Archive for May 22nd, 2009
Voices of Immigration
4:42 pm By la Macha · Immigration · 1 Comment
22 May 2009I really enjoyed listening to this broadcast of The Story from American Public Media. It tells the story of two people dealing with immigration: the first, a former soldier and child of immigrants who decided to become a movie maker, the second, a former translator and single mother that escaped from a war torn country. From the website comes this blurb:
Like many of today’s veterans, Brian Iglesias came home from the war expecting to put his skills as a Marine to good use in the civilian workforce. That didn’t happen. Despite his high academic achievements and military honors, Brian struggled to find an entry-level job.
Raya Asee is an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden. Dick spoke with her last fall and all Raya could talk about was her 10-year-old son, Bashar. She’d had to leave him with extended family in Jordan when she’d gone to Europe to seek refugee status. The two had not seen one another for a year and a half.
You can listen to the stories here. I think listening to the stories one right after another really highlights the way immigration plays out for women in a way all the polls in the world can’t. There are children to think of, and endless work, and violence, and fear, and longing for home, and sadness–and joy and love too. How bad is bad enough? When is it time to leave? What happens when there isn’t any better or maybe even worse that “here?”
Unfortunately, as Mala noted, stories and voices from people who are actually experiencing are not easily quantifiable, and thus, never seem to really count to the people who could make a difference. Maybe this is where immigration rights advocates need to be doing their work? Challenging the idea that statistics can really tell a story of a community that is so diverse–so completely undefinable.
Let’s Get Free!
4:18 pm By la Macha · Word en la calle · Comments Off
22 May 2009For D.C. peeps!
The Visions to Peace Project Presents “Let’s Get Free!”
Youths’ Performance to Address the Pain of Violence and the Hope of Healing
(Washington, D.C. – May 20, 2009) On Saturday, June 13, the Visions to Peace Project will present a free performance that explores violence against youth and celebrates the power of healing. The Visions to Peace Project is an Anacostia-based organization that supports youth-led action for safety and peace, rather than dependence on policing, prisons, and punitive policies. This spring, the organization offered a series of workshops in which youth meet weekly to discuss violence in their lives and use the arts as a tool for healing. Next month, participants will share their work in a production organized for the community at large. A brief discussion and open cast party featuring free food and door prizes will be held directly after the show to support continued dialog and community-building. The entire event will be held at CentroNía, an educational and family support center located in Columbia Heights, NW.
WHAT: Let’s Get Free!
WHO: Visions to Peace Project
Various Volunteers, Collaborators and SupportersWHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2009. Doors open at 6 pm. Show begins at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: CentroNía, 1420 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, D.C. 20009
WHY: Youth, families and communities are harmed by multiple forms of violence – from the loss of friends to the loss of neighborhoods, from abuse by dating partners to abuse by police officers. This performance will highlight the insights of local youth and their calls for healing and justice.
For more information on the Visions to Peace Project, visit www.visionispower.org
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SUPPORT THE DECOLONIZATION OF PUERTO RICO AND THE SIX PRO-INDEPENDENCE PROTESTERS
8:32 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Activism|Events|Puerto Rico · 28 Comments
22 May 2009
This was in my inbox this morning, about how to support the Ricans that were arrested earlier this month for their civil disobedience in Congress and how their personal struggle is linked to the issue of the colonial status of Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States for 111 years: a disgraceful colonial condition in the 21st century. It is time to resolve this crime against our people.” This is the demand of the six pro-independence protesters who interrupted the U.S. Congress and who hope their actions will produce more acts of civil disobedience regarding the colonial status of the island.
The protesters, who have been summoned to court on May 26, are the artists Luis Enrique Romero, María “Chabela” Rodríguez y José Rivera (Tony Mapeyé), mechanic designer Luis Suárez, nurse Eugenia Pérez-Martijo, and retired laborer Ramón Díaz.
The six interrupted a U.S. Congress session by singing “Oubao Moin” and carrying Puerto Rican flags and signs that read “111 years of colonization is a disgrace.” The protesters could face sentences of up to six months in jail and fines.
The struggle for Puerto Rican independence is the result of many battles that have not ceased. In 1954, five Puerto Rican conducted a shooting attack against member of the U.S. Congress to demand the independence of the island. The 1954 attackers have served more than 25 years in U.S. federal prisons. To date, thousands of pro-independence activists have been persecuted and incarcerated by the U.S. government for their actions. Now is time to decolonize Puerto Rico and put an end to the lies and deceit used by the U.S. government for the past 111 years.
Freedom for Puerto Rico and its political prisoners.
NYC PROTEST IN SUPPORT OF THE 6 PRO-INDEPENDENCE ACTIVISTS
Where: 26 Federal Plaza, Manhattan
When: May 26 at 5:30 pm
Directions: 4, 6, R, W to City HallSupport by making a monetary contribution for the activists at any Banco Popular and make a deposit to bank account #760060177 to María I. Rodríguez and specify that it is for a Banco Popular (BPPR) account in Puerto Rico.
GO TO WASHINGTON DC AND SUPPORT
Solidarity groups will go to Washington DC on the day of the hearing. For more information contact decolonizeprnow@gmail.com¡Free Puerto Rico! ¡Freedom for our political prisoners!
New Study from NCLR Points to Inequalities in Justice System for Latino Youth
7:29 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Justice|youth · 1 Comment
22 May 2009
“What’s wrong with young people these days?” is a question often asked. We’ve written over and over again that the problem isn’t really with the young people in our communities but rather with the messages “the system” sends to them as to the value of their lives especially when it comes to the “justice” system.
A new study recently released by NCLR reaffirms what we already knew, that Latino youth are treated unjustly. America’s Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice specifically looks at how Latino youth are charged and incarcerated as adults more so than other young people in the U.S.
On any given day, close to 18,000 Latino youth are incarcerated in America. The majority of these youth are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Most Latino youth are held in juvenile detention facilities (41%) and juvenile long-term secure facilities (34%). However, one out of every four (24%) incarcerated Latino children is held in an adult prison or jail even though youth in adult facilities are in significant danger of suicide and rape.
Latino youth are overrepresented in the U.S. justice system and receive harsher treatment than white youth. In order of rising disparities, Latino youth are: 4% more likely than white youth to be petitioned; 16% more likely than white youth to be adjudicated delinquent; 28% more likely than white youth to be detained; 41% more likely than white youth to receive an out-of-home placement; 43% more likely than white youth to be waived to the adult system; and 40% more likely to be admitted to adult prison. States with the highest levels of disparity of Latino youth in adult prison (rates over 5 times that for white youth) were California, Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Nine out of ten (90%) Latino youth ages 10 to 17 live in states that permit the pre-trial detention in adult jails for youth prosecuted in the adult system. According to a study of 40 large urban jurisdictions, Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system are routinely incarcerated in adult jails. Overall, a higher proportion of white youth are released pretrial (60%) than any other racial or ethnic categories. Most (54%) of Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system were detained pretrial; of the Latino youth detained pretrial, 72% were held in adult jails.
Hola!
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