LISTEN TO THE CHILDREN: CONVERSATIONS WITH IMMIGRANT FAMILIES or ESCUCHEMOS A LOS NIÑOS: CONVERSACIONES CON FAMILIAS INMIGRANTES

From SB 1070 in Arizona to HB 56 in Alabama, recent immigration policies incited response from politicians and religious leaders alike. The United States Department of Justice filed suits challenging the immigration laws of both Arizona and Alabama. Clergy and religious leaders employed holy scriptures to protest the injustice. While public policy is of significant import to pastoral theologians, arguably more imperative are the lives of those impacted by such policies. Today, children of immigrant parents 1 comprise over 20 percent of the nation’s population (The Urban Institute, 2006). They face unique challenges, including “adapting to cultural norms that may differ from those of their parents and learning a language that may not be spoken at home” (The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, 2005, para. 2). As an immigrant, in her text Listen to the Children: Conversations with Immigrant Families, Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier utilizes fictionalized conversations between immigrant parents and their children to illustrate the distinctive hardships present in such relationships, as well as implications for caregiving. This brief book educates the reader about the cultural and political landscapes surrounding immigration and how caregivers can positively impact families’ lives at school, in the community, and in the church.