Mobility has always been part of the human experience. Whether one holds to the evolutionary idea of “Lucy” who originated in Africa or the Old Testament account of Adam and Eve in Eden, the fact is that humanity began someplace and has spread to the far-flung habitats of the Earth. Humanity has always been on the move.
While it is true that many people do not venture far from home, others leave their place of origin for points either known or unknown. In the 1800s the call to “Go west, young man,” encouraged many to migrate from the eastern part of the United States toward the setting sun. So, it was with my family.
In the 1600s members of the Epps family arrived in Virginia from England. Some eventually went west to the frontier of Virginia and others dipped south into North Carolina. Some of those travelers ended up in Hawkins Country, Tennessee nestled in the mountainous corner of the northeastern tip of the state.
My great-great grandfather, Alexander, had two wives, one having died, and a passel of kids. His son, Calvin, was born in Hawkins County. His son, my grandfather, was born in Carter County, about three counties east of Hawkins County. My dad was born in Hawkins County, and I, my brother, and my oldest son were born in neighboring Sullivan County.
But Dad’s family spread out. One of eight children, my dad, the eldest, except for service in the Navy in World War II, lived in either Hawkins or Sullivan counties all his life. But some of Dad’s family moved to south Florida, A brother did “go west” all the way to California. Another brother eventually moved to western Tennessee some eight hours west of where Dad lived. Some of their offspring have no doubt scattered elsewhere over time.
I moved too. I did a stint in the Marines and returned home. Eventually, I moved to Virginia, Colorado, and, finally over 40 years ago, to Georgia. A few years ago, my brother moved to Georgia’s east coast. Of my three sons, two have remained in Georgia. My third son, after service in the Air Force, moved with his family to New Mexico.
Of our twelve grandchildren, two have moved far away and then came back. Both of them, cousins, joined the Marine Corps. One lived in Hawaii and the other was stationed in California and then was sent to Japan. All the grandchildren have resided in Georgia as their permanent home. Until now.
This Saturday, Tristan, the oldest grandson, is moving to west central Florida near Tampa to go to school. We had lunch yesterday and it hit me that it might be a while before I saw him again. In the Old West, young men might move away and never see their families again. Those parents might never know what became of their child. Thankfully, with cell phones, the internet, social media, and the postal system, that result is now unlikely.
Still, while there is pride that our kids grow and move on, there is a tug at the heart that is laced with sadness. As individuals, we may be homebodies but, as a species, we are mobile, we are wanderers, we are explorers, we are travelers.
In any given year, between 27 and 30 million Americans will move. The average American moves 11.7 times over the course of their lives. In our first ten years of marriage, my wife and I lived in 14 different homes. We humans are semi-nomadic, it appears.
This restless spirit, this need to explore, the desire to find ourselves — or whatever we call it — is how we filled the Earth with our presence. Well, it’s not filled just yet. With all the talk about overpopulation, there are vast areas where the population is sparse.
Alaska, by far the largest state in the USA, has only 730,000 people. By contrast, itsy-bitsy Rhode Island has over a million people within its borders.
So, we, that is, “the collective we,” have a way to go before the earth is full. Like bits of pollen, we are carried forth, by whatever draws us, to bring life, in all its diversity, to the far corners of the planet. We are human. It’s what we do.
[David Epps is the Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King (www.ctk.life). Worship services are on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on livestream at www.ctk.life. He is the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South (www.midsouthdiocese.life). He may be contacted at davidepps@ctk.life.]
Immigration- bipartisan policy needed
Pastor Epps had a particularly good recent column- “This nomadic humanity”. He pointed out that his family, like almost all US citizens including mine, immigrated here over the last few centuries. And that migration is a natural part of the human experience. Per Epps- “It’s what we do”.
Remember the lyrics to the popular Bob Dylan song- “Ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more?” Who works on that farm when Americans refuse to do so? In Georgia, the real-life answer is undocumented immigrants.
Despite this fact, immigration to America has been a political flash point for many years. America has had discriminatory policies that have been applied to keep out “undesirables”, as defined by the times. Past groups have included ethnicities such as Greeks, Asians, Italians and Jews, who are now accepted and doing well financially.
In his 2007 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush outlined a sensible comprehensive immigration strategy-
* secure our borders;
* hold employers accountable for the workers they hire;
* create a temporary worker program;
* bring undocumented workers already in the country out of the shadows;
* promote assimilation into our society by teaching new immigrants English and American values.
It is sad that his party (my party in 2007) did not support his very reasonable solution to the immigration crisis. Since then, due to Congressional inaction and lack of Presidential leadership, the immigration problem has just gotten worse under both parties. We need national leadership and it’s sorely lacking.
It is even sadder that W’s party, the GOP, continues to believe that the solution is building a wall and having Mexico pay for it. On immigration, former President Trump (the presumptive GOP Presidential candidate) is duplicitous.
Regarding Melania, David Leopold, past President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, stated: “There are a lot of questions about how she procured entry into the United States.” According to Washington Post, the “Einstein visa” was her route to becoming a citizen. This specialized EB-1 visa is given to top people in their field, short circuiting the usual visa process. It’s given to people who have: “extraordinary ability, are an outstanding professor or researcher, or are a multinational executive or manager.”
Melania, a minor model, was originally here on temporary work permits. But after dating playboy Donald, she obtained a top immigration attorney, and was suddenly deemed special, getting “Einstein” status (2001).
According to the Washington Post, in 2001 only 3 in 1000 immigrants were accepted through this program. Only 5 Slovenians were admitted under that category, established to bring top scientists and the like into the country… not little-known models whose talent was dating Trump.
After she became a citizen, her parents (Viktor and Amalija Knauss) were brought over from Slovenia in 2006 as “permanent residents”. By then Melania was a Trump.
But Trump never said it was wrong to bring them over under the “chain migration” provision that he wants to abolish, tweeting “CHAIN MIGRATION cannot be allowed to be part of any legislation on Immigration!”
Trump decries illegal immigrants as “animals”. But Trump Tower in NYC was built in 1980 by Polish illegals. Per Time magazine (8-25-16): “Trump sought out the Polish workers.”
Criminals who “infest our country” is how Trump describes illegal immigrants. If that is true, why did he seek out undocumented workers to construct his home, the Tower? Did he inscribe “built by an infestation of rapists, criminal and animals” on the front of the Tower?
The GOP House and the Democratic Senate cannot agree on a bi-partisan approach. And Biden has also not shown sufficient leadership.
We need immigration reform. But it won’t happen until we have a true desire by both parties to come up with a non-political, sensible solution along the lines of what W proposed decades ago. And that apparently will not happen under Biden or Trump.