Annie Dunbar

1. Introduction 1.1. Invocation We begin with an invocation of water. Water heals, nourishes, and replenishes. It shapes and molds and is present in different forms. Even when we cannot see it, it is there. It can be solid as ice or snow. It exists in the air as humidity and within the earth as groundwater and waterways. It can be waves—a living thing. Water can be raging and relentless, telling one to either move or be moved. It can also be gentle—a stream or babbling brook or a meditation.

We saw in Texas in February what incredible systemic failures can occur when unregulated capitalism prioritizes competition, profit, and efficiency over human well being. As many of the wealthy and powerful escaped the crisis for better conditions, millions of Texans were left freezing in their homes, hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning, boiling water for survival, and, for some of those with the least resources, left to die.

For anyone who is remotely engaged on #ImmigrationTwitter, January 2017 began the most epic and stressful four years of our lives. During the Trump administration, we saw over 1,064  policies, actions and pieces of legislation that were enacted or suggested, according to the “Trump Tracker” Immigration Policy Tracking Project.