Monarch butterflies make the long, migratory flight each year. They pick up pollen to help our gardens and trees as they travel. Without them, we would experience substantial agricultural losses.

After the birth of my first child, we visited the Monarch nesting areas high in the mountains of Mexico. After several hours, the last portion of the trek was done hiking. We rode our horses slowly and quietly, so as not to disturb them. My child slept in a sling on my chest. Monarch cloaked the trunks of trees, almost completely hidden. Their breath gave way, revealing thousands around us. A soft breeze sent them into a beautiful, swirling flutter. They flew until they found a safe place to land. One came to rest on my daughter’s nose.

Relating the extraction of cultural influence to the whitewashing of color from a butterfly is a natural comparison. Beauty in form is empty without the embodiment of what inspires it.

The cost of eradicating culture from this country is incalculable. It is cruel and unacceptable to blame culture for criminality. The homogenization of the tapestry of our communities is an uncivilized and barbaric act that is causing irreparable harm. We are all hard-working people. Some have traveled to this land, and all they seek is to contribute to our success. They are our pollinators, and they deserve a safe place to land.