Medha speaks to us from inside of an ice detention jail cell. She is an Indian American woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 39 days ago she was arrested and now she stands in the cell professing her innocence and explaining to the guards that have detained her exactly who she is. She was in her final year of college majoring in criminology and focusing on immigration studies. She understood the ramifications of the job that she chose to do. But thus far she has had a positive experience with the police officials on her campus proudly working with them, writing articles for them, receiving medals and awards for the support and advocacy that she has given. Her parents are both natives of India and she is the first to be born and raised in America. She takes great pride in her history and who she is. Her story addresses the biases that we unconsciously hold. This comes to life for her when she is out for a normal run as she did every Sunday and she finds herself in the middle of a raid, she holds tightly to her phone as she falls to the ground not understanding what just happened. Why would someone attack her? Why would someone hurt her? For her it all comes back to, she shouldn’t have to show her resume to get the respect she would get if she had. They would have never forced her to miss her college graduation and potentially delay her ability to start law school. This is an unfortunate story that so many people have and are experiencing. We should not look at someone and decide who they are, we should instead meet them, talk to them. This is a simple process, treating everyone as if we are all human beings who respectfully should be able to experience life in the simplest and most safe of ways. Medha never loses her spirit or her focus on the future. Another experience, another line to add on her resume of life.
