Immigration – Page 4

July 17, 2014July 21, 2014

Rep. Palumbo version of sympathy for immigrant children

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

In a letter to Governor Chafee, Rep. Peter Palumbo (D-Cranston) reports that he has “nothing but sympathy” for the immigrant children flooding our southern border. He apparently means that quite literally. And his sympathy extends only as far as telling his press liaison to type those words for him in a letter he, ahem, wrote to the governor. The children in question are apparently worth zero expense or effort beyond that, in his eyes.

So what, exactly, is his sympathy worth? And why does he bother to express it this way? The truth is that Rep. Palumbo appears to have a heart of stone, like so many of the protesters who have gathered this week to shout angry words at children fleeing violence in their home countries. (And, in one case, at a bunch of children on a bus taking them to a YMCA summer camp, but hey it was just an oversight.) Palumbo, however, wants to pretend otherwise by covering it up with pretty words. But pretty words alone never took care of a child, not one from Honduras, nor one from Cranston. When accompanied by tender care, pretty words can be a lovely thing, but when accompanied by a cold shoulder, they are just embarrassing.

I am, from time to time, impatient with people who imagine that there is no financial justification for good public policy. Care for the poor and disabled, attention to the youngest and most vulnerable children, being good stewards of the environment, cleaning up toxins, don’t have to be justified by weepy appeals to heartstrings. These are, more often than not, policies that easily cost less than the results of ignoring them.

But pointing out that a policy is not just the right thing to do, but also saves money, is a far cry from thinking that saving money is the only possible justification for public policy. There are times when the right thing to do costs money. That doesn’t mean it is not the right thing to do.

For a variety of reasons, a humanitarian crisis is in full swing on our southern border. It is not clear to me exactly what the cause is for the dramatic increase in unaccompanied children coming across the border, and it seems not really clear to anyone at this point. But it is clear to me that denying the existence of the crisis and denying that our nation — and our state — has the capacity to aid those children, is heartless and cruel. We are still among the richest countries on the planet. We are not talking here about deploying troops or air strikes or our navy. We are talking about feeding and housing children who seem to need that kind of help and are already here among us. If we can’t do that, then what kind of country are we?

Rep Palumbo’s letter is here.

January 17, 2014January 17, 2014

Cicilline, Gutierrez put on pressure for immigration reform

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

David Cicilline has brought his colleague Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat from I here to the Ocean State to rally for immigration reform. Today at 5:30 at the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Providence. Gutierrez is leading the effort among House Dems for a bi-partisan immigration bill and he will be joined in Providence by Sen. Jack Reed, Laurie White, CEO of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, George Nee, president of the AFL-CIO and Mario Beuno, executive director of Progreso Latino.

Cicilline will have more opportunities to work on this issue with Gutierrez, now that he’s been appointed to the judiciary committee. According to a press release from his office, “In his new role as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Cicilline will help oversee federal immigration policy and help guide legislation through Congress to reform our broken immigration system.”

Here’s the full release:

U.S. Representatives David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), both members of the influential House Judiciary Committee, will be joined by federal, state, and local leaders, including many elected officials, this Friday, January 17^th at 5:30 p.m. at the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Providence to rally for comprehensive immigration reform and call on Congress to enact this important legislation.

Congressman Gutierrez, who is a lead negotiator in the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan immigration reform bill and Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will be travelling to Rhode Island at Cicilline’s request. Over the past year, Gutierrez has visited states across the country as part of his ongoing effort to build public support for immigration reform legislation in Congress.

Last summer, the U.S. Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation to grow our economy, provide a path to citizenship for deserving immigrants, and secure our borders. Cicilline is an original co-sponsor of similar legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that over the next 10 years this bill would promote job creation and wage increases, cut the deficit by nearly $158 billion, and increase America’s GDP by over $800 billion.

Groups from the business, faith, and labor communities that support immigration reform include: Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Small Business Majority, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Caterpillar, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Interfaith Immigration Coalition, American Jewish Committee, Muslim Public Affairs Council, AFL-CIO, SEIU, UFW, AFSCME, NEW, and TEAMSTERS.

WHO: U.S. Representative David N. Cicilline (D-RI)

U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL)

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

Laurie White, President and CEO at Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce

George Nee, President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO

Reverend Donald Anderson, Executive Minister at Rhode Island Council of Churches

Mario Bueno, Executive Director at Progreso Latino

Rhode Island First District residents

WHEN: Friday, January 17^th at 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Saint Michael The Archangel

239 Oxford Street

Providence

October 24, 2013

Rhode Island is Arizona

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Now that yet another debt ceiling debacle is behind us, it’s time for Congress and the White House to again focus its attention on immigration reform, says a coalition of Rhode Island urban advocacy groups known collectively as “We are all Arizona.” They holding a rally at the State House Thursday and across the country activists are celebrating a “week of dignity and respect.”

Jhanet Cabrera, of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, said, “Deporter-in-Chief Obama continues to call for immigration reform, but it’s time for him to put his money where his mouth is,” , one of the local organizations calling on the POTUS to renew the nation’s focus on immigration reform. “With the stroke of a pen, the man who has deported more immigrants than any other president – 2 million and counting – could suspend all deportations pending passage of immigration reform.”

Juan Garcia, of the Committee of Immigrants in Action, added: “For years, the human rights of immigrants – our dignity and respect – have been trampled upon. Today, as we find ourselves on the brink of passing immigration reform, we say to the politicians in Washington, D.C. that we will not tolerate failure. If they don’t pass reform, we’ll make them pay at the polls.”

The press conference follows a forum and march earlier in the month. The coalition thanked Congressman David Cicilline for attending the event. They also thanked Providence mayoral candidate Brett Smiley for marching with them.

July 10, 2013July 10, 2013

Immigration reform won’t draw Latinos to GOP

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Senator Lindsey Graham recently said that without immigration reform the Republican Party would be in a “demographic death spiral.” Unfortunately for the Republican Party, even if the House of Representatives manages to pass a similar immigration bill as the Senate did, Republicans are unlikely to win over Hispanics, particularly young Hispanics who make up the future of the Latino vote and are the largest segment of the voter-eligible Latino population.

Although 55% of Latinos report that immigration is the most important issue facing the Hispanic community, once immigration reform is passed, Latino voters will have to choose their candidates based on other issues and given where they fall on the vast array of social and economic policy issues, Latinos are unlikely to vote for the current Republican lineup anytime soon.

Let’s look at where Latinos stand on the issues. We’ll start with social issues since that is often the place where Republicans claim they will resonate with Latino voters. Indeed, Latinos are more religious than the population at large and are more likely to be members of socially conservative denominations (approximately 68% identify themselves as Roman Catholics and 15% say they are evangelical Protestants). However, even given this fact, the numbers don’t look good for Republicans:

68% of Latinos ages 18-29 support same-sex marriage. In fact, over 50% of all Latinos favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry and 60% of Latinos say that homosexuality should be accepted and not discouraged.
Young Latinos are very pro-choice. 53% of those 18-29 say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

However, Latinos overwhelmingly say that it is not these “moral” issues that they care about. In 2011, 75% of Latinos polled said that politicians should be focusing on economic issues such as jobs, taxes, and the minimum wage. So let’s look at where they stand on the size of government and economic issues. Again, the picture is not good for Republicans.

75% of Latinos say they would rather have a larger government that provides more services than a smaller government with fewer services.
82% say they think the government needs to do more to solve problems. Only 18% think that a smaller government is better.
60% say that the government should ensure that everyone has access to health care (and 60% say Democrats are closer to their position on health care). More to the point, very few Latinos support repealing Obamacare and 73% oppose reducing spending on Medicare.
84% say they want the Environmental Protection Act to do more to limit air pollution and 86% say they support President Obama using executive powers to limit pollution that causes global warming.
77% say they support raising taxes on the wealthy as a way to balance the budget (including over 50% of those Latinos who identify as Republican) and only 8% say they would support a spending cuts only approach.

Although 43% of Latinos say they would be more open to voting for a Republican if “they take a leadership role” in passing immigration reform, only 14% of Latinos say they identify with the Republican Party. Given where the Latino electorate appears to fall on other salient issues, this number is unlikely to change anytime soon, even if immigration reform manages to get through the political labyrinth of Congress.

May 17, 2013May 17, 2013

Telling a story about Councilwoman Castillo

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

This is the beginning of an ongoing blog about making Councilwoman Castillo – The Film. Why make this film in the first place? It’s not just that Carmen Castillo is an inspiration to me. Of course she is. She is the salt of the earth. Committed beyond 100% to her community and her family. She can’t be bought off. It’s not unheard of to find a politician like that, but pretty rare.

So, you are thinking, this filmmaker is biased. Yes, it is a film with a point of view. But am I right? Is this the story we are telling? The film is about the unknown. We are following Castillo’s first term in office. Your guess is as good as mine as to how this story ends. Like the film on Facebook!

There are huge challenges for anyone elected to office, and I believe the challenges are greater for someone whose job requires they punch in and out for a regular shift each and every working day. It is hard to juggle meetings with constituents while cleaning 16 hotel rooms. This story will give us a behind the scenes perspective of what it takes to succeed. What does our democracy really look like on the inside? Why aren’t there more low-wage workers in public office? Watch the trailer on Kickstarter!

Social change is never about one person. The film will follow the collective efforts to bring change that take place in Carmen’s community during her first term in office. What will the issues be? What are the forces that will come together to make an impact? Does it help community activists to focus on politics, or is it a waste of time?

This is also a film about cleaning hotel rooms. We never hear from those who do the hardest work, but in this film we will! And when there are hotel workers in Providence fighting for better working conditions, we’ll follow that too.

Documentary serves many purposes. One is to save a record of current struggles for generations to come. If we don’t document what we believe is important, then our stories will get left out of the history books of the future. I think this story should be included.

I hope this film will start a national conversation. We all complain that we get more of the same out of our politicians, and most of us are not happy about it. How would public policy change if more low-wage workers were elected to office?

Kickstart the film! I’ll be blogging about production in the months ahead.

May 14, 2013

John DePetro’s disdain for undocumented workers

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

When six-year old Derrick Johnson was struck and killed by a pickup truck driven by Andres Morales, the community mourned a tragic death. There is no question that the terrible event was an accident, Morales had no intention or wish to harm the boy. Perhaps the accident was preventable, perhaps not, but the case has taken on a special significance in the minds of some because the driver of the pick-up was an undocumented worker who apparently had no license.

John DePetro, the noisome talk radio show host, made a big deal back in November over Governor Chafee’s idea of giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses. A bill to allow this is slowly making its way through the General Assembly. Somehow, in a gigantic leap of illogic, DePetro has decided that Chafee bears some responsibility for the boy’s death. On his blog, DePetro writes, above a photo of the deceased boy:

Governor Gump needs to hold off on giving illegals drivers licenses. A young American life is taken by an invader. John DePetro has protested Governor Chafee for cutting a deal to get votes in exchange for giving an illegal a drivers license . The illegals threaten they will not vote for Chafee unless they are given a Rhode Island drivers license.

DePetro’s hatred for undocumented workers is palpable and grotesque and DePetro’s revolting invective encourages his callers to respond with even greater levels of stomach-churning bile. Those who maintain a different view from DePetro are of course lambasted. Back in November DePetro allowed a caller named Raymond through and what followed was a litany of racist abuse, which DePetro yelled out as the man tried to express his opinions in heavily accented English. DePetro said:

“We have turkey on Thanksgiving, not stuffed pigeons, the illegals Thanksgiving.”

“You are going to learn our customs!”

“This is our land. No el drive-o on our road-o.”

Talking about a rally at the State House, DePetro said that undocumented workers “should have been there to clean the State House and that’s it.”

“I have a problem with you people on the road. No more loose donkeys on Broad St.”

DePetro’s hate has unhinged him. Diving, or rather belly-flopping into the Boston Bombing story and the local connection to Tamerlain Tsarnaev’s wife, Katherine Russell, DePetro has made a spurious and unfounded connection between “illegals” and terrorists, scrawling on his blog, “Governor Chafee wanted to roll out the red carpet to everyone and it looks like it is working. Terrorist (sic) and illegals are flocking to Rhode Island.”

That DePetro’s radio show is a cesspool of hate is not a source of shame but a point of pride for the man. His website is full of pictures that attempt to depict undocumented workers as scary non-white “others” in order to appeal to the basest prejudices of his listeners, and smear Governor Chafee:

And yet, DePetro still maintains, despite his hate for and vilification of undocumented workers, that he is a Catholic. Saccharine piety drips from DePetro’s tongue with same same thickness and intensity as the hateful bile he spews against those who are not like him, and the Catholic Church not only says nothing, they actively support him. Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Providence Diocese is a not infrequent guest. Father Bernard Healey, the Providence Diocese’s chief lobbyist to the General Assembly, appeared at DePetro’s Odeum event in East Greenwich.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity” have written the official Catholic teaching on immigration.

We recognize that nations have the right to control their borders. We also recognize and strongly assert that all human persons, created as they are in the image of God, possess a fundamental dignity that gives rise to a more compelling claim to the conditions worthy of human life. Accordingly, the Church also advocates legalization opportunities for the maximum number of undocumented persons, particularly those who have built equities and otherwise contributed to their communities.

The Maryland Catholic Conference has boiled the church’s teaching to seven basic precepts.

All people have a right to have their basic human needs met in their homelands.

If their basic needs cannot be met in their homelands, persons have the right to seek them abroad.

The right to migrate is not absolute and can be mitigated in favor of the common good.

Nations may regulate borders to provide for national security, tranquility and prosperity.

The right to regulate borders is not absolute and regulations must promote the common good.

Nations with the ability to accommodate migrants should respond with generosity.

Families have the right to remain united.

Nowhere in these statements is there hate. Nowhere in these statements are immigrants unfairly associated with terrorism, or are those who seek to help undocumented workers implicated in vehicular homicide. Instead, there are calls for generosity and an appeal to the common good.

John DePetro is a a terrible Christian. Mouthing platitudes does not make someone a decent human being. Showing compassion and understanding, actions apparently outside DePetro’s skill set, does.

And once again the Providence Diocese, under the direction of Bishop Thomas Tobin, has failed to be any kind of a moral leader. In supporting DePetro the diocese has once more abandoned its commitment to protect those in need.

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

Dems Say Doherty Fell Short on Pro-Women Bill

In light of congressional candidate Brendan Doherty’s Women for Doherty rally tonight, the Rhode Island Democratic Party today questioned Doherty for not supporting legislation that would expand and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Specifically, the party questions Doherty’s unwillingness to expand and strengthen protections to Native American women, members of the LGBT community and immigrants.

On April 26, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S.1925) by a vote of 68-31 that extended protections to Native Americans, undocumented immigrants and members of the LGBT community. Even though thirteen female senators, Republican and Democrat, called upon House Speaker John Boehner to pass the Senate’s legislation, the House GOP passed its own reauthorization that excluded these expanded protections. The VAWA expired without Congress reaching consensus and the Republican-led House left town without passing a strengthened, bipartisan VAWA reauthorization.

In comments published in a Sept. 16 column in the Providence Journal, Doherty would only voice his support for the Violence Against Women Act in its current version, but was unwilling to support legislation to also expand and strengthen protections for Native Americans, immigrants and members of the LGBT community. “If members of Congress want to add protections for people in other walks of life, that’s fine, but submit another bill,” Doherty told the Journal.

“Brendan Doherty talks about being bipartisan and the need to compromise, but with his comments dismissing people ‘in other walks of life,’ he is siding with the Republican right, even though every Republican female senator, among several Republican senators, voted for a bipartisan compromise on this issue,” said Rhode Island Democratic Chairman Ed Pacheco. “We want to send a message to Mr. Doherty that actions speak louder than words.

“As the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence launches their ‘No More’ campaign and given that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, now is a great time for Mr. Doherty to clearly explain his reservations about protecting some women, but not all women, from domestic violence,” Pacheco said. “The Democratic Party believes that protection should be extended to all women, and Senate Democrats, along with many Republicans, voted for that this spring. Most Americans understand that domestic violence is domestic violence – period – and it’s not a less important issue for any individual.

“Voters have every reason to be concerned about Mr. Doherty’s position on this important issue,” Pacheco concluded. “Unfortunately, Mr. Doherty has chosen to stand with the House Republican leadership above the needs of victims of domestic violence.”

April 24, 2012April 24, 2012

ACLU Sues Over Wrongful Detention of US Citizen

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Ada Morales, of North Providence, is a US citizen. But twice she has been detained by law enforcement officials who didn’t realize she she had become naturalized in 1995.

In an effort to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to her a third time – or someone else for the first time – the RI ACLU is suing state and federal officials saying they violated her constitutional rights.

Here’s the press release from the ACLU:

The ACLU today filed a lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of a North Providence resident who has twice been detained as a deportable “alien” even though she is a U.S. citizen. The lawsuit alleges that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and Rhode Island officials often bypass Constitutional requirements and safeguards when they detain individuals on immigration grounds.

In May 2009, Ms. Ada Morales, who was born in Guatemala and who naturalized as a United States citizen in 1995, was taken into custody on unrelated criminal charges. While she was being held at the ACI, an ICE “immigration detainer” was lodged against her. Even though a judge ordered Ms. Morales released, the R.I. Department of Corrections held her in custody for an additional 24 hours because of the ICE detainer. “When I found out that I was being detained for immigration reasons, I was shocked,” said Ms. Morales. “I told the Rhode Island officials that I’m a U.S. citizen, and I offered to show them my naturalization certificate and passport, but no one would listen. They just assumed they could hold me because of my Guatemalan background and the color of my skin.” An ICE official later apologized to Ms. Morales for her wrongful detention, but acknowledged that it could happen again. In fact, she had been unlawfully detained in virtually identical circumstances once before, in 2004.

“Ms. Morales’s ordeal is another example of how ICE’s detainer practices lead to wrongful detention,” said Kate Desormeau, staff attorney at the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “ICE has no business detaining U.S. citizens. Yet because of ICE’s practice of issuing detainers first and asking questions later, we’ve seen U.S. citizens unlawfully detained all across the country.” Rhode Island ACLU executive director Steven Brown added: “This case is an important reminder of the collateral damage that harsh immigration policies can cause, and provides a compelling reason why Rhode Island should not be in the business of assisting with federal immigration enforcement.”

An ICE detainer is a document that advises law enforcement officials that ICE may seek to take an individual into custody for deportation purposes once state or local custody ends. The suit alleges that ICE officials issue detainers “without a sufficient investigation to determine whether arrestees who are perceived to be ‘foreign’ (based on their place of birth, race or ethnicity, foreign-sounding last names, and/or English language ability) are in fact U.S. citizens.”

The suit also claims that ICE has been deliberately misleading about the legal effect of immigration detainers, prompting local and state officials to believe that they are required to continue holding individuals on the basis of detainers even though detainers are only requests that a person be held.

ICE agents and state and local officials typically treat a detainer as authorizing continued imprisonment, even if no state or federal charges are pending and no deportation proceedings have been brought. Unlike a criminal warrant, immigration detainers are issued by ICE itself, and are not based upon a probable cause determination by a neutral judicial officer.

The lawsuit claims that federal and state officials violated Ms. Morales’s constitutional rights to due process, equal protection of the laws, and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, and seeks injunctive relief and damages for violation of her rights.

The suit is being handled by RI ACLU volunteer attorneys Mark Freel and Erika Lindberg from the law firm of Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP, and National ACLU attorneys Omar Jadwat and Kate Desormeau.

April 4, 2012April 4, 2012

No Red Carpet for Needy Families, Immigrants

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

For years, a staple of talk radio hosts and budget hardliners has been the argument that Rhode Island public policy on welfare and public assistance has made the state a magnet for families, particularly immigrants, seeking its juicy benefits.

But the recent release of the Rhode Island Kids Count 2011 annual report pokes some neat holes in that meme.

Along with a comprehensive statistical analysis of issues including poverty rates of Rhode Island’s families with children, education, school lunch and breakfast eligibility and state aid (with emphasis on the urban core communities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls and Woonsocket) comes an under-reported nugget from the 2010 Census: the number of R.I. children dropped 10 percent last year, from 247,822 to 223,956, the third-biggest decrease by state in the nation.

Couple that with the state’s 11 percent unemployment rate and high rental average, and the state’s not exactly a major draw for needy families who are seeking jobs, reasonable living costs and social services.

“That 10 percent drop is telling,” says Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of RI Kids Count. “People tend to move because of extended family, or to be close to where the jobs are.”

“While there’s a significant decline in the caseload of children and families receiving assistance, it’s due to time limits and other indicators, and is not reflective of the number of poor children in the state,” she adds.

An Urban Institute state-by-state study of immigrant children from 1990 to 2009 also finds immigrant families, documented or undocumented, aren’t exactly flocking to Rhode Island.

From 1990 to 2009, the number of immigrant children in the state grew from 40,000 to 52,000, with the percentage of the state’s total number of children rising from 18 to 24 percent. That growth rate of 30 percent in raw numbers, however, ranked only 47^th in the nation.

The difficult housing market is another reason families requiring social services aren’t overwhelming the state, says Stephanie Geller, RI Kids Count policy analyst.

The average monthly cost of rental housing in the state has risen from $748 in 2000 to $1,150 by 2011, according to the Kids Count report, with about 25 percent of Rhode Island’s families spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing costs.

“There’s a feeling overall that the price of housing is going down, but there’s more demand for rentals because of people losing their houses. We’re one of the few states that doesn’t have a dedicated source of funding for affordable housing.” Geller says.

Some of the pending General Assembly legislation Kids Count is keeping an eye on, Geller says, includes increases in co-payments for child care assistance and cuts in dental care assistance for both young adults and adults 21 and over.

January 12, 2012January 18, 2012

Remember MLK’s Legacy this Weekend by Supporting Civil Rights Struggles in AZ!

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Rhode Islanders have a special opportunity to express solidarity with young people and educators in Tuscon, AZ who are standing up to their state’s xenophobic and racist laws. On Sunday, January 15th, feature length documentary, Precious Knowledge, will be screened at Renaissance Church located at 77 Reservoir Ave in Providence. Precious Knowledge, which will be aired on PBS affiliates across the country this spring, chronicles the real-life, current civil rights struggle by students and educators to save their Mexican American ethnic studies classes in Tuscon, AZ. Screenings will be at 3pm and 5:30pm with a discussion in between with special guest, Tuscon High School ethnic studies teacher Curtis Acosta! There is a $10 suggested donation and proceeds will go to benefit the Save Ethnic Studies legal defense fund.

Watch the trailer:

As most know, Arizona has passed some of the most restrictive laws in the United States targeting and criminalizing undocumented immigrants, many of who are of Mexican descent. A less known detail of Arizona’s attack on immigrant populations, and Mexican Americans in particular, is Arizona’s state superintendent of public instruction Tom Horne’s crusade to end the Tuscon Unified School District’s Mexican American ethnic studies program. Last year, the New York Times ran an article about Horne’s attack and students’ and educators’ struggle to maintain their program of study that focuses on Latino/a history, literature, and culture, and includes examining the history of oppression Latino/a populations have faced in the United States. The struggle over Tuscon’s ethnic studies program has continued for the past year, and just yesterday the most recent development surfaced when the TUSD’s school board voted 4-1 to immediately cease all Mexican American (but not other) ethnic studies classes for fear of losing state aid.

In the meantime, Save Ethnic Studies, is pursuing a federal court case to declare the law criminalizing TUSD’s Mexican American studies classes unconstitutional. Also yesterday, as reported via an email from Curtis Acosta, “Hours before the [TUSD school board] vote, Ninth Circuit Court Judge A. Wallace Tashima rejected the state’s request to dismiss our lawsuit claiming the law as unconstitutional and it continues to move forward. To be more specific, the students in the lawsuit were acknowledged to have standing, but the teachers at this time do not. This is great news since we are all working together for the best interest of our students and their future. My colleagues and I are more committed than ever to help the student-plaintiffs in every way possible. Thus, Save Ethnic Studies is still moving forward in hopes that we can still overturn this law in federal court and it could be as early as this spring. It is important, now more than ever, to visit our website and spread the knowledge that we will need financial support to win this case.”

It is more important than ever to support our sisters and brothers in Tuscon. What better way to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and express our solidarity in recognition that “we are all Arizona” than to attend the Precious Knowledge screenings on Sunday! I hope to see you there.

For additional information about the documentary screening, contact Kim Hewson at hewsonpaw@gmail.com.

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387