I traffic in empathy. I try to be vulnerable with people so they can be vulnerable back. I've always been searching for empathy in other people. It's when I feel most not alone.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
I'm more than willing to go to places and talk to people who believe that I am an illegal alien who deserves to be jailed. I want to look them in the eye and say, 'What makes you think I'm any different from you?' I think for our generation, immigration rights is a civil rights issue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the shared humanity in discussions about immigration rights and challenges prejudiced views.
Jose Antonio Vargas highlights the necessity of confronting and understanding the perspectives of those who hold opposing views on immigration. By advocating for dialogue and empathy, he frames immigration rights as a fundamental civil rights issue that transcends barriers and calls for recognition of shared humanity.
Themes
ImmigrationCivil RightsDialogueEmpathyHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting about immigration policies.
More from Jose Antonio Vargas
All quotes →Citizenship to me is more than a piece of paper. Citizenship is also about character. I am an American. We're just waiting for our country to recognize it.
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Kathy Dewar, my high-school English teacher, introduced me to journalism. From the moment I wrote my first article for the student paper, I convinced myself that having my name in print - writing in English, interviewing Americans - validated my presence here.
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I'm a gay, undocumented immigrant; I have to be optimistic.
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There were many factors as to why I decided to come out as being undocumented. One of them is because I look the way that I look; I don't look like the 'stereotypical undocumented' person.
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As a newcomer to America who learned to 'speak American' by watching movies, I firmly believe that to change the politics of immigration and citizenship, we must change culture - the way we portray undocumented people like me and our role in society.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
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