By Cindy Toh
In the wake of the political vitriol surrounding immigration, I’ve looked back on my own journey to freedom as a Burmese immigrant. The struggles we’ve overcome, the faith we clung onto in the most harrowing and forlorn of times, the freedom we fought so tirelessly for, and the better lives we’ve built since.
We are humans, after all. Immigration is human, after all. Yet, it is often discussed as this taboo, hot-button, wedge political issue that polarizes people. But it ought not to be this way because every political issue is human before all else. Lives are enmeshed and at stake in every decision a government makes.
I’ve had the honor and privilege of a lifetime to explore this human facet by interviewing Emmanuel Jal. Jal is a former South Sudanese child soldier who is now an actor, musical artist, political activist, and Canadian citizen. Having been recruited by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SPDL) and lived in the slums of Kenya after a daring escape, Jal knows firsthand how intrinsically human the issue of immigration is. He is the epitome of what it means to pull oneself by the bootstraps and live the dream. Members of The Print and I sat down with him to talk about his story—what it means to be an immigrant, to overcome those harrowing and forlorn struggles, and build a new life for himself.
Jal poignantly recounted how the struggles he faced in school as he lived in the slums. As well as the personal footing he found through music—the stories he told and the values he advocated for. But what struck me most was when he told us how came to Canada. “As a believer,” he puts it, “with nothing but a little hard work and a whole lot of faith in God.” I may not be a Christian, but as a Buddhist, I see the inherent power of faith and how it binds us together. This is the height of the human side of immigration that is often overlooked and weaponized for political gain. But it is this side that is most touched, and it ought to be at the epicenter of every political decision that is being made.
The mainstream media will continue to flesh out headlines that generate nothing but chaos. This will continue to be so long as viewership is the prime motivator of their actions. But we as humans, as members of one of the most diverse international schools in a multicultural nation, know better. Many of us are immigrants or know and love someone who is. This ought not to be treated as a game because lives are at stake. Let’s start talking to one another and uplifting our stories. See each other for who we are as humans. See beyond those politics and love more.