This should be interesting! - - Donna Poisl
The White House is expected to file a lawsuit next week. Arizona has raised more than $120,000 in private donations to defend the legislation.
By Peter Nicholas, Tribune Washington Bureau
Reporting from Washington — A White House showdown with the state of Arizona over its tough new immigration law is likely to unfold next week, when the Obama administration is expected to file a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state's bid to curb illegal immigration on its own, according to people familiar with the administration's plans.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Add your opinion on what President Obama should say in his speech Thurs. AM
Marissa Graciosa, Reform Immigration FOR America
On Thursday morning, at 8:30 AM MST , President Obama will be making a major speech on immigration. He’ll be outlining what it will take for the federal government to fix our broken system.
What do you want to hear the president say tomorrow? Stop by our blog and let us know what you think President Obama should say tomorrow morning. Click on the headline.
This movement has always been about you – your lives, your families, your hopes and dreams, your personal reasons for working for comprehensive immigration reform. Your voice makes us strong, and your words make this fight matter.
We’ll be live-blogging the speech tomorrow morning. Tell us what you want to hear President Obama say when he talks about immigration at 8:30 AM MST tomorrow.
On Thursday morning, at 8:30 AM MST , President Obama will be making a major speech on immigration. He’ll be outlining what it will take for the federal government to fix our broken system.
What do you want to hear the president say tomorrow? Stop by our blog and let us know what you think President Obama should say tomorrow morning. Click on the headline.
This movement has always been about you – your lives, your families, your hopes and dreams, your personal reasons for working for comprehensive immigration reform. Your voice makes us strong, and your words make this fight matter.
We’ll be live-blogging the speech tomorrow morning. Tell us what you want to hear President Obama say when he talks about immigration at 8:30 AM MST tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
President Meets with Diverse Leaders on Immigration Reform
After meeting with immigration reform leaders, President Obama will make a major speech Thursday morning about immigration reform. - - Donna Poisl
Washington D.C. - On Monday, June 28, a diverse group of civil rights, labor, religious, and immigrant community leaders met with President Obama for a meaningful discussion on the effort to win comprehensive immigration reform. The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and Chair of the Reform Immigration FOR America:
“Today, we strongly requested for the President to assert his leadership and escalate his efforts to assure comprehensive immigration reform legislation is enacted in 2010. From our meeting, it is clear that the President is committed to comprehensive immigration reform and understands that Congressional action is needed urgently.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Washington D.C. - On Monday, June 28, a diverse group of civil rights, labor, religious, and immigrant community leaders met with President Obama for a meaningful discussion on the effort to win comprehensive immigration reform. The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and Chair of the Reform Immigration FOR America:
“Today, we strongly requested for the President to assert his leadership and escalate his efforts to assure comprehensive immigration reform legislation is enacted in 2010. From our meeting, it is clear that the President is committed to comprehensive immigration reform and understands that Congressional action is needed urgently.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Arizona's illegal immigrants departure affecting businesses
Many businesses are starting to suffer because of immigrants leaving the state. And I know of some businesses who are not able to hire skilled applicants when they refuse to move here. - - Donna Poisl
by Daniel González - The Arizona Republic
Luis Sanchez and Marlen Ramirez, undocumented immigrants from Mexico, packed up and moved to Pennsylvania this month, taking their three U.S. citizen children with them.
Many will cheer their departure, saying it's a sign that Arizona's new immigration law, which hasn't taken effect yet, is driving out illegal immigrants and potentially saving the state money. But not everyone is pleased over the exodus of Latinos, both legal and illegal, saying their flight from Arizona could hurt businesses, schools and neighborhoods.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Daniel González - The Arizona Republic
Luis Sanchez and Marlen Ramirez, undocumented immigrants from Mexico, packed up and moved to Pennsylvania this month, taking their three U.S. citizen children with them.
Many will cheer their departure, saying it's a sign that Arizona's new immigration law, which hasn't taken effect yet, is driving out illegal immigrants and potentially saving the state money. But not everyone is pleased over the exodus of Latinos, both legal and illegal, saying their flight from Arizona could hurt businesses, schools and neighborhoods.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Philadelphia to bar immigration agents from arrest data
Concern over human rights has caused the city to change their policy. This will also let immigrants report crimes and emergencies without fears. - - Donna Poisl
By Michael Matza, Inquirer Staff Writer
Philadelphia is expected to end the arrangement that permits federal immigration agents to scrutinize the city's computerized list of arrests, including country of origin and other data, Everett Gillison, the deputy mayor for public safety, said Sunday.
Immigrant advocates say the year-old agreement between the city and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, known as ICE, has resulted in deportation proceedings against immigrants arrested on even minor charges. Under the agreement, ICE agents can routinely access the city's Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System (PARS). That agreement is up for renewal on Thursday.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Michael Matza, Inquirer Staff Writer
Philadelphia is expected to end the arrangement that permits federal immigration agents to scrutinize the city's computerized list of arrests, including country of origin and other data, Everett Gillison, the deputy mayor for public safety, said Sunday.
Immigrant advocates say the year-old agreement between the city and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, known as ICE, has resulted in deportation proceedings against immigrants arrested on even minor charges. Under the agreement, ICE agents can routinely access the city's Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System (PARS). That agreement is up for renewal on Thursday.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Young illegal immigrants get chance to learn, but not to earn
Another story showing why we need the DREAM Act. We need these kids to work and pay taxes and start businesses, especially after we educated them in our schools. - - Donna Poisl
By JESSICA MEYERS / The Dallas Morning News
Juan's room shows a life shaped by American education.
It's painted in the colors of Dallas' Thomas Jefferson High School, his new alma mater. Trophies and medals brag for him: top 10 percent of his class, captain of two sports teams, a district first-place finisher in track, an almost perfect SAT score, the only football player in band. He's a poster child of American schooling, with wishes to enter the military or teach English.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By JESSICA MEYERS / The Dallas Morning News
Juan's room shows a life shaped by American education.
It's painted in the colors of Dallas' Thomas Jefferson High School, his new alma mater. Trophies and medals brag for him: top 10 percent of his class, captain of two sports teams, a district first-place finisher in track, an almost perfect SAT score, the only football player in band. He's a poster child of American schooling, with wishes to enter the military or teach English.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Huge demand to live in U.S. part of illegal immigration problem
This article gives the background on our immigration policy and also explains what an immigrant must do to come here legally. - - Donna Poisl
by Erin Kelly - Republic Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - While the national spotlight is focused on illegal immigration, millions of people enter the United States legally each year on both a temporary and permanent basis.
But the demand to immigrate to the United States far outweighs the number of people that immigration laws allow to move here legally. Wait times can be years, compounding the problem and reducing opportunities for many more who desperately want to come to the United States.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Erin Kelly - Republic Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - While the national spotlight is focused on illegal immigration, millions of people enter the United States legally each year on both a temporary and permanent basis.
But the demand to immigrate to the United States far outweighs the number of people that immigration laws allow to move here legally. Wait times can be years, compounding the problem and reducing opportunities for many more who desperately want to come to the United States.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Fact or fiction? The myths and realities of illegal immigration
This long article lists all the beliefs about immigration and immigrants and gives the true facts about each one. Let's hope the immigrant haters will believe the facts. - - Donna Poisl
By Lee Davidson and Elaine Jarvik and Lois M. Collins and Chuck Gates, Deseret News
Maybe you've heard the debates on talk radio or seen the e-mail blasts, arriving with increasing urgency as people take sides over Arizona's new immigration law.
You can hardly turn on your computer without tripping over statistics like these: "Every day, illegal aliens murder 12 Americans" and "$200 billion a year in suppressed American wages are caused by illegal aliens."
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Lee Davidson and Elaine Jarvik and Lois M. Collins and Chuck Gates, Deseret News
Maybe you've heard the debates on talk radio or seen the e-mail blasts, arriving with increasing urgency as people take sides over Arizona's new immigration law.
You can hardly turn on your computer without tripping over statistics like these: "Every day, illegal aliens murder 12 Americans" and "$200 billion a year in suppressed American wages are caused by illegal aliens."
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Denying citizenship for illegal immigrants' children is a bad idea
Our founding fathers put this in the Constitution, it has been debated before, regarding gypsy and Chinese babies at one time and again more recently. It is still a Constitutional Amendment, fortunately it is not easy to change the Constitution. - - Donna Poisl
By Edward Schumacher-Matos
They are called "anchor babies" -- the children born in the United States of illegal immigrant parents -- and pressure is growing to change the meaning of the 14th Amendment so as to deny them automatic citizenship.
Ninety-one members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill to do just that. It was submitted in the House last year by Georgia Republican Nathan Deal. Backers of Arizona's harsh anti-immigrant measure are drafting legislation that would withhold birth certificates from these babies. Similar measures are being proposed in other states.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Edward Schumacher-Matos
They are called "anchor babies" -- the children born in the United States of illegal immigrant parents -- and pressure is growing to change the meaning of the 14th Amendment so as to deny them automatic citizenship.
Ninety-one members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill to do just that. It was submitted in the House last year by Georgia Republican Nathan Deal. Backers of Arizona's harsh anti-immigrant measure are drafting legislation that would withhold birth certificates from these babies. Similar measures are being proposed in other states.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Immigrant farm workers' challenge: Take our jobs
People who want to apply for farm jobs that are now filled by immigrants, many of them illegal immigrants, can sign up at http://www.takeourjobs.org . I doubt there will be many wanting those jobs. - - Donna Poisl
By JULIANA BARBASSA (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farm workers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs.
Farm workers are tired of being blamed by politicians and anti-immigrant activists for taking work that should go to Americans and dragging down the economy, said Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers of America.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By JULIANA BARBASSA (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farm workers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs.
Farm workers are tired of being blamed by politicians and anti-immigrant activists for taking work that should go to Americans and dragging down the economy, said Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers of America.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
The Immigration Reform Team
This new team has formed to work for immigration reform and legal status for people already here. The team includes many mayors and also Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, this might be interesting. - - Donna Poisl
EDITORIAL, The New York Times
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, making good on an inaugural pledge, has stepped up to help lead the national battle for immigration reform. On Thursday, he announced a partnership of mayors and business leaders to make the economic case for reform, including mayors of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Phoenix, and top executives of companies like Walt Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing and the New York Mets.
Rupert Murdoch — chairman of the News Corporation, naturalized citizen and member of the coalition — stated its views succinctly: “This country can and must enact new immigration policies that fulfill our employment needs, provide a careful pathway to legal status for undocumented residents, and end illegal immigration.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
EDITORIAL, The New York Times
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, making good on an inaugural pledge, has stepped up to help lead the national battle for immigration reform. On Thursday, he announced a partnership of mayors and business leaders to make the economic case for reform, including mayors of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Phoenix, and top executives of companies like Walt Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Boeing and the New York Mets.
Rupert Murdoch — chairman of the News Corporation, naturalized citizen and member of the coalition — stated its views succinctly: “This country can and must enact new immigration policies that fulfill our employment needs, provide a careful pathway to legal status for undocumented residents, and end illegal immigration.”
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Registration: Mass DREAM Mobilization in Washington D.C. - July 19th - 21st
from Mohammad Abdollahi, Co-founder of DreamActivist.org
The time to act to pass the DREAM Act is now.
Over the last year we have made great gains fighting for the DREAM Act. We have managed to convince 40 senators and 124 representatives to co-sponsor the DREAM Act, giving us their commitment to move forward with the bill.
All of this is great news. It means that we are close to getting the DREAM this year; it means that all of our work has been paying off.
But we must also not forget years past, we have been here before. In 2007 we had the same opportunity to pass the DREAM Act, however we were not able to convince our legislators that taking a gamble on us would pay off. This year has to be different. This year we have to show our legislators that they have no choice but to pass the DREAM Act.
We know youth are ready to take action. We know you are all ready to fight and take a last stand for what you believe in and so we are asking that you join us in Washington D.C. for three days of escalating action.
When: Monday, July 19th through Wednesday, July 21st
Where: Washington D.C.
What: Mass DREAM Mobilization to show our collective power in demanding the movement of the DREAM Act in congress. Actions include lobbying, graduation ceremony, a DREAM concert, multiple rallies and more.
Who: You and over 3,000 supporters just like you.
We need support from everyone to pull this off. Students from Dream Team Los Angles are already organizing a caravan from California to D.C., making stops in key states along the way to drum up support for DREAM before their final destination in D.C. on the 19th!
Donations can be made directly to us at http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/donate/
All funds will be used to make this action a reality.
The time to act for the Dream Act is Now! Our Dreams can’t wait any longer.
We cannot wait to see everyone in D.C.
The time to act to pass the DREAM Act is now.
Over the last year we have made great gains fighting for the DREAM Act. We have managed to convince 40 senators and 124 representatives to co-sponsor the DREAM Act, giving us their commitment to move forward with the bill.
All of this is great news. It means that we are close to getting the DREAM this year; it means that all of our work has been paying off.
But we must also not forget years past, we have been here before. In 2007 we had the same opportunity to pass the DREAM Act, however we were not able to convince our legislators that taking a gamble on us would pay off. This year has to be different. This year we have to show our legislators that they have no choice but to pass the DREAM Act.
We know youth are ready to take action. We know you are all ready to fight and take a last stand for what you believe in and so we are asking that you join us in Washington D.C. for three days of escalating action.
When: Monday, July 19th through Wednesday, July 21st
Where: Washington D.C.
What: Mass DREAM Mobilization to show our collective power in demanding the movement of the DREAM Act in congress. Actions include lobbying, graduation ceremony, a DREAM concert, multiple rallies and more.
Who: You and over 3,000 supporters just like you.
We need support from everyone to pull this off. Students from Dream Team Los Angles are already organizing a caravan from California to D.C., making stops in key states along the way to drum up support for DREAM before their final destination in D.C. on the 19th!
Donations can be made directly to us at http://www.thedreamiscoming.com/donate/
All funds will be used to make this action a reality.
The time to act for the Dream Act is Now! Our Dreams can’t wait any longer.
We cannot wait to see everyone in D.C.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Press Release: Franken, Kohl Introduce HELP Separated Children Act
Press Release
Legislation Would Ensure Children’s Safety During Immigration Raids
Tuesday, Jun 22 | Legislative Session: 111th Congress, 2nd Session (2010)
Today, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) introduced the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act to keep kids safe, informed, and accounted for during Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
According to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service, 108,434 parents of U.S. citizen children were deported in the past 10 years.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this PRESS RELEASE! This is only a small part of it.
Legislation Would Ensure Children’s Safety During Immigration Raids
Tuesday, Jun 22 | Legislative Session: 111th Congress, 2nd Session (2010)
Today, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) introduced the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act to keep kids safe, informed, and accounted for during Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
According to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service, 108,434 parents of U.S. citizen children were deported in the past 10 years.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this PRESS RELEASE! This is only a small part of it.
HIAS Commends Introduction Of The HELP For Separated Children Act
A new bill has been introduced to help American children separated from their parents because of deportation. Sounds very common sense and humane, I hope it passes. - - Donna Poisl
HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, commends Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) for introducing the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act.
There currently are 5.5 million children of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. Four million of these children are legal citizens, yet they live in fear of their parents’ deportation.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, commends Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) for introducing the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act.
There currently are 5.5 million children of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. Four million of these children are legal citizens, yet they live in fear of their parents’ deportation.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Napolitano Rejects 'Secure Border' Precondition for Progress on Immigration Reform Bill
Secretary Janet Napolitano says several different initiatives to improve border security will be launched soon and it does not have to be more secure before immigration reform will start. - - Donna Poisl
by Devin Dwyer, ABC News
An animated Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today said the need to intensify efforts to secure the southwest border should not be a precondition for progress on comprehensive immigration reform.
She made the comments after at least one Senate Republican suggested the White House was holding off on implementing stronger enforcement measures so that they could be a bargaining chip to lure Republicans to the table.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Devin Dwyer, ABC News
An animated Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today said the need to intensify efforts to secure the southwest border should not be a precondition for progress on comprehensive immigration reform.
She made the comments after at least one Senate Republican suggested the White House was holding off on implementing stronger enforcement measures so that they could be a bargaining chip to lure Republicans to the table.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Mexico sees silver lining in Arizona immigration law
Mexico is seeing a lot of support for the immigrants in this debate about the "papers please" laws. - - Donna Poisl
By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer
Mexico City -- As if the Arizona immigration law intended to scare off illegal immigrants were not bad enough, Mexicans lament, now a town in Nebraska has voted to bar undocumented residents from renting homes or securing jobs.
From the view south of the border, times could not be worse in terms of America´s disregard for Mexico.
But a curious thing is happening. Mexicans are also seeing a new level of American discontent percolating over US immigration initiatives, much of it coming from unexpected corners.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer
Mexico City -- As if the Arizona immigration law intended to scare off illegal immigrants were not bad enough, Mexicans lament, now a town in Nebraska has voted to bar undocumented residents from renting homes or securing jobs.
From the view south of the border, times could not be worse in terms of America´s disregard for Mexico.
But a curious thing is happening. Mexicans are also seeing a new level of American discontent percolating over US immigration initiatives, much of it coming from unexpected corners.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Evidence Arizona Immigration Law May Be Fatal Mistake for GOP
Maybe this new survey will convince all legislators to get busy on immigration reform this year. - - Donna Poisl
by Robert Creamer
There is compelling new evidence that Republicans will rue the day that they allowed their virulent anti-immigrant wing to grab the controls of the Republican Party.
In fact, contrary to much of the pundit chatter, a drama is playing out this fall that may doom Republicans to permanent minority status in America.
The passage of the Arizona "papers, please" anti-immigration law has forced Republican politicians around the country into a political box canyon that does not offer an easy escape. For fear of offending the emergent Tea Party - and other anti-immigrant zealots in their own base -- they are precipitating a massive realignment of Latino voters nationwide.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Robert Creamer
There is compelling new evidence that Republicans will rue the day that they allowed their virulent anti-immigrant wing to grab the controls of the Republican Party.
In fact, contrary to much of the pundit chatter, a drama is playing out this fall that may doom Republicans to permanent minority status in America.
The passage of the Arizona "papers, please" anti-immigration law has forced Republican politicians around the country into a political box canyon that does not offer an easy escape. For fear of offending the emergent Tea Party - and other anti-immigrant zealots in their own base -- they are precipitating a massive realignment of Latino voters nationwide.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Introducing RaiseYourVote.com
from Natalie Foster, New Media Director, Organizing for America
We just launched RaiseYourVote.com, the centerpiece of our huge voter registration effort.
RaiseYourVote.com isn't just a voter registration site. It serves as a powerful clearinghouse for voter information across the country -- armed with pretty much everything you need to know to cast your ballot. It even automatically personalizes to the user's location -- so when you visit the site, you'll see voter information for your state.
But the power of a site like this depends on how many voters see it.
Check out RaiseYourVote.com today -- and please share it with your friends.
The 2008 election was a pivotal moment for our democracy. We saw 15 million people cast ballots for the first time and millions more vote for the first time in decades. These voters helped put President Obama over the top, and made the difference in tight races across the country.
This site is about ensuring that we build on that same energy this year. Congressional elections are known to have lower participation than those for president, so we're starting early with a tool that will help get more Americans involved. And, really, RaiseYourVote.com is just the online part of our unprecedented voter registration efforts already under way on the ground, which we're ramping up with a national voter registration day of action across the country on July 17th.
Casting a ballot shouldn't be too hard or confusing for anyone -- and we're trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the information they need. In fact, we even created a RaiseYourVote.com "widget" that users can install on their own blogs or websites, making it easy for people everywhere to make registering to vote as simple as possible.
We just launched RaiseYourVote.com, the centerpiece of our huge voter registration effort.
RaiseYourVote.com isn't just a voter registration site. It serves as a powerful clearinghouse for voter information across the country -- armed with pretty much everything you need to know to cast your ballot. It even automatically personalizes to the user's location -- so when you visit the site, you'll see voter information for your state.
But the power of a site like this depends on how many voters see it.
Check out RaiseYourVote.com today -- and please share it with your friends.
The 2008 election was a pivotal moment for our democracy. We saw 15 million people cast ballots for the first time and millions more vote for the first time in decades. These voters helped put President Obama over the top, and made the difference in tight races across the country.
This site is about ensuring that we build on that same energy this year. Congressional elections are known to have lower participation than those for president, so we're starting early with a tool that will help get more Americans involved. And, really, RaiseYourVote.com is just the online part of our unprecedented voter registration efforts already under way on the ground, which we're ramping up with a national voter registration day of action across the country on July 17th.
Casting a ballot shouldn't be too hard or confusing for anyone -- and we're trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the information they need. In fact, we even created a RaiseYourVote.com "widget" that users can install on their own blogs or websites, making it easy for people everywhere to make registering to vote as simple as possible.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Keepers of the American Dream
sent by Fatima Lopez, Development Director, National Immigration Forum
This is such a great story.
Dennis Ogbe was born in Nigeria and contracted malaria at the age of 3. When he went to the clinic, a nurse accidentally broke a needle in his back, and he went into a coma. After three days in a coma, he survived but contracted polio, which left him with two paralyzed legs.
Today, Dennis is a talented discus and shot put thrower with a bachelor's degree and an MBA from American universities. Recently, Dennis realized two huge American Dreams: he became a U.S. citizen and he entered qualifiers for Team USA to compete in U.S. Paralympics. Read the rest of Dennis' remarkable story at http://keepersoftheamericandream.org/resources/news/paralympics
What odds did your family overcome to realize their American Dream?
Dennis' journey is nothing short of incredible. He is a testament not only to the power of the American Dream, but also to the strength of the human spirit. What does the American Dream mean to you?
Regardless of the circumstances, we all have something unique and valuable to contribute to the American Dream mosaic. Visit KeepersoftheAmericanDream.org today and tell us how you've been impacted by the American Dream!
This is such a great story.
Dennis Ogbe was born in Nigeria and contracted malaria at the age of 3. When he went to the clinic, a nurse accidentally broke a needle in his back, and he went into a coma. After three days in a coma, he survived but contracted polio, which left him with two paralyzed legs.
Today, Dennis is a talented discus and shot put thrower with a bachelor's degree and an MBA from American universities. Recently, Dennis realized two huge American Dreams: he became a U.S. citizen and he entered qualifiers for Team USA to compete in U.S. Paralympics. Read the rest of Dennis' remarkable story at http://keepersoftheamericandream.org/resources/news/paralympics
What odds did your family overcome to realize their American Dream?
Dennis' journey is nothing short of incredible. He is a testament not only to the power of the American Dream, but also to the strength of the human spirit. What does the American Dream mean to you?
Regardless of the circumstances, we all have something unique and valuable to contribute to the American Dream mosaic. Visit KeepersoftheAmericanDream.org today and tell us how you've been impacted by the American Dream!
Green Brook teacher's classes become an incubator for diversity, assimilation
This teacher uses more than books to teach her students English, she has Diversity Parties so they can learn about each others' cultures too. - - Donna Poisl
BY LAURIE LEVOY • STAFF WRITER
GREEN BROOK — A township teacher who helps immigrant children learn English says her classes offer more than vocabulary instruction.
"It's about creating a bond with the children and adults, and giving them a comfort level with our culture," said Helene Beck. It's also about breaking barriers."
One such way to do that is with Diversity Parties that she holds for the youngsters in her classes to celebrate year-end academic successes as well as cultural interaction.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
BY LAURIE LEVOY • STAFF WRITER
GREEN BROOK — A township teacher who helps immigrant children learn English says her classes offer more than vocabulary instruction.
"It's about creating a bond with the children and adults, and giving them a comfort level with our culture," said Helene Beck. It's also about breaking barriers."
One such way to do that is with Diversity Parties that she holds for the youngsters in her classes to celebrate year-end academic successes as well as cultural interaction.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
U.S. needs more, not fewer, immigrant workers
This writer tells us that the benefits of immigration are not understood and lists many reasons why we need more immigrant workers. - - Donna Poisl
By A. HAAG SHERMAN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Contrary to popular opinion, America does not have an immigration problem, but its current policies are creating one. In particular, America remains an attractive destination for immigrants, a boon for this nation. However, America is rapidly losing its competitive advantage in attracting immigrants to our shores. The loss to America, and its standing in the world, will be catastrophic.
Not surprisingly, America's biggest failure is a lack of understanding about the profound benefits of immigration. Immigration is this country's great "free lunch" and it represents a significant transfer of wealth from the rest of the world to the U.S. By way of example, think of an immigrant — even an unskilled one - coming to the U.S. at age 18. As any parent knows, the cost of producing an 18-year-old is significant (clothing, shelter and rudimentary education).
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By A. HAAG SHERMAN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Contrary to popular opinion, America does not have an immigration problem, but its current policies are creating one. In particular, America remains an attractive destination for immigrants, a boon for this nation. However, America is rapidly losing its competitive advantage in attracting immigrants to our shores. The loss to America, and its standing in the world, will be catastrophic.
Not surprisingly, America's biggest failure is a lack of understanding about the profound benefits of immigration. Immigration is this country's great "free lunch" and it represents a significant transfer of wealth from the rest of the world to the U.S. By way of example, think of an immigrant — even an unskilled one - coming to the U.S. at age 18. As any parent knows, the cost of producing an 18-year-old is significant (clothing, shelter and rudimentary education).
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GWHCC'S 34th Annual Gala Moving Forward and Creating Opportunities
PRESS RELEASE
GWHCC'S 34th Annual Gala Moving Forward and Creating Opportunities
FRIDAY JUNE 18th, 2010 7:00 pm WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER
WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- This Friday June 18th the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) will host its 34th Annual Gala. GWHCC is celebrating its accomplishments in supporting small, Hispanic and other local minority-owned business to move forward in a recovering economy. Over the past year many exciting developments have taken place at the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. From the expansion of technical assistance programs in Washington DC and Arlington to the successful business expo held in April, the Chamber has continued to provide small businesses with the resources they need to grow. As the Chamber enters the 34th year of service, its funders, sponsors, supporters, members, staff and board of directors will celebrate these achievements and look forward to the future success of the Hispanic business community in our nation's capital.
The GWHCC 34th Annual Gala, "Moving Forward and Creating Opportunities", will highlight the importance of the Hispanic business community and its influence in the DC Metropolitan area. It will also celebrate the Chamber's accomplishments while presenting guests with a dynamic platform to facilitate and strengthen partnerships among entrepreneurs and various local and federal agencies. More than 250 business leaders in the area will gather to support the Chamber's mission in bringing economic progress to entrepreneurs and the communities they serve.
WHO:
Angela Franco, president & CEO, GWHCC
Greg O'Dell, president & CEO, Washington Convention and Sports Authority
Valerie Santos, deputy mayor, Office of Planning and Economic Development
DC Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Ward 4
DC Councilmember Michael Brown, At-Large
DC Councilmember Harry Thomas, Ward 5
Mistress of Ceremonies - Liliana Henao, anchor news, Telemundo Washington
More than 250 business and community leaders
WHEN:
Friday, June 18th, 2010
7:00-11:00 pm
WHERE:
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Room 201
Washington, DC 20001
RSVP:
To purchase tickets please visit http://www.gwhcc.org/gala . For more information, contact the Chamber via email to info@gwhcc.org or call at 202.728.0352
SPONSORS: Lanigan, Ryan, Malcolm & Doyle, Verizon, Telemundo, American Airlines, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, El Tiempo Latino, Giant Food, John Marshall Bank, Keystone Plus Construction, KV Limo, Pepco, PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Toyota, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Postal Service, Verizon Wireless, Walmart, Washington Gas, among others.
About the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven organization that supports the economic development of the Greater Washington metropolitan area by facilitating the success of Latino and other minority-owned businesses and the communities they serve through networking, advocacy, education, and access to capital. The Chamber was founded in 1976 and is 501(c)6. For additional information visit our website www.gwhcc.org
SOURCE Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
-0- 06/17/2010
/CONTACT: Magda Cardenas of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, +1-202-728-0352, mcardenas@gwhcc.org/
GWHCC'S 34th Annual Gala Moving Forward and Creating Opportunities
FRIDAY JUNE 18th, 2010 7:00 pm WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER
WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- This Friday June 18th the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) will host its 34th Annual Gala. GWHCC is celebrating its accomplishments in supporting small, Hispanic and other local minority-owned business to move forward in a recovering economy. Over the past year many exciting developments have taken place at the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. From the expansion of technical assistance programs in Washington DC and Arlington to the successful business expo held in April, the Chamber has continued to provide small businesses with the resources they need to grow. As the Chamber enters the 34th year of service, its funders, sponsors, supporters, members, staff and board of directors will celebrate these achievements and look forward to the future success of the Hispanic business community in our nation's capital.
The GWHCC 34th Annual Gala, "Moving Forward and Creating Opportunities", will highlight the importance of the Hispanic business community and its influence in the DC Metropolitan area. It will also celebrate the Chamber's accomplishments while presenting guests with a dynamic platform to facilitate and strengthen partnerships among entrepreneurs and various local and federal agencies. More than 250 business leaders in the area will gather to support the Chamber's mission in bringing economic progress to entrepreneurs and the communities they serve.
WHO:
Angela Franco, president & CEO, GWHCC
Greg O'Dell, president & CEO, Washington Convention and Sports Authority
Valerie Santos, deputy mayor, Office of Planning and Economic Development
DC Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Ward 4
DC Councilmember Michael Brown, At-Large
DC Councilmember Harry Thomas, Ward 5
Mistress of Ceremonies - Liliana Henao, anchor news, Telemundo Washington
More than 250 business and community leaders
WHEN:
Friday, June 18th, 2010
7:00-11:00 pm
WHERE:
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Room 201
Washington, DC 20001
RSVP:
To purchase tickets please visit http://www.gwhcc.org/gala . For more information, contact the Chamber via email to info@gwhcc.org or call at 202.728.0352
SPONSORS: Lanigan, Ryan, Malcolm & Doyle, Verizon, Telemundo, American Airlines, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, El Tiempo Latino, Giant Food, John Marshall Bank, Keystone Plus Construction, KV Limo, Pepco, PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Toyota, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Postal Service, Verizon Wireless, Walmart, Washington Gas, among others.
About the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven organization that supports the economic development of the Greater Washington metropolitan area by facilitating the success of Latino and other minority-owned businesses and the communities they serve through networking, advocacy, education, and access to capital. The Chamber was founded in 1976 and is 501(c)6. For additional information visit our website www.gwhcc.org
SOURCE Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
-0- 06/17/2010
/CONTACT: Magda Cardenas of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, +1-202-728-0352, mcardenas@gwhcc.org/
Who Are You Calling Names?
This article is fascinating. This quote from the article sums up the whole point: "Blaming immigrant workers for our economic catastrophe is like blaming shrimpers for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico" - - Donna Poisl
by Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO
"Wop." "Hunkie." "Polack." "Kike."
When I was a kid growing up in Nemacolin, Pa., those are some of the slurs people used for us.
Why? Because our parents or grandparents came to this country from somewhere else, fleeing poverty and war, seeking opportunity and hope. As a kid, every person I knew who was older than 50 spoke broken English.
Those names hurt. But they also determined almost everything about us -- where we would live, where we would worship, where we would go to school, where we could work.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO
"Wop." "Hunkie." "Polack." "Kike."
When I was a kid growing up in Nemacolin, Pa., those are some of the slurs people used for us.
Why? Because our parents or grandparents came to this country from somewhere else, fleeing poverty and war, seeking opportunity and hope. As a kid, every person I knew who was older than 50 spoke broken English.
Those names hurt. But they also determined almost everything about us -- where we would live, where we would worship, where we would go to school, where we could work.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Case deepens immigration debate
This Harvard student is a perfect example of why the DREAM Act is needed now. It will help many children just like him. - - Donna Poisl
Backers say Harvard student is poster child for Dream Act
By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff
CAMBRIDGE — The memory is a blurry snapshot in his mind. Eric Balderas was 4 years old, curled up under covers on a raft. He could see the sun poking through the sky, hear whispers above him, and feel the swell of the Rio Grande below.
It was the day his family crossed the border illegally from Mexico into the United States — a day that shadowed him all his life and until Friday threatened to derail his extraordinary rise from the son of a factory worker, to high school valedictorian in Texas, to Harvard college student.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Backers say Harvard student is poster child for Dream Act
By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff
CAMBRIDGE — The memory is a blurry snapshot in his mind. Eric Balderas was 4 years old, curled up under covers on a raft. He could see the sun poking through the sky, hear whispers above him, and feel the swell of the Rio Grande below.
It was the day his family crossed the border illegally from Mexico into the United States — a day that shadowed him all his life and until Friday threatened to derail his extraordinary rise from the son of a factory worker, to high school valedictorian in Texas, to Harvard college student.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Do Spanish-Speaking Immigrants Resist Assimilation?
The answer, of course, is "no". The immigrants now are the same as all immigrant groups for more than 100 years. - - Donna Poisl
by Ariel Goldring
Well, consider how Spanish-speaking immigrants are acquiring English compared to earlier European immigrants:
Click on the headline above to see the graph and read the analysis!
by Ariel Goldring
Well, consider how Spanish-speaking immigrants are acquiring English compared to earlier European immigrants:
Click on the headline above to see the graph and read the analysis!
American dream: Exhibit shows identity battles for children of illegal immigrants
This new exhibit has photos of children of illegal immigrants, brought here as very young kids and who have grown up as Americans, although not legally. They have no memory or ties to their birth countries. - - Donna Poisl
By Lee Davidson, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — With wind blowing her long hair and dangling earrings, the Utah teenager in the photo crosses both hands over her heart — as if making the biggest wish of her life.
"I hold hope in my hands," the girl wrote in a note with her portrait. "It is the hope that one day I will be seen as a human instead of an alien."
That same hope led a social worker and a photographer to team up over two years to create an exhibit that tells stories of children who were brought to Utah by illegal-immigrant parents and the no-man's land they enter as they become adults.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Lee Davidson, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — With wind blowing her long hair and dangling earrings, the Utah teenager in the photo crosses both hands over her heart — as if making the biggest wish of her life.
"I hold hope in my hands," the girl wrote in a note with her portrait. "It is the hope that one day I will be seen as a human instead of an alien."
That same hope led a social worker and a photographer to team up over two years to create an exhibit that tells stories of children who were brought to Utah by illegal-immigrant parents and the no-man's land they enter as they become adults.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Hispanic Youth at Ease in Two Cultures
A new study has shown how young Hispanics (most born here) between ages 16 and 29 feel about themselves and their place in this country and their community. Very interesting. - - Donna Poisl
by Victor Manuel Ramos
Fernando Nunez Esquiaqui feels as comfortable speaking English and Spanish as he does eating hamburgers and Colombian arepas.
But he is not an immigrant.
Nunez was born in Los Angeles more than 19 years ago and is part of a tide of young Americans of Hispanic heritage who feel at ease between two cultures -- and embrace both.
"I feel extremely proud of being an American because I was born in this country, but to me being an American allows me to also be proud of my Colombian roots, because we all come from immigrants," said Nunez, an east Orange County resident and student at Valencia Community College.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Victor Manuel Ramos
Fernando Nunez Esquiaqui feels as comfortable speaking English and Spanish as he does eating hamburgers and Colombian arepas.
But he is not an immigrant.
Nunez was born in Los Angeles more than 19 years ago and is part of a tide of young Americans of Hispanic heritage who feel at ease between two cultures -- and embrace both.
"I feel extremely proud of being an American because I was born in this country, but to me being an American allows me to also be proud of my Colombian roots, because we all come from immigrants," said Nunez, an east Orange County resident and student at Valencia Community College.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Hundreds of Immigrants Become Citizens on Flag Day
163 immigrants from 36 countries became citizens on Flag Day in this ceremony. Others did the same in ceremonies all over the country. - - Donna Poisl
by Mai Martinez
CHICAGO (CBS) ―An Archer Heights school became a melting pot today as people from around the globe walked in as immigrants and left as U.S. citizens. On this Flag Day, CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports on some people who are truly proud to be an American.
They came from around the world, each with their own story, but sharing one common dream--to become a U.S. citizen.
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by Mai Martinez
CHICAGO (CBS) ―An Archer Heights school became a melting pot today as people from around the globe walked in as immigrants and left as U.S. citizens. On this Flag Day, CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports on some people who are truly proud to be an American.
They came from around the world, each with their own story, but sharing one common dream--to become a U.S. citizen.
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Monday, June 14, 2010
A Smart Exception
This piece gives some interesting statistics about immigrants and how much they have done for this country in the past century. - - Donna Poisl
by David Gergen
As H.L. Mencken once observed, “There is always a well-known solution to every human problem -- neat, plausible, and wrong.” So often true. But when it comes to creating American jobs, there is also a partial solution that is neat, plausible, and right.
It lies in our immigration policies. For more than five years, Washington has wrestled so hard with the vexing problem of illegal immigration that we have forgotten how much we can gain from legal immigrants. Indeed, they can be an enormous source of vitality -- and jobs.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by David Gergen
As H.L. Mencken once observed, “There is always a well-known solution to every human problem -- neat, plausible, and wrong.” So often true. But when it comes to creating American jobs, there is also a partial solution that is neat, plausible, and right.
It lies in our immigration policies. For more than five years, Washington has wrestled so hard with the vexing problem of illegal immigration that we have forgotten how much we can gain from legal immigrants. Indeed, they can be an enormous source of vitality -- and jobs.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Viviana Cruz of Carrollton: Fulfill the dreams of children of illegal immigrants
This opinion is written by a very eloquent high student student who has friends waiting for the DREAM Act to be signed. - - Donna Poisl
by Viviana Cruz, senior at Newman Smith High School
It's been almost 100 years since the greatest critique of the American Dream was published, a subtle stab at the materialistic sentiment prevalent in post-World War I American society. I wonder if the disillusioned literary master, F. Scott Fitzgerald, would once again cast his gaze down and turn his back in shame at American society today.
When most people think of The Great Gatsby, they think of the materialism. We aren't all that materialistic, nor is 2010 exactly 1922, in its prosperous, victorious superficial glory. In fact, we are fighting another nation's war, struggling to secure our own borders and desperately seeking to escape a recession. So why would 2010 cause Fitzgerald to feel anything but reassurance that the United States had come a long way from that anomie-loving country of the 1920s?
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by Viviana Cruz, senior at Newman Smith High School
It's been almost 100 years since the greatest critique of the American Dream was published, a subtle stab at the materialistic sentiment prevalent in post-World War I American society. I wonder if the disillusioned literary master, F. Scott Fitzgerald, would once again cast his gaze down and turn his back in shame at American society today.
When most people think of The Great Gatsby, they think of the materialism. We aren't all that materialistic, nor is 2010 exactly 1922, in its prosperous, victorious superficial glory. In fact, we are fighting another nation's war, struggling to secure our own borders and desperately seeking to escape a recession. So why would 2010 cause Fitzgerald to feel anything but reassurance that the United States had come a long way from that anomie-loving country of the 1920s?
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
‘Got Culture’ will celebrate history, diversity
This week-long symposium is discussing the history of this area regarding the immigrants who settled it from almost all countries of the world. Some of the sessions are open to the public. Go to http://conflictresolution.und.nodak.edu for the schedule. - - Donna Poisl
By: Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald
With smiles, handshakes and family stories, many of the peoples of Grand Forks will gather this week to compare notes on immigration, assimilation and the increasing ethnic diversity of the region.
The week long symposium, “Got Culture? Exploring Our Diversity,” is organized by the UND Conflict Resolution Center and Lutheran Social Services’ New American Services, and is aimed primarily at educators, social service providers and others who work with new immigrants and refugees.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By: Chuck Haga, Grand Forks Herald
With smiles, handshakes and family stories, many of the peoples of Grand Forks will gather this week to compare notes on immigration, assimilation and the increasing ethnic diversity of the region.
The week long symposium, “Got Culture? Exploring Our Diversity,” is organized by the UND Conflict Resolution Center and Lutheran Social Services’ New American Services, and is aimed primarily at educators, social service providers and others who work with new immigrants and refugees.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Seeking asylum, dozens of Somalis wait in Tacoma
These refugees traveled through many countries to get here and expected to have an easy time with their asylum request. But they are in detention and don't know what will happen now. They paid many thousands of dollars to get here and it is not what they expected. - - Donna Poisl
By MANUEL VALDES, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TACOMA, Wash. -- Dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, 21-year-old Allie Muktar - the only one who can speak English well in a group of about 40 Somali men - interprets legal tips from a pro-bono attorney in a meeting room of the Northwest Detention Center.
All the men are seeking asylum in the United States after entering the country through Mexico. They are part of a growing number of East African immigrants who in recent years have used routes traditionally traveled by Latino immigrants
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By MANUEL VALDES, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TACOMA, Wash. -- Dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, 21-year-old Allie Muktar - the only one who can speak English well in a group of about 40 Somali men - interprets legal tips from a pro-bono attorney in a meeting room of the Northwest Detention Center.
All the men are seeking asylum in the United States after entering the country through Mexico. They are part of a growing number of East African immigrants who in recent years have used routes traditionally traveled by Latino immigrants
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Census: U.S. Moving Rapidly Toward Minority-Majority
Estimates from 2009 show whites will be a minority by 2050, we will see what the new census reports in a year or so. - - Donna Poisl
from HispanicBusiness.com
WASHINGTON - The minority population in the United States is steadily rising and now makes up 35 percent of the total, advancing an unmistakable trend that could render them the new American majority by mid-century.
New Census estimates for 2009 show minorities added 2.5 per cent, or 107.2 million people, boosted by a surge in Hispanic births and more people who described themselves as multiracial. During this time, the white population remained flat, making up roughly 199.9 million, or 65 per cent, of the country.
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from HispanicBusiness.com
WASHINGTON - The minority population in the United States is steadily rising and now makes up 35 percent of the total, advancing an unmistakable trend that could render them the new American majority by mid-century.
New Census estimates for 2009 show minorities added 2.5 per cent, or 107.2 million people, boosted by a surge in Hispanic births and more people who described themselves as multiracial. During this time, the white population remained flat, making up roughly 199.9 million, or 65 per cent, of the country.
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English Language Learners and the Power of Personal Stories
Mr. Ferlazzo has written a book about teaching English learners in ways that actually work. - - Donna Poisl
By LARRY FERLAZZO
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
–William Butler Yeats
Community organizers talk about the difference between “irritation” and “agitation.” We tend to irritate people when we push them to do what we want them to do — when we “fill up the pail,” in the words of William Butler Yeats. But we can agitate people when we challenge them to take action on something that they believe is in their self-interest. That’s when we can “light a fire.”
In my twenty years as a community organizer, my job was to listen to people’s stories, then use those stories as a way to light fires.
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By LARRY FERLAZZO
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
–William Butler Yeats
Community organizers talk about the difference between “irritation” and “agitation.” We tend to irritate people when we push them to do what we want them to do — when we “fill up the pail,” in the words of William Butler Yeats. But we can agitate people when we challenge them to take action on something that they believe is in their self-interest. That’s when we can “light a fire.”
In my twenty years as a community organizer, my job was to listen to people’s stories, then use those stories as a way to light fires.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Editorial: Library helps immigrants learn English
This library received a grant to continue its good work, teaching English to immigrants. - - Donna Poisl
THE NEWS-PRESS EDITORIAL
Immigrants are generally eager to learn English; the people who teach them are helping those newcomers and the rest of society as well.
So congratulations to the Lee County Library System for being chosen by the American Library Association as one of only 70 libraries to receive a $5,000 grant to teach English to non-English speakers. The grant is funded by the Dollar General Foundation.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
THE NEWS-PRESS EDITORIAL
Immigrants are generally eager to learn English; the people who teach them are helping those newcomers and the rest of society as well.
So congratulations to the Lee County Library System for being chosen by the American Library Association as one of only 70 libraries to receive a $5,000 grant to teach English to non-English speakers. The grant is funded by the Dollar General Foundation.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Why Are Christians So Divided About Illegal Immigration?
A good article, looking at the viewpoints of all sides and wondering how to bring them together. - - Donna Poisl
by Mark D. Roberts
If you've been following this blog series on illegal immigration, or if you've been listening to Christians talk about this issue, then you know there is a wide array of opinions, many of which are contradictory. Consider, for example, the question of whether people who are in this country illegally should be deported. For some Christians, the call to love and respect all people and a commitment to the family means that we must not deport undocumented workers, especially parents of children, who have not committed a crime (apart from being in this country illegally).
Other Christians, emphasizing the need to uphold the law and to respect the rightful authority of the government, argue that deportation, however painful it might be, is the only just starting point for those who do not have the legal right to remain in this country. Then there are many Christians who viewpoint is somewhere between these two poles. And this diversity concerns only the matter of deportation. You'd find a similar breadth of opinion about other matters related to the larger issue of illegal immigration.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Mark D. Roberts
If you've been following this blog series on illegal immigration, or if you've been listening to Christians talk about this issue, then you know there is a wide array of opinions, many of which are contradictory. Consider, for example, the question of whether people who are in this country illegally should be deported. For some Christians, the call to love and respect all people and a commitment to the family means that we must not deport undocumented workers, especially parents of children, who have not committed a crime (apart from being in this country illegally).
Other Christians, emphasizing the need to uphold the law and to respect the rightful authority of the government, argue that deportation, however painful it might be, is the only just starting point for those who do not have the legal right to remain in this country. Then there are many Christians who viewpoint is somewhere between these two poles. And this diversity concerns only the matter of deportation. You'd find a similar breadth of opinion about other matters related to the larger issue of illegal immigration.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Outreach program to encourage citizenship for immigrants
This program has resources for immigrants who are ready to apply for citizenship. English classes, civics and history, and all other information they need to qualify. - - Donna Poisl
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins a federal official in announcing partnership offering information at libraries and recreation centers.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
Immigrants who are interested in learning English and becoming citizens can now access information at libraries and recreation centers throughout Los Angeles under a new partnership between local and federal officials.
The goal of the program — the first in the nation — is to promote citizenship and strengthen integration through education, outreach and civic participation.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the partnership Thursday during a citizenship class at Evans Community Adult School near downtown.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins a federal official in announcing partnership offering information at libraries and recreation centers.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
Immigrants who are interested in learning English and becoming citizens can now access information at libraries and recreation centers throughout Los Angeles under a new partnership between local and federal officials.
The goal of the program — the first in the nation — is to promote citizenship and strengthen integration through education, outreach and civic participation.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the partnership Thursday during a citizenship class at Evans Community Adult School near downtown.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Frederick County Muslim Council hopes to assimilate community members
This doctor is trying to bring Muslims in his community into the mainstream, so they and the rest of the residents are working together and have good relationships. - - Donna Poisl
By Nicholas C. Stern, News-Post Staff
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Syed Haque, like many Muslims across the region and the country, began to fear for the safety and the future of his family, friends and community members.
Haque is a local internal medicine physician born, raised and educated in Pakistan. He has lived in Frederick for about 10 years.
Interested in democratic politics since his university days, Haque had already been mulling ways to encourage the greater assimilation of local Muslims in the community and in local politics when terrorists crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Nicholas C. Stern, News-Post Staff
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Syed Haque, like many Muslims across the region and the country, began to fear for the safety and the future of his family, friends and community members.
Haque is a local internal medicine physician born, raised and educated in Pakistan. He has lived in Frederick for about 10 years.
Interested in democratic politics since his university days, Haque had already been mulling ways to encourage the greater assimilation of local Muslims in the community and in local politics when terrorists crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Click on the headline above to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
National Immigrant Integration Conference, "Becoming Americans"
National Immigrant Integration Conference Boston, MA -
September 29 - October 1, 2010
You are invited to the annual National Immigrant Integration Conference in Boston, Sept 29-Oct. 1!
The conference will gather policymakers, practitioners, researchers and advocates to emphasize promising practices across four areas: naturalization, the economy, host communities, and justices. Workshop topics include education, fund raising for integration, civic engagement, and community and workforce development.
Details & registration: www.integrationconference.org or click on the headline above.
September 29 - October 1, 2010
You are invited to the annual National Immigrant Integration Conference in Boston, Sept 29-Oct. 1!
The conference will gather policymakers, practitioners, researchers and advocates to emphasize promising practices across four areas: naturalization, the economy, host communities, and justices. Workshop topics include education, fund raising for integration, civic engagement, and community and workforce development.
Details & registration: www.integrationconference.org or click on the headline above.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Clinics try to remove cultural barriers
This clinic has many things to assist foreign born patients. Translators, multilingual signs, staff who understand their cultural differences. - - Donna Poisl
BY CYNTHIA BILLHARTZ GREGORIAN, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Multilingual signs were recently installed at both Family Care Health Centers. Now, patients who have come to the St. Louis area from Bosnia, Vietnam and Spanish-speaking countries and don't speak English will be able to find the restrooms, laboratories and cashiers without having to ask.
Family Care Health Centers has two locations, one on Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast and another on Holly Hills Avenue in the Carondelet neighborhood. Together they serve about 21,000 patients, and English is not the first language for about 15 percent of them, said Robert Massie, CEO of the centers.
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BY CYNTHIA BILLHARTZ GREGORIAN, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Multilingual signs were recently installed at both Family Care Health Centers. Now, patients who have come to the St. Louis area from Bosnia, Vietnam and Spanish-speaking countries and don't speak English will be able to find the restrooms, laboratories and cashiers without having to ask.
Family Care Health Centers has two locations, one on Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast and another on Holly Hills Avenue in the Carondelet neighborhood. Together they serve about 21,000 patients, and English is not the first language for about 15 percent of them, said Robert Massie, CEO of the centers.
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Making strides in care for refugees, immigrants
New clinics and organizations are helping refugees and immigrants get good health care. Sometimes the drawback is language, other times it is cultural differences, but these women are often not diagnosed in time to save them. - - Donna Poisl
BY CYNTHIA BILLHARTZ GREGORIAN, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Joumana Kheireddine, an immigrant from Beirut, Lebanon, could feel the lump in her breast. A big, hard lump.
Three times, the 35-year-old mother of four went to a community health center in St. Louis in 2006. And all three times a doctor there barely examined her before pronouncing her too young to have breast cancer, she said.
Months passed. In January 2007, Kheireddine broke her back. That's when she learned she had Stage 4 breast cancer that had metastasized to bones throughout her body.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
BY CYNTHIA BILLHARTZ GREGORIAN, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Joumana Kheireddine, an immigrant from Beirut, Lebanon, could feel the lump in her breast. A big, hard lump.
Three times, the 35-year-old mother of four went to a community health center in St. Louis in 2006. And all three times a doctor there barely examined her before pronouncing her too young to have breast cancer, she said.
Months passed. In January 2007, Kheireddine broke her back. That's when she learned she had Stage 4 breast cancer that had metastasized to bones throughout her body.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Mideast meets Midwest in Detroit suburb
Arab immigrants originally moved to Detroit to work in the auto industry. When those jobs decreased, they started opening up their own businesses and have created a whole new community. - - Donna Poisl
By Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writer
DEARBORN, Mich. — With a massive mosque, minarets and scores of Arabic-signed stores and restaurants, parts of this city look like the Middle East.
But Dearborn is a lot closer than Beirut, Damascus or Cairo. And while this Detroit suburb may be better known as the hometown of Ford Motor Co., it's also where the Mideast meets the Midwest. A third of the city's 100,000 residents trace their roots to the Arab world.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writer
DEARBORN, Mich. — With a massive mosque, minarets and scores of Arabic-signed stores and restaurants, parts of this city look like the Middle East.
But Dearborn is a lot closer than Beirut, Damascus or Cairo. And while this Detroit suburb may be better known as the hometown of Ford Motor Co., it's also where the Mideast meets the Midwest. A third of the city's 100,000 residents trace their roots to the Arab world.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Fee Increase for Immigration Papers Planned
Sometime in the next few months some of the fees will be increased for citizenship applicants. And some will be reduced. Check out the whole story. - - Donna Poisl
By JULIA PRESTON
The Obama administration on Wednesday proposed an overall increase of about 10 percent in fees for immigration documents, but kept the fee for immigrants to become United States citizens unchanged.
Alejandro Mayorkas, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the fee increase was necessary because declining applications for documents in the past two years had lowered revenues and left his agency — which is 90 percent financed by fees — with a budget shortfall of about $200 million for the coming fiscal year.
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By JULIA PRESTON
The Obama administration on Wednesday proposed an overall increase of about 10 percent in fees for immigration documents, but kept the fee for immigrants to become United States citizens unchanged.
Alejandro Mayorkas, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the fee increase was necessary because declining applications for documents in the past two years had lowered revenues and left his agency — which is 90 percent financed by fees — with a budget shortfall of about $200 million for the coming fiscal year.
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Hispanics in the US: Life in Spanglish
This BBC website has several very interesting articles about Hispanics in the U.S. Written by the same author, she has researched and written from a British view. Very interesting. - - Donna Poisl
By Ana Lucia Gonzalez, BBC News
Spanish can be heard on the streets of almost any major American city these days, as Hispanic immigrants mingle with the English-speaking majority.
But an increasing number, particularly children who've been through US schools, are bilingual. Very often they switch between languages within a single sentence, or borrow English words and put them into Spanish, making a hybrid known as Spanglish.
This group is now too big for media organisations and advertisers to ignore. New ways of broadcasting and marketing products are being developed to target them.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Ana Lucia Gonzalez, BBC News
Spanish can be heard on the streets of almost any major American city these days, as Hispanic immigrants mingle with the English-speaking majority.
But an increasing number, particularly children who've been through US schools, are bilingual. Very often they switch between languages within a single sentence, or borrow English words and put them into Spanish, making a hybrid known as Spanglish.
This group is now too big for media organisations and advertisers to ignore. New ways of broadcasting and marketing products are being developed to target them.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Hispanics in the US: A new generation. Generation 1.5
An interesting report about the immigrant kids who were brought here by their parents as babies, then with brothers and sisters being born here. - - Donna Poisl
By Ana Lucia Gonzalez, BBC News
They were brought to the US at a young age by the parents, first generation immigrants who often still have close ties to their home countries.
Younger brothers and sisters were born in America, second generation immigrants who enjoy the status of US citizens.
Not Generation 1.5. Despite having lived most of their lives in the US and speaking fluent English, many cannot legally work, vote or drive in most US states.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Ana Lucia Gonzalez, BBC News
They were brought to the US at a young age by the parents, first generation immigrants who often still have close ties to their home countries.
Younger brothers and sisters were born in America, second generation immigrants who enjoy the status of US citizens.
Not Generation 1.5. Despite having lived most of their lives in the US and speaking fluent English, many cannot legally work, vote or drive in most US states.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
The Journey of Joseph -- A Teen North Korean Refugee
A difficult story with a happy ending. This homeless orphan in North Korea was rescued and is now a high school senior in California with a bright future. - - Donna Poisl
posted by: Nicole Nuss
Joseph is a North Korean refugee who was resettled in the US in 2007 after LiNK, or Liberty in North Korea, rescued him from hiding in China. He is now a high school senior ranked among the top of his class and interned at LiNK's headquarters office in California last summer to spread awareness of the North Korea crisis and to learn about youth advocacy. Below is his story of escape, survival and eventually freedom.
I was born into a family of farmers. When I was 13, my father passed away from starvation. My sister then crossed over the border to China to earn money and find food, but she never returned. Soon after, my mother also disappeared and I became an orphan. I couldn't understand why this happened to me. My dad passed away because of food, because of one piece of bread, one bowl of rice.
Learn more about LiNK's work: http://linkglobal.org/who-we-are/our-projects.html
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
posted by: Nicole Nuss
Joseph is a North Korean refugee who was resettled in the US in 2007 after LiNK, or Liberty in North Korea, rescued him from hiding in China. He is now a high school senior ranked among the top of his class and interned at LiNK's headquarters office in California last summer to spread awareness of the North Korea crisis and to learn about youth advocacy. Below is his story of escape, survival and eventually freedom.
I was born into a family of farmers. When I was 13, my father passed away from starvation. My sister then crossed over the border to China to earn money and find food, but she never returned. Soon after, my mother also disappeared and I became an orphan. I couldn't understand why this happened to me. My dad passed away because of food, because of one piece of bread, one bowl of rice.
Learn more about LiNK's work: http://linkglobal.org/who-we-are/our-projects.html
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
GET YOUR FREE WRISTBAND! against SB1070
Join Democracia Ahora and Reform Immigration For America in challenging SB1070 by signing our declaration - ASK ME FOR MY PAPERS! Everyone who signs will receive a FREE Wristband to show their solidarity with Arizona. The shipping is on us!
For more information email: Info@Democracia-Ahora.org
Limited supply
Click on the headline to order.
For more information email: Info@Democracia-Ahora.org
Limited supply
Click on the headline to order.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
People of Color Get Skin Cancer, Too
Hispanics and Africans and all other people with dark skin color should be aware of skin cancer, especially if they have come here recently and spent most of their lives in hot sunny countries. - - Donna Poisl
by Harry Jackson Jr.
Mary Clemons' bout with skin cancer has a happy ending. In fact, she didn't have much trouble with it at all.
But she realized the message: "Skin cancer, I never thought it would be skin cancer," said Clemons, 83. "I don't know one black person with skin cancer."
She wants others to know that while skin cancer among black people is rare, it's not unheard of.
Dr. Scott Fosko, chairman of the department of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, said that people of color actually have a higher death rate from melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Harry Jackson Jr.
Mary Clemons' bout with skin cancer has a happy ending. In fact, she didn't have much trouble with it at all.
But she realized the message: "Skin cancer, I never thought it would be skin cancer," said Clemons, 83. "I don't know one black person with skin cancer."
She wants others to know that while skin cancer among black people is rare, it's not unheard of.
Dr. Scott Fosko, chairman of the department of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, said that people of color actually have a higher death rate from melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Study touts long-term advantages of foreign workers
The Migration Policy Institute's new report proves that foreign workers are good for the country and the economy. Many people know this, but people against immigration and immigrants will probably never believe it. - - Donna Poisl
A study released Monday said immigrant workers in the long run are good for the economy.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
Immigrant workers reduce job opportunities for native-born workers in the short run, but improve the economy after several years, thus making it easier for everybody to be hired, according to a study released Monday.
"Immigration may slightly reduce native employment and average income at first,'' according to the 26-page report The Impact of Immigrants in Recession and Economic Expansion. "In the long run, immigrants do not reduce native employment rates, but they do increase productivity and hence average income.''
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
A study released Monday said immigrant workers in the long run are good for the economy.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
Immigrant workers reduce job opportunities for native-born workers in the short run, but improve the economy after several years, thus making it easier for everybody to be hired, according to a study released Monday.
"Immigration may slightly reduce native employment and average income at first,'' according to the 26-page report The Impact of Immigrants in Recession and Economic Expansion. "In the long run, immigrants do not reduce native employment rates, but they do increase productivity and hence average income.''
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
In Washington, mulberry trees offer many immigrants a taste of home
Mulberry trees are considered a weed in D.C., but many immigrants know the berries are delicious and easy to pick. It also reminds them of their former home. - - Donna Poisl
By Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post Staff Writer
The rush-hour rainstorm didn't faze Sara Shokravi as she parked in Rosslyn, ducked into a Starbucks restroom to change out of her work clothes and marched down to a narrow offramp that feeds motorists onto the Key Bridge.
Ignoring the cars that splashed water onto the grass, Shokravi, a 27-year-old consultant, pulled out a plastic bag, stopped at a tree laden with red and black berries, and started picking.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post Staff Writer
The rush-hour rainstorm didn't faze Sara Shokravi as she parked in Rosslyn, ducked into a Starbucks restroom to change out of her work clothes and marched down to a narrow offramp that feeds motorists onto the Key Bridge.
Ignoring the cars that splashed water onto the grass, Shokravi, a 27-year-old consultant, pulled out a plastic bag, stopped at a tree laden with red and black berries, and started picking.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Immigration Makes Our Cities Safer. Even in Arizona
Many people think illegal immigration makes the crime rate rise. The opposite is true, many border cities are the safest in the country. The new AZ law may make the cities more dangerous, immigrants will be too afraid to cooperate with police and report crimes. - - Donna Poisl
by: Jessica Pieklo
Illegal trafficking in both people and narcotics is a problem plaguing the Arizona border. It's why the Obama administration pledged 1200 National Guard troops near the border. And supporters of SB 1070 would have you believe that it's a crime wave tied to scores of illegal immigrants. Not so fast.
Violent crime in Arizona, and other states that have a significant immigrant populations, has been consistently on the decline, especially recently. For example, after a spike in 2006 and 2007, the number of violent crimes reported in Phoenix dropped to 10,465 in 2008 and to 8,730 in 2009. That decrease even includes murder.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by: Jessica Pieklo
Illegal trafficking in both people and narcotics is a problem plaguing the Arizona border. It's why the Obama administration pledged 1200 National Guard troops near the border. And supporters of SB 1070 would have you believe that it's a crime wave tied to scores of illegal immigrants. Not so fast.
Violent crime in Arizona, and other states that have a significant immigrant populations, has been consistently on the decline, especially recently. For example, after a spike in 2006 and 2007, the number of violent crimes reported in Phoenix dropped to 10,465 in 2008 and to 8,730 in 2009. That decrease even includes murder.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Hundreds rally in Fresno for immigration reform
Rallies all over the country are showing support for immigration reform. - - Donna Poisl
By Chris Collins / The Fresno Bee
As part of a nationwide effort to push immigration reform forward in Washington, D.C., hundreds of people from across the Central Valley gathered Sunday at a church in northwest Fresno to rally for the cause.
Organizers estimated that about 800 people -- some of them bused in from Merced, Modesto and Sacramento -- packed the air-conditioned gym of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. They listened to speakers who called for reform and from illegal immigrants who told stories of being separated from their families.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Chris Collins / The Fresno Bee
As part of a nationwide effort to push immigration reform forward in Washington, D.C., hundreds of people from across the Central Valley gathered Sunday at a church in northwest Fresno to rally for the cause.
Organizers estimated that about 800 people -- some of them bused in from Merced, Modesto and Sacramento -- packed the air-conditioned gym of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. They listened to speakers who called for reform and from illegal immigrants who told stories of being separated from their families.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
An 'Edible History' Of Immigrant Families
This NPR interview introduces a book about some of the families who are featured in the museum in my previous post. The book uses food to tell the immigrant story in NYC Lower East Side. - - Donna Poisl
GUY RAZ, NPR
As immigrants from Europe began to stream into America en masse in the mid-1850s, hundreds of tenement buildings went up around Manhattan's Lower East Side. One of those buildings is still around today. It's at 97 Orchard Street, and it houses the Tenement Museum.
It was built in 1863 by a German immigrant named Lucas Glockner. Its earliest tenants were Germans, then Irishmen, then European Jews and finally, Italians. And one of the ways those new Americans preserved the traditions from the old country was through food.
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GUY RAZ, NPR
As immigrants from Europe began to stream into America en masse in the mid-1850s, hundreds of tenement buildings went up around Manhattan's Lower East Side. One of those buildings is still around today. It's at 97 Orchard Street, and it houses the Tenement Museum.
It was built in 1863 by a German immigrant named Lucas Glockner. Its earliest tenants were Germans, then Irishmen, then European Jews and finally, Italians. And one of the ways those new Americans preserved the traditions from the old country was through food.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Exploring Who's Minding the Store
This museum is collecting stories of the immigrants who settled their community and owned and operated the stores and markets, many of them still in business. Small businesses are still the most important part of the American Dream. - - Donna Poisl
By SHELLY BANJO
In 1914, Joel Russ, an Eastern European immigrant, started selling Polish mushrooms out of a storefront on the Lower East Side. Four generations later, his great-granddaughter Niki Russ Federman is running the same appetizing shop with her cousin, Joshua Russ Tupper.
On Monday, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum will begin collecting the stories of Russ & Daughters and dozens of other businesses in the neighborhood for a coming exhibit.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By SHELLY BANJO
In 1914, Joel Russ, an Eastern European immigrant, started selling Polish mushrooms out of a storefront on the Lower East Side. Four generations later, his great-granddaughter Niki Russ Federman is running the same appetizing shop with her cousin, Joshua Russ Tupper.
On Monday, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum will begin collecting the stories of Russ & Daughters and dozens of other businesses in the neighborhood for a coming exhibit.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Catholic Charity Helps Immigrants Become Citizens
A $10,000 grant from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. is funding this group in their efforts to help immigrants get through the citizenship process. - - Donna Poisl
from: The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) ― Catholic Charities says it is expanding efforts to help immigrants become citizens. The organization held a naturalization workshop Saturday in Wilmington attended by 27 families.
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from: The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) ― Catholic Charities says it is expanding efforts to help immigrants become citizens. The organization held a naturalization workshop Saturday in Wilmington attended by 27 families.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
State must find way to bridge its ethnic divide
This really shows the way people who are here legally feel about this new law. They know they will be profiled and have to prove their legal status for almost no reason. - - Donna Poisl
Opinion from The Arizona Republic
The currents of illegal immigration collided powerfully in Arizona after the signing of SB 1070, the state's new immigration law.
But today, the architects of that law are enjoying the glow of favorable opinion polls. National surveys show broad public support for the law and broad public opposition to the boycotts against Arizona.
Still, Arizonans need to understand that their new law meant to solve some of the problems of the border has created a destructive new problem: Latinos living legally in this state feel unwanted.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Opinion from The Arizona Republic
The currents of illegal immigration collided powerfully in Arizona after the signing of SB 1070, the state's new immigration law.
But today, the architects of that law are enjoying the glow of favorable opinion polls. National surveys show broad public support for the law and broad public opposition to the boycotts against Arizona.
Still, Arizonans need to understand that their new law meant to solve some of the problems of the border has created a destructive new problem: Latinos living legally in this state feel unwanted.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
A nation of immigrants adds one more
This woman tells her long difficult story from the time she got a student visa in 1998 to becoming a citizen this week. - - Donna Poisl
by DIDI TANG • NEWS-LEADER
It was a hot summer day in 1998 when I went to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
With a bit of nervousness, I handed my graduate school acceptance letter to a serious-looking visa officer.
He didn't give me any trouble but complimented my English and approved my request for a student visa.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by DIDI TANG • NEWS-LEADER
It was a hot summer day in 1998 when I went to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
With a bit of nervousness, I handed my graduate school acceptance letter to a serious-looking visa officer.
He didn't give me any trouble but complimented my English and approved my request for a student visa.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Immigrants boost Cape service sector
A large percentage of the immigrants in this area own their own businesses. People who leave their country to live the American Dream are risk takers with high ambitions and this helps them succeed here. - - Donna Poisl
By Sarah Shemkus
SOUTH YARMOUTH — Growing up in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Glenroy Burke had an ambition that sounds a lot like the classic American dream.
"Starting my own restaurant was a lifelong dream of mine from when I was 11 years old," he said.
So two years ago, Burke, or "Chef Shrimpy," as he likes to be called, opened the Jerk Café in South Yarmouth. And in so doing, he joined the ranks of immigrant entrepreneurs and workers that make up the backbone of Cape Cod's leisure and hospitality industry.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Sarah Shemkus
SOUTH YARMOUTH — Growing up in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Glenroy Burke had an ambition that sounds a lot like the classic American dream.
"Starting my own restaurant was a lifelong dream of mine from when I was 11 years old," he said.
So two years ago, Burke, or "Chef Shrimpy," as he likes to be called, opened the Jerk Café in South Yarmouth. And in so doing, he joined the ranks of immigrant entrepreneurs and workers that make up the backbone of Cape Cod's leisure and hospitality industry.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Opinion: Ruben Navarrette Jr.: The truth about Arizona's immigration law
This writer lists many false beliefs and the truth about the new immigration law in AZ. Read the whole article to read all of them. - - Donna Poisl
By Ruben Navarrette Jr., San Diego Union-Tribune
If Arizona's new immigration law is supposed to be the best thing since warm tortillas, why do supporters have to prop it up by engaging in falsehoods and scare tactics? Let me count the ways:
The law bans racial profiling. Truth: Racial profiling is already banned by federal statute, yet it happens. The Arizona law requires that once local and state police make contact with someone for an alleged infraction, they must determine legal status if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. It is naive to assume an officer can make that call without taking race into account.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Ruben Navarrette Jr., San Diego Union-Tribune
If Arizona's new immigration law is supposed to be the best thing since warm tortillas, why do supporters have to prop it up by engaging in falsehoods and scare tactics? Let me count the ways:
The law bans racial profiling. Truth: Racial profiling is already banned by federal statute, yet it happens. The Arizona law requires that once local and state police make contact with someone for an alleged infraction, they must determine legal status if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally. It is naive to assume an officer can make that call without taking race into account.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Friday, June 04, 2010
In Arizona, 'Los Samaritanos' leave water, food on trails used by immigrants
These good samaritans are saving immigrants walking across the desert, but customs officials are saying they are only encouraging more to come. - - Donna Poisl
By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
GREEN VALLEY, ARIZ. -- "Somos amigos," called Shura Wallin, ducking low into the shade beneath the highway overpass. "We're friends," she said again in Spanish, calling out to anyone who might be hiding. "Don't be afraid."
At a time when state and federal governments are focused on tightening the border to keep out immigrants who cross illegally from Mexico, Wallin and her colleagues help people who make the trip. They leave water and food along well-known foot trails. They distribute maps that show the water sites and search for trekking migrants. Sometimes, they find dead bodies.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
GREEN VALLEY, ARIZ. -- "Somos amigos," called Shura Wallin, ducking low into the shade beneath the highway overpass. "We're friends," she said again in Spanish, calling out to anyone who might be hiding. "Don't be afraid."
At a time when state and federal governments are focused on tightening the border to keep out immigrants who cross illegally from Mexico, Wallin and her colleagues help people who make the trip. They leave water and food along well-known foot trails. They distribute maps that show the water sites and search for trekking migrants. Sometimes, they find dead bodies.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Hispanic Evangelicals Launch National Voter Registration Campaign, Fuerza 2010
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, June 4 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- America's largest Hispanic Christian Organization, The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), The Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals, launched this week a National voter registration campaign focusing on registering Hispanic faith voters via local evangelical churches.
"Hispanic Christian voters will stand as the firewall against moral relativism, spiritual apathy and cultural decay. Without a doubt, Hispanic faith voters will reconcile a platform of righteousness and justice in the 2010 mid-term elections," explained Rev. John Murillo, Campaign Director.
In partnership with United in Purpose, a non-partisan, not-for-profit national coalition of Americans actively advancing the traditional values of our Founding Fathers, NHCLC will work with over 30,500 Hispanic evangelical congregations, 52 denominations and various state and local chapter networks in order to increase the number of registered Hispanic faith voters.
"Approximately 10 million Hispanics voted in the 2008 Presidential election. Our community embodies the values of our founding fathers. We desire to vote our Christian world view and frame the narrative of righteousness and renewal in the public square. At the end of the day, it's not about the elephant or the donkey but rather the lamb's agenda that counts," explained NHCLC President, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez.
The Campaign will target swing states with significant Hispanic populations by registering both on-line and in local churches. Hispanics can register to vote on-line via the http://votenhclc.com web site or by sending a text to 510-771-7974.
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is the Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals unifying, serving and representing the Hispanic Born Again Community through 30,434 member churches by reconciling the vertical and horizontal of the Christian Message via the 7 Directives of Life, Family, Great Commission, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth.
Contact:
Maritza Ramirez
Press and Media Director, NHCLC
info@nhclc.org
hispanicevangelicals.com
916-919-7476
SOURCE The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
-0- 06/04/2010
/CONTACT: Maritza Ramirez, Press and Media Director, NHCLC, info@nhclc.org, hispanicevangelicals.com, +1-916-919-7476/
WASHINGTON, June 4 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- America's largest Hispanic Christian Organization, The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), The Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals, launched this week a National voter registration campaign focusing on registering Hispanic faith voters via local evangelical churches.
"Hispanic Christian voters will stand as the firewall against moral relativism, spiritual apathy and cultural decay. Without a doubt, Hispanic faith voters will reconcile a platform of righteousness and justice in the 2010 mid-term elections," explained Rev. John Murillo, Campaign Director.
In partnership with United in Purpose, a non-partisan, not-for-profit national coalition of Americans actively advancing the traditional values of our Founding Fathers, NHCLC will work with over 30,500 Hispanic evangelical congregations, 52 denominations and various state and local chapter networks in order to increase the number of registered Hispanic faith voters.
"Approximately 10 million Hispanics voted in the 2008 Presidential election. Our community embodies the values of our founding fathers. We desire to vote our Christian world view and frame the narrative of righteousness and renewal in the public square. At the end of the day, it's not about the elephant or the donkey but rather the lamb's agenda that counts," explained NHCLC President, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez.
The Campaign will target swing states with significant Hispanic populations by registering both on-line and in local churches. Hispanics can register to vote on-line via the http://votenhclc.com web site or by sending a text to 510-771-7974.
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is the Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals unifying, serving and representing the Hispanic Born Again Community through 30,434 member churches by reconciling the vertical and horizontal of the Christian Message via the 7 Directives of Life, Family, Great Commission, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth.
Contact:
Maritza Ramirez
Press and Media Director, NHCLC
info@nhclc.org
hispanicevangelicals.com
916-919-7476
SOURCE The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
-0- 06/04/2010
/CONTACT: Maritza Ramirez, Press and Media Director, NHCLC, info@nhclc.org, hispanicevangelicals.com, +1-916-919-7476/
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Daniel Rubin: Keeping immigrants in limbo serves no one
This writer tells about an immigrant family who came here legally, like many did, and stayed after their visitor visas expired, also like many did. Read the whole story, very interesting. - - Donna Poisl
By Daniel Rubin, Inquirer Columnist
I'm going to put a face on the immigration debate today, so start your e-mails. It's an appealing face, belonging to a poised and articulate 23-year-old Peruvian named Maria, whose parents moved here illegally 10 years ago, telling her she was going to Disney World.
Instead Maria settled in New Jersey, where her dad found work cleaning hotel rooms. Welcome to the American dream.
When their six-month tourist visas were up, she and her family moved to Cheltenham, closer to an uncle who had become a U.S. citizen.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Daniel Rubin, Inquirer Columnist
I'm going to put a face on the immigration debate today, so start your e-mails. It's an appealing face, belonging to a poised and articulate 23-year-old Peruvian named Maria, whose parents moved here illegally 10 years ago, telling her she was going to Disney World.
Instead Maria settled in New Jersey, where her dad found work cleaning hotel rooms. Welcome to the American dream.
When their six-month tourist visas were up, she and her family moved to Cheltenham, closer to an uncle who had become a U.S. citizen.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Student immigrants use civil rights-era strategies
These students are using strategies that worked before, maybe they will work now. - - Donna Poisl
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS (AP)
BOSTON — They gather on statehouse steps with signs and bullhorns, risking arrest. They attend workshops on civil disobedience and personal storytelling, and they hold sit-ins and walk out of class in protest. They're being warned that they could even lose their lives.
Students fighting laws that target illegal immigrants are taking a page from the civil rights era, adopting tactics and gathering praise and momentum from the demonstrators who marched in the streets and sat at segregated lunch counters as they sought to turn the public tide against racial segregation.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS (AP)
BOSTON — They gather on statehouse steps with signs and bullhorns, risking arrest. They attend workshops on civil disobedience and personal storytelling, and they hold sit-ins and walk out of class in protest. They're being warned that they could even lose their lives.
Students fighting laws that target illegal immigrants are taking a page from the civil rights era, adopting tactics and gathering praise and momentum from the demonstrators who marched in the streets and sat at segregated lunch counters as they sought to turn the public tide against racial segregation.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
3-Day Fast Is Latest Call to Overhaul Immigration
Many different tactics are being used, these people are fasting for three days near the Statue of Liberty. - - Donna Poisl
By KIRK SEMPLE
With the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a backdrop, more than 40 people, including several New York politicians and clergy members, gathered in Battery Park on Wednesday to start a three-day fast to press for a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
The protest is the latest in a wave of demonstrations by immigrants and their advocates in the New York region and around the country that have included rallies, vigils, marches and acts of civil disobedience. Most of them have been meant to express impatience with the Obama administration and Congress for postponing long-discussed change to the nation’s immigration system.
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By KIRK SEMPLE
With the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a backdrop, more than 40 people, including several New York politicians and clergy members, gathered in Battery Park on Wednesday to start a three-day fast to press for a comprehensive immigration overhaul.
The protest is the latest in a wave of demonstrations by immigrants and their advocates in the New York region and around the country that have included rallies, vigils, marches and acts of civil disobedience. Most of them have been meant to express impatience with the Obama administration and Congress for postponing long-discussed change to the nation’s immigration system.
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Arizona law spurs backlash among artists
Several famous musicians are recording songs in support of immigrants. Some are all about brotherhood, others are very political. - - Donna Poisl
Musicians and visual artists produce works decrying the anti-illegal immigration bill.
By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
Four summers ago, a handful of Spanish-speaking radio disc jockeys encouraged hundreds of thousands of Latino marchers to the streets of Los Angeles and other cities to support immigration reform.
Now, in what is partially a sign of the growing clout of U.S. Latinos both as voters and cultural consumers, a number of prominent artists, both Latino and non-Latino, are urging fans to protest Arizona's controversial new statute that requires law enforcement officials to determine the status of people they suspect are illegal immigrants.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Musicians and visual artists produce works decrying the anti-illegal immigration bill.
By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
Four summers ago, a handful of Spanish-speaking radio disc jockeys encouraged hundreds of thousands of Latino marchers to the streets of Los Angeles and other cities to support immigration reform.
Now, in what is partially a sign of the growing clout of U.S. Latinos both as voters and cultural consumers, a number of prominent artists, both Latino and non-Latino, are urging fans to protest Arizona's controversial new statute that requires law enforcement officials to determine the status of people they suspect are illegal immigrants.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Get Your FREE Arizona sticker
From Presente.org Team
In response to Arizona’s disastrous new immigration law, SB 1070, we want to help people make a clear, simple statement against racial profiling of Latinos, or anyone else. That's why we're giving away this sticker FREE (shipping included), so you can speak out about Arizona. You can also buy bundles for a small fee so we can spread the message far and wide. To get yours, click here: http://act.presente.org/go/sticker_moveon
Four years ago, millions of Latinos and our allies took to the streets in immigration protests of historic proportions. This year, we are seeing an outpouring of that same energy in the wake of the new Arizona law. Help us tell the world that we won’t stand for SB 1070 and other laws like it!
http://act.presente.org/go/sticker_moveon
In response to Arizona’s disastrous new immigration law, SB 1070, we want to help people make a clear, simple statement against racial profiling of Latinos, or anyone else. That's why we're giving away this sticker FREE (shipping included), so you can speak out about Arizona. You can also buy bundles for a small fee so we can spread the message far and wide. To get yours, click here: http://act.presente.org/go/sticker_moveon
Four years ago, millions of Latinos and our allies took to the streets in immigration protests of historic proportions. This year, we are seeing an outpouring of that same energy in the wake of the new Arizona law. Help us tell the world that we won’t stand for SB 1070 and other laws like it!
http://act.presente.org/go/sticker_moveon
Ethnic Studies Ban Sends Wrong Message, Weakens Country
This article lists many reasons why the ban is not good for our country. These classes are not just for the ethnic students, all students learn from them. - - Donna Poisl
Written by Glenn Llopis
The ban on ethnic studies in Arizona sends the wrong message that will weaken our country. At a time where we live in a global and highly diverse world, we must instill a new enlightened form of leadership into business & society that embraces the values / characteristics of multicultural assimilation.
The US was built by immigrants from all over the world. Today, the US in being reshaped by multicultural influence; and it’s just beginning. Multicultural groups are a great asset for our country. They instill an entrepreneurial spirit that allows us all to see new types of opportunities previously unseen to propel new levels of innovation.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Written by Glenn Llopis
The ban on ethnic studies in Arizona sends the wrong message that will weaken our country. At a time where we live in a global and highly diverse world, we must instill a new enlightened form of leadership into business & society that embraces the values / characteristics of multicultural assimilation.
The US was built by immigrants from all over the world. Today, the US in being reshaped by multicultural influence; and it’s just beginning. Multicultural groups are a great asset for our country. They instill an entrepreneurial spirit that allows us all to see new types of opportunities previously unseen to propel new levels of innovation.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Deal Near on Decade-long Hispanic Farmers' Discrimination Case
These lawsuits are finally being settled. Black and Hispanic farmers were discriminated against and will get a settlement. - - Donna Poisl
by Robert Rodriguez
After a decade of waiting, thousands of Hispanic farmers may be close to settling their long-standing discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This week, the Obama administration offered $1.3 billion to settle complaints from female and Hispanic farmers who say they were denied loans, discouraged from applying for federal assistance or ignored.
The proposal comes as Congress is set to approve a $1.25 billion settlement with black farmers in a similar discrimination case that already has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
by Robert Rodriguez
After a decade of waiting, thousands of Hispanic farmers may be close to settling their long-standing discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This week, the Obama administration offered $1.3 billion to settle complaints from female and Hispanic farmers who say they were denied loans, discouraged from applying for federal assistance or ignored.
The proposal comes as Congress is set to approve a $1.25 billion settlement with black farmers in a similar discrimination case that already has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.
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Tuesday, June 01, 2010
NO to Racial Profiling; YES to Immigration Reform
Participate in the Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s e-Postcard Campaign. Send an electronic note to your member of Congress and to the President letting them know what is happening around the country as a result of federal inaction on immigration reform.
Go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1804/t/10576/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=28258&t=
Go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1804/t/10576/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=28258&t=
Opinion: Public generally less anti-immigrant than Arizona law suggests
Recent polls indicate that Americans are in support of immigration reform and want a good solution that does not deport all immigrants. - - Donna Poisl
By Gilbert Cedillo, Special to the Mercury News
Immigrant Day was acknowledged at the State Capitol last month, and though our agenda aimed to protect and help integrate immigrants into California, the word on my mind was "Arizona."
The now-infamous Arizona law, which many feel institutionalizes discrimination, passed just weeks earlier. It has sparked many protests and counter-protests, and seems to have only further polarized an already contentious arena of debate that now lands everyone in one of two camps: pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Gilbert Cedillo, Special to the Mercury News
Immigrant Day was acknowledged at the State Capitol last month, and though our agenda aimed to protect and help integrate immigrants into California, the word on my mind was "Arizona."
The now-infamous Arizona law, which many feel institutionalizes discrimination, passed just weeks earlier. It has sparked many protests and counter-protests, and seems to have only further polarized an already contentious arena of debate that now lands everyone in one of two camps: pro-immigrant or anti-immigrant.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Noncitizen grads pin hopes on DREAM Act
More stories about graduates who desperately need the DREAM Act to be enacted. - - Donna Poisl
By SUSAN CARROLL, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
A little over a year ago, Edith Paulín stood amid thousands of soon-to-be college graduates on the University of Texas campus, reveling in the pride of being the first in her family to earn a college diploma.
In the stands, she spotted her mother and father, who had brought her to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9 years old, a petite fourth-grader who spoke no English. She was proud that she could recite the Greek myth of Persephone and had become so Americanized that she roots for the U.S. World Cup soccer team, not Mexico's. And she was becoming a bona fide UT grad complete with the Hook 'em Horns on her car's bumper.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By SUSAN CARROLL, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
A little over a year ago, Edith Paulín stood amid thousands of soon-to-be college graduates on the University of Texas campus, reveling in the pride of being the first in her family to earn a college diploma.
In the stands, she spotted her mother and father, who had brought her to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9 years old, a petite fourth-grader who spoke no English. She was proud that she could recite the Greek myth of Persephone and had become so Americanized that she roots for the U.S. World Cup soccer team, not Mexico's. And she was becoming a bona fide UT grad complete with the Hook 'em Horns on her car's bumper.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Korean immigrants raise money to honor veterans who fought for them
A wonderful story about Korean immigrants raising money to host an annual luncheon for US veterans who fought in the Korean War. - - Donna Poisl
By Lisa Fernandez
Each year, a small army of elderly Koreans knocks on the doors of Silicon Valley noodle houses, doctors' offices and Asian markets looking to drum up some cash.
But the $25,000-or-so they're seeking is not for themselves, not even for their community. They raise the money to host an annual luncheon to thank American veterans who saved their country from communists 60 years ago. And each year, it gets tougher to find open wallets.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By Lisa Fernandez
Each year, a small army of elderly Koreans knocks on the doors of Silicon Valley noodle houses, doctors' offices and Asian markets looking to drum up some cash.
But the $25,000-or-so they're seeking is not for themselves, not even for their community. They raise the money to host an annual luncheon to thank American veterans who saved their country from communists 60 years ago. And each year, it gets tougher to find open wallets.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
A century of serving the disenfranchised
This church has a long history of helping immigrants. Read this whole story and see how much these priests have done and are still doing. - - Donna Poisl
La Placita church in Los Angeles, served by priests of the Claretian Missionary order, has been especially active in immigrants rights.
By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times
For a century, the fates of Los Angeles, La Placita church and the priests of the Claretian Missionary order who serve there have been inextricably intertwined with provocative politics and courageous acts of faith.
In the 1920s, Father Medardo Brualla fearlessly entered a quarantined area near the church to minister last rites to those dying of the Black Plague and contracted the disease, dying a few days later.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
La Placita church in Los Angeles, served by priests of the Claretian Missionary order, has been especially active in immigrants rights.
By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times
For a century, the fates of Los Angeles, La Placita church and the priests of the Claretian Missionary order who serve there have been inextricably intertwined with provocative politics and courageous acts of faith.
In the 1920s, Father Medardo Brualla fearlessly entered a quarantined area near the church to minister last rites to those dying of the Black Plague and contracted the disease, dying a few days later.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
Immigrants are the lifeblood of the United States
This article tells the story that many of us know. Our ancestors came from other countries, always without immigration papers (since they didn't exist then), almost always struggling to live here and then succeeding. - - Donna Poisl
By MATTHEW SCHOFIELD, The Kansas City Star
My grandfather first dreamed of America when, in today’s world, he would have been an elementary school kid.
By the time he’d reached middle school age, he’d walked out of Abruzzi, Italy, and onto a cattle ship, working his way to New York.
He arrived “Without Papers,” so he was a WOP, who as a 14-year-old went to work in the West Virginia coal mines.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By MATTHEW SCHOFIELD, The Kansas City Star
My grandfather first dreamed of America when, in today’s world, he would have been an elementary school kid.
By the time he’d reached middle school age, he’d walked out of Abruzzi, Italy, and onto a cattle ship, working his way to New York.
He arrived “Without Papers,” so he was a WOP, who as a 14-year-old went to work in the West Virginia coal mines.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
After Governor’s Pardon, an Immigrant Is Sworn in as a Citizen
After a very long struggle and hard work by the judge and the governor, this man is a new American citizen. Congratulations. - - Donna Poisl
By NINA BERNSTEIN
It was his application for United States citizenship that derailed the American life of Qing Hong Wu, an information-technology executive who had risen from poverty and street crime in Chinatown. He had fulfilled the promise he made to the judge who sentenced him for teenage muggings, but immigration authorities jailed him for mandatory deportation to China, a country he had left at age 5.
It took a governor’s pardon to free him. And on Friday, with his mother at his side and the judge cheering him on, Mr. Wu, 29, was sworn in as a citizen with the approval of the same immigration authorities who had tried to expel him from the country.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
By NINA BERNSTEIN
It was his application for United States citizenship that derailed the American life of Qing Hong Wu, an information-technology executive who had risen from poverty and street crime in Chinatown. He had fulfilled the promise he made to the judge who sentenced him for teenage muggings, but immigration authorities jailed him for mandatory deportation to China, a country he had left at age 5.
It took a governor’s pardon to free him. And on Friday, with his mother at his side and the judge cheering him on, Mr. Wu, 29, was sworn in as a citizen with the approval of the same immigration authorities who had tried to expel him from the country.
Click on the headline to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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