Blog 8- Due: 11/8/15
"I am a man with a heart"
We Are All Human
Andrew Thi was a victim of the prison system. Coming to America as a child from Cambodia, Andrew had to learn an entire new culture and was stripped of his native culture. He suffered many traumatic instances and as a result of an early coma, he lost a lot of his culture. His father cared for his family like "Superman" and did his best to raise them right. Many immigrants struggle to reach the desired "American Dream" and have little to no money upon arrival in the United States. The environment in which Andrew was raised had negative affects on him leading him to a life of unintentional corrupt behaviors. As a young child, he began to steal for some quick cash or to look more wealthy in front of the richer white kids. Inequality in wealth forced many minority groups to branch out and commit crimes- it is still this way today. Andrew went to juvenile hall time and time again only to be exposed to the same hardships. He stole to make ends meet and to take care of himself. In trying to better his own life, he ended up in the prison system. Although it may seem as though he was just a trouble maker, his intentions were good. He did very well in school and tried his hardest to get the approval of his father. His family was nothing but supportive throughout all of his struggles and finally towards the end of his time in the prison system he was able to change something within himself. Andrew was able to figure out who he was in this new life and also able to redirect his life. Something I found striking in this piece was Andrew's turn to God. He grasped the religion of the majority group of America and use this religion to gain a new peace of mind and continue upward towards positive goals in life. My question is: How does religion play a role in the lives of inmates and how does Christianity affect immigrants and non-white Americans?
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