LaGuardia Reflection

    While reading LaGuardia, I found myself comparing the discrimination against the aliens to that of immigrants and colored people in America today. However, I then questioned myself as I wondered how the people in American would react to aliens entering out world today. For as much as we’d like to think we’d welcome aliens with open arms, I do not think we would. We would probably hold protests and have anti-alien bans in fear of how they could change our reality.  

The setting of the airport stood out to me throughout the graphic novel as well. After doing research, I discovered that Okorafor set this story in the airport based off personal experiences. Okorafor travels a lot, and it became clear to her that airport and border crossings are more focused on control than safety. Okorafor describes that an airport is “the space between, a place of contention, a place of displacement, a place of fear, a place of identity.” The airport is a place where you become aware of the things that you are and how others view you. Okorafor describes that “that place can feel very hot, or it can feel very chill.” Therefore, in an airport, prejudices and biases inevitably become clear. There is no doubt that immigrants experience a sense of chill in an airport from those attempting to control them.  

Overall, this graphic novel effectively illustrates the struggles immigrants face in our society today. It presents a mirror to our modern society, transplanting our current prejudices onto alien beings. At times, it is depressingly realistic, but there is an aura of hope that emanates throughout. 

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