Truth in Video and Crayon

This clip of kids reading aloud from the words of migrant children held in detention tells us more in three minutes than any amount of news coverage can convey. But headlines, op eds and political debate won’t move fast enough to protect these children’s lives. The mental and emotional damage, lack of proper medical attention and unsanitary conditions will have consequences that may last a lifetime. From a healthcare standpoint, the ripple effects will cost many, many times more than the dollars it would take to secure a warm, clean, safe and more caring setting, regardless of who pays. This policy is cruelty incarnate and its effects are demeaning to everyone.

Washington Post columnist Theresa Vargas writes about a Smithsonian inquiry into drawings done by children in detention at the U.S. border: “This is truly a very dark spot in U.S. history,” Colleen Kraft, the former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN. “This will be remembered as a time when the U.S. was cruel to immigrant children. It makes me wonder what kind of country are we that we would treat children this way.” The Post article goes on to discuss the merits of sharing not only what is darkest in those drawings but also the resilience that they capture in images of hope, life and filial love.