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Obama: For Deportations & Against DREAMers

6:58 am By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Immigration|Obama|youth · 2 Comments

14 Apr 2011

The Immigration Policy Center just released their Second Annual DHS Progress Report.

From the Executive Summary:

From the beginning of the Obama Administration, there has been a tension between enhanced immigration enforcement and a push for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). This tension increased significantly in 2010 as the Administration ramped up its immigration-enforcement efforts at the expense, many believe, of the very people most likely to benefit from legalization and CIR. With the 111th Congress essentially immobilized on reform, but for the dramatic lame-duck passage of the DREAM Act in the House and its near miss in the Senate, the public looked to the President and his Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for some measure of immigration relief. For the most part, they didn’t find it.

Image Via America’s Voice y Feet in Two Worlds

Maryland Approves DREAM Act

8:53 pm By BiancaLaureano · DREAM Act|Education|Immigration|Maryland|youth · 3 Comments

9 Apr 2011

In a vote on Friday, April 8, 2011, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 74 to 66 in favor of the DREAM Act. This will allow undocumented youth who are seeking degrees in community colleges and state schools to receive in-state tuition as long as they graduated from a state school and their families pay taxes unless they are exempt for emergency situations (which right now are unclear to me what is considered an “emergency”).

As an alumna of the University of Maryland and a product of the public school system in the state, this makes me proud, even if just a bit, for representing the state. When I was at UM last week giving a presentation on Demystifying Latina Sexualities (write up forthcoming), three undergraduate students spoke prior to my presentation urging folks who were present to sign in support of the Maryland In-State Tuition Bill.

Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown released the following statement Friday:

“The only way Maryland will continue to thrive is if we embrace all who wish to contribute to our great State. Allowing children of undocumented immigrants who have attended and graduated from Maryland high schools to access an affordable college education will help them give back, both in taxes from higher paying jobs and through service to their community. We have a great deal to gain by embracing new Americans, and I congratulate the House of Delegates for taking this historic step to ensure Maryland remains a land of opportunity for all.”

Listen to coverage from when the DREAM Act passed the state Senate in March 2011.

And might I add, that I find it less than exceptional that the only media coverage of this story for the past 24 hours has been from conservative spaces!

DREAMs Come Out of the Shadows in Chicago

4 Apr 2011

This past, March 10th, young people, many whom would be eligible for the DREAM Act (if politicians would just get it passed already), came out of the shadows and declared their immigration status, without fear and without apologies.

The following is a video from the “Coming Out of the Shadows” rally in Chicago, organized by the Youth Justice League.

The film moved me to tears, and I was really appreciative of how it showed the diversity of the young people involved in the struggle for the DREAM Act.

If you want to support these youth or want to learn how to get involved. Visit the Youth Justice League online or email them at info@iyjl.org.

Exclusive Screening of film LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX

1 Apr 2011

Miss Kings County 2011, is Carmen B. Mendoza, a Latina whose platform is de-stigmatizing getting tested for HIV. As part of her goal to begin discussions with Latinos and youth around HIV and topics of sexuality, she is coordinating a special exclusive screening of the documentary film LET’s TALK ABOUT SEX. This film is scheduled to air on TLC Saturday April 9, 2011. If you live in the NYC area you can check the film out before then.

Carmen has coordinated a panel of speakers to discuss the topics presented in the film, including director James Houston, media maker Aiesha Turman and yours truly will be on it as well! I’ve shared the stage with Carmen before and I’m super excited to have this opportunity again. She is an amazing young woman who is pushing the ideas and expectations of beauty pageants in a direction that it has never gone into before.

And before ya’ll anti-pageant folks get all up on this post, read up on what this program focuses on and remember there are many paths to doing this type of work, and this is one of them. If we are committed to reaching folks in various spaces, we have to recognize that doing that work may mean going to where they are, and we need folks doing this work everywhere, not just on the Internets!

Below is the press release for this event. RSVP at MissKingsCounty2011@gmail.com film is at 7pm at Center Stage 48 West 21st Street. Read more…

Gracias Museo del Barrio : Super Sabado on Art & Activism

20 Mar 2011

It was my great pleasure to particpate in yesterday’s Museo del Barrio’s Super Sabado day on Art & Activism. I read two bilingual stories with children and their parents/caregivers that demonstrated how children, working together with the adults in their communities and identify needs and participate in solutions.

The books were Xochitl la nina de las flores – Xochitl and the Flowers and ¡SI, SE PUEDE! / YES, WE CAN!

Here’s a little snippet of me reading from Xochitl

March 10th, 2011 : Coming out of the Shadows Day for Undocumented Youth

10:41 am By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Education|Immigration|youth · Comments Off

7 Mar 2011

Te default is to think that invisibility, hiding will offer protection and safety, but experience has taught me, that when it comes to issues of justicia, the safety comes from the extended reach of community and by claiming presence, saying Presente!. And say this with a certain amount of privilege. My claiming multiple identities publicly doesn’t put me at risk for being deported, and yet on March 10th, many DREAMers will take that risk and as community, regardless of where we stand in terms of the details of the DREAM Act, it is our responsibility to extend our reach to them and support.

Day of Action for DREAM Act

10:30 am By Maegan La Mala · chicago|DREAM Act|Immigration|youth · 12 Comments

7 Dec 2010

As expected, yesterday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture on the DREAM Act, moving things along for a vote tomorrow.

Today across the country there are actions in support of the DREAM Act. In Chicago, today’s action focuses on the psychological impact that being undocumented often has on young people following the suicide of a young DREAMer.

A DREAM DEFERRED A LIFE DENIED
Undocumented youth talk about suicide, mental health and the DREAM Act, in memory of those who took their lives because their dreams and futures were denied.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010
12:00 PM, Federal Plaza

From Reyna Wences, Immigrant Youth Justice League

“I graduated in June of 2009, a day after my graduation I attempted suicide because I was tired, because I did not want to tell my mom we’d have to pay for my education out of our own pocket. And when schools gave me scholarships I didn’t want to put her through the pain of telling me that we still couldn’t afford it. That’s when a funeral started to look less expensive than 4-years of education at the school of my choice. I’ve decided to come out about this because every day that passes by without addressing this is another day another student is probably thinking the same and I don’t want that anymore.

“I know that for the past months we’ve worked under an unpredictable legislative schedule and it has come down to this: a vote in the House and Senate as early as next week. I know that this is something that some of us have experienced, or thought about, and I can only imagine how many other undocumented people there are just like us, who need hope and inspiration. And others need to realize that this is what fighting for DREAM is about, fighting for our lives.”

Reyna Wences,
Immigrant Youth Justice League

If you are undocumented and someone who has thought about, or attempted suicide, or even if you know of someone who has, will you work with us to write and tell your story? Please contact iyjleague@gmail.com.

The Future of NYC Looks Latino but Puerto Ricans Aren’t Faring Well

11:47 am By Maegan La Mala · economy|Education|Immigration|New York City|youth · 16 Comments

4 Nov 2010

According to a report (PDF) by the Community Service Society of NY (full disclosure, I once worked for CSS), the future of NYC is Latino. Hispanics are the second-largest racial/ethnic group in New York City. With 2,290,007 individuals, they make up 27.6 percent of the entire city population, second behind whites, who are the largest racial group at 35.6 percent. Most of the young Latinos in the Big Apple speak English well or very well. however for some of those Latinos, the future looks bleak.

* A greater percentage of Latino youth live in poor and near-poor households than any other racial group. Fifty-six percent of Latino young people live in households with incomes less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

Interestingly enough, according to the report, it is not the immigrant Latinos that are struggling the most. It is Puerto Rican young people.

Roughly 17 percent of young Puerto Rican men were not in school, employed or looking for work, compared with 9 percent of Dominicans and 8 percent of Mexicans. Of those Latinos born in the United States, only 55 percent of Puerto Rican youth were enrolled in school, compared with 68 percent of Dominicans and 67 percent of Mexicans. Regardless of birthplace, about 33 percent of Puerto Rican families lived below the poverty line, compared with 29 percent of Dominicans and 27 percent of Mexicans

Latin@ Citywide Panel To Focus On Latino Community & Response To Homophobic Hate Crimes

21 Oct 2010

Many of our NY area readers may have already heard of the brutal and violent crimes against three gay Bronx Latino men (two who were 17 years-old) who were allegedly sodomized and tortured by several youth and adults involved with a gang. Eight men have been arraigned for gang assault, sexual abuse and unlawful imprisonment and a total of eleven men have been arrested.

In response to these acts of violence Latin@ Citywide has invited me to sit on a panel to discuss ways we can respond to such acts of violence, homophobia, and misogyny among our community. This is not the first conversation to occur in the LGBTQI community in The Bronx since these attacks, but it may be the first one to be led and centered in the Latino community.

I’ll be sharing this opportunity with Rev. Carmen Hernanded, Founder / President of NYC LGBT Chamber of Commerce who I met earlier this year at the 2010 El Diario Mujeres Destacadas Awards ceremony as we were both recipients this year. Also in attendence wtill be Andrés Duque, Blabbeando Blogger and LGBT Activist, and Ephraim Cruz, Co- Founder of Bronx for Change.

I’m happy to have been invited to speak at this space, it represents an attempt to expand this conversation in ways that are often ignored. As many VL readers know, my ideas on gang involvement and affiliation as well as sexuality education and access for youth of Color, are not very popular; and I’ll be speaking from this space. Because there is no press or elected officials allowed I will be speaking as Bianca the sexologist, professor, educator and activist.

This event is open to the public and I do hope that if you are in NYC and are able to attend that you please do so. I’d love to meet some of our readers in 3-D and have this conversation and action plan moved in a way that is productive and inclusive! If you are interested in attending please RSVP via email by October 22, 2010 to: jcartagena@CSSNY.ORG

The original email invitation is below with full details. Read more…

DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama : Gaby Pacheco

6:46 am By Maegan La Mala · DREAM Act|Education|Immigration|youth · Comments Off

14 Sep 2010

The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

Dear Mr. President,

I am a member of the first graduating class of Felix Varela Senior High which is located in Miami, Florida. I had attended school with my native-born friends. Like them, I participated in activities, field trips, dances, and felt the pain of losing a classmate.

It was around 10th grade that I realized my future after high school would not be the same as those of my peers even though I worked just as hard to obtain excellent grades. I understood that I was different. For over ten years I had been in hiding. For days I thought about coming out of the closet. I wanted to tell the whole world who I really was. I thought, “How would this affect the relationships with my friends?” “How would I be judged?” “How will my parents be affected?” I thought about it day and night, hoping that someone would help and wondering about the others, like me, out there.

It took a lot of courage, but one day in 10th grade I told everyone: I was an undocumented immigrant.

Read more…

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