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.
Resume
(Scene opens with Medha, a twenty-two-year-old Indian American woman. She paces in a jail cell; she’s seen better days. She finally takes a deep breath and steps forward as if she is talking to the guards.)
My name is Medha Bhatia. I am 22 years old and 39 days ago I was in the midst of my final year of my bachelor’s degree oddly enough in criminology and immigration rights in California. (she references her head that has a bandage wrapped around it, forces a smile then shrugs) I was born in Burbank, California right outside of Los Angeles to my immigrant parents. I am first generation American born and raised. (takes another step forward) Did you hear that? I have a birth certificate stamped from the hospital, I was born here, in America. I have worked since I was 14 years old first, at my father’s medical practice where it was my responsibility to order and organize the magazines in the lobby. (laughs) Sounds like a silly job but he made it feel like I had a purpose. He always made everyone feel like they had purpose- like they mattered because (turns and looks at the people in the cell with her) we all matter. When I turned 16, I got a job working with my mother, assisting other immigrants, hard-working people who are trying to organize their lives, get jobs, find housing that is affordable, and just succeed. 39 days ago, I had never been arrested in my entire life, I’ve never even received a ticket for anything, ever. My only interaction with the police are the officers on my college campus, nice group of people, I believe Sergeant Westbrook is about to be a father to a set of twins. (slight smile) I work in the criminology department, I was (beat) am getting my degree there. I interviewed the police force on campus multiple times, wrote articles about them. There’s something to be said about your resume… it was not being part of my arrest. I- I feel like if I could have given the officer my resume he would have looked at it (beat) and then looked at me differently. (spoken in Arabic) “You would have judged me differently if your decision was based on who I am and not how I looked.” (in English) I said, you would have seen me differently if you used more than your eyes to judge me.
