Hello friends,
I am writing to you all to ask you for a favor. I need the assistance
of all of you in creating an information resource project to assist
people to become more informed on the current immigration debate. I
had the opportunity to attend a meeting this weekend with organizers
and educators to discuss the Pro-immigrant, Pro-Human movement that
the youth across California have catapulted to the fore of public
debate, in addition to educating us to the degree today youth possess
in terms of rebellion and passion for their families and their
communities. One of the outcomes of this meeting was that educators
and youth alike are in need of educational and informational resources
to help them educate themselves on the current issues, and this is
what we need yoru help with.
At this moment, the immigration debate is slowly being re-framed so
that the focus of the debate is moves from the discussion taking place
on the floor of the Senate around HR 4437, and it is being moved to
criticize the manner in which the marches, demonstrations, and
walk-outs help the progress in the Congress. The corporate media and
unfortunately even people within the Chicana/o Latina/o community have
lost focus and have begun to debate the effectiveness of High School
walk-outs and national flags rather than the vehement attacks on the
undocumented.
We as people of conscious must re-take control over the national
discussion on immigration that the million marchers on March 25th in
Los Angeles, the thousands of people across the country who have held
similar protests, and the high school students who have wrestled away
the control of the national discussion on immigration from racist and
nativist AM Radio talk shows, the Republican Party, and CNN's Lou Dobbs.
In order to re-take the debate we must be well informed and wield the
desire to stand up and combat anti-immigrant forces. To do this we
must pool our resources together so that we can counter the backlash
from the right-wing think tanks. We must do this so that this debate
is not framed by the political elite who want nothing more than to
ignore the real reasons why people leave their beloved country of
origin to labor in the U.S. We must not let the politicians of the
two- party system frame the immigration debate in a way which
bamboozles the public and encourages us to ignore the effects of
American military and economic interventions in Latin American and
which further mystifies the effects of corporate globalization and
neoliberal economics. If this happens we will suffer the fate of
squirming in the more palatable and least effective response currently
being parroted by Latino Democrats. This archaic response continues to
perpetrate the pollyannaish "American Dream" and the "America is the
land of immigrants" mantra to an opponent that wields the might of a
wide-spread White Nativist Movement that sees its role as one to
purify the Unites States of all foreign threats.
It is imperative that we provide educators, youth, and the community
in general with resources that allow for our target audience to become
acquainted with the complex issues that have created the push and pull
factors of immigration from Latin-American to the United States. This
is but the first step in taking back the center of the debate and to
assist in the facilitation of an organized and informed popular
resistance... once this transpires the "leaders" will have no choice
but to follow the people.
What is needed at this point is your help in compiling resources that
are accessible and progressive in their political orientation that
includes 1) a reading list of books and articles; 2) a list of
alternative news web sites; 3) a list of movies & documentaries; and
4) a directory of speakers, immigrant rights & civil rights
organizations, and legal counsel.
The second part of this work will include Talking-Points for people
to refer to in order to combat the right-wing's talking-points. These
talking-points should not be framed in reaction to the anti-immigrant
movements talking-points, but rather they should be framed in a way
which facilitates the recapturing of the language and context of the
immigration debate and which also nullifies the archaic responses of
Latino Democrats.
Please help by creating talking points which are patterned closely
after everyday dialogue, but which are informed, affirmative, and
unapologetic. Please provide sources if you quote statistics and try
to provide an English and Spanish version of the talking point. If you
can provide a translation in other languages, especially Asian
languages, this will be helpful as well. If you contribute with one or
ten talking-points, your contribution will be greatly appreciated.
Please email your contributions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks once
again for your time and for your efforts!
Sincerely,
Ollinkoatl
#####
Talking-Points
Examples Taken from www.catholiccharitiesusa.org:
Statement:
Immigrants make life harder for working-class Americans!
Our Response:
Newcomers to our nation face a range of struggles: Every day, on
average, a migrant dies trying to enter the U.S. It typically requires
5 years for a lawful permanent resident to be eligible to become a
naturalized citizen; once eligible, applicants face further delays
that can last nearly a year. Nearly 22% of non-citizens in 2003 fell
below the poverty line. One million applications are pending for
family members to become lawful permanent residents; the average
processing time for these applications is 13 months. Immigrants suffer
work related injuries at higher rates than U.S. citizens; Mexican
nationals living in the United States are 80% more likely to die on
the job than other workers.
Statement:
What is your solution to the "immigration problem"?
Our Response:
Enact comprehensive immigration policies that would not only promote
the security of our nation, but also put undocumented workers and
their families on a path to lawful permanent residence and
citizenship, create greater legal avenues for necessary workers to
enter the United States, integrate and promote the success of
newcomers, and improve the economic prospects, health, labor
protections, and stability of all U.S. residents.
Statement:
What could I do to help, I have no power?
Our Response:
Support other policies to assist newcomers, including: The
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act
addresses the tragedy of immigrant children who grew up in the U.S.,
graduated from high school, but can not attend college because current
immigration laws prohibit states from allowing these students to
attend State institutions at "in-state" tuition rates. These children
derive their immigration status solely from their parents, and if
their parents are undocumented, in most cases, they have no mechanism
to obtain legal residency even though they lived here most of their
lives. Also, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security
(AgJOBS) Act would provide a path to legalization for temporary
workers while providing them with the protection of U.S. labor laws,
job portability, and a just wage.
Statement:
If we don't do something about immigration now millions of people will
immediately move to the United States!
Our Response:
Perhaps. But we must first keep in mind that the U.S. government's
support of corporate globalization and neoliberal economocs (i.e.
NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA etc...) create miserable economic and social
conditions in many countries that encourage people to want to
emigrate. If a more humanitarian economic system were allowed to be
created by those country, maybe something closer to FDR's New Deal,
there is a probability that with the increased economic prosperity in
foreign countries, many would-be emigrants would choose to stay at
home among friends and family. But if millions did come, great!
History has shown that an influx of new Americans provide an economic,
political, and cultural boon to the people of society. Give us your
tired, huddled masses yearning to breathe free and watch the
prosperity here soar!
###############
Resources for Educators, Youth, and the Community (Please add below)
Books and Articles (Accessible and Bilingual):
Web sites (non-corporate, alternative news sources):
Movies (Short Documentaries and Movies that generate discussion) :
Directory (Speakers, Immigrant Rights, Civil Rights, and Legal Counsel):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
