who were also first-generation were in the same boat. The lack of connections is what sometimes works as a barrier for underrepresented minorities to pursue opportunities such as research. I realized that in order to break this barrier I had to do something myself, and that meant reaching out and finding opportunities even if I had to go out of my comfort zone. This semester I have had the opportunity to partake in archival research with The Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo Project. The GAM project, a human rights organization based in Guatemala, has not only been my introduction to research but has also taught me the historical and political grounds of the Guatemalan Civil War that caused millions of Guatemalans to immigrate to the United States as my parents did in the 1990s. The mission of the GAM's archival research is to address the mass forced disappearances of an entire generation of Guatemalans. Most importantly, to finally teach this history to the Guatemalans of today who have been stripped of this knowledge by their government. The GAM Project's work in addressing social issues in Guatemala has been such an eye opening experience, and is what inspired me to propose my own research for this summer. I have learned that there is no point of conducting research if it is not generating new knowledge or conversation on a particular issue or problem. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone, but as a country we have yet to talk about the impact it has had on our migrant workers; 5 million of which are doing jobs deemed essential to the critical infrastructure according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and International Security Agency’s. This summer at the University of Delaware I am proposing to do research on The Role of Migrant Workers in the U.S During the COVID-19 Pandemic under the McNair Scholar Program. In my home state of Delaware, corona virus cases rose at a dramatic rate within our Hispanic and Haitian communities. These cases have a direct correlation with the states biggest industry, poultry factories. 6% of confirmed Delaware COVID-19 cases involve poultry processing plant workers who are mostly of Hispanic or Haitian descent. Non coincidentally the health disparities have been clearer than ever. It is time to generate these conversations and give these essential migrant workers the credit they deserve while acknowledging the impact they have had on the nations economy and society during this global pandemic. I hope that my research this summer will address this issue here in my home state of Delaware, where migrants have consistently been silenced. My passion for migrant rights started when I watched my parents embark on their decades long journey to achieving citizenship. Living in a growing immigrant community in a predominantly white state, has only made me want to continue addressing social issues regarding migrants through a career in immigration and refugee law. I have shaped my studies at the University of Delaware to better prepare me for the people groups and themes I will be encountering by majoring in Spanish Language & Literature and Political Science, as well as minoring in Latin American & Iberian Studies and French Language & Literature. I have even taken all the Portuguese courses provided by my university to prepare me to serve the growing Brazilian population in my state. I have learned that I don't already need to be a lawyer or a law student to start addressing these issues regarding migrants in my community. I can start with the resources provided by my university to conduct meaningful research that will start conversations and generate new knowledge.