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Tag Archives: America’s Voice

Community and Organizations Join to Stop Deportation of Maine Student

September 1st, 2010

Earlier this month, as part of the DREAM Now Letters to Barack Obama series, we introduced you to Selvin Ovidio Arevalo, a Guatemalan student living in Maine who is facing immediate deportation.

There has been much talk by the right wing and some Republicans about returning to the “good ole American values rooted in Christianity”. While one could argue about what the values of this country really are and their history, what cannot be argued is that often the rhetoric against immigrants by those same people is anything but merciful. Selvin is a young man of faith and I wonder how many within the faith community, across party lines would step up for a young man like Selvin.

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DREAM Now : David Cho

August 9th, 2010

VivirLatino was asked to help in promoting and sharing the story of students fighting for the DREAM Act as part of the The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” . This is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act is not without it’s controversy, and some of it understandable. Here at VivirLatino we have written for years about the complex nature of the bill, especially objections to the military component and how sometimes it is used by politicos and orgs on all sides to promote the good vs. bad immigrant narrative that we find offensive and counterproductive to moving towards justice for all immigrants.

On the other side of the coin, you have the DREAM Act student/activists being scapegoated, being blamed for the failure of comprehensive immigration reform, as if they were the ones charged to write a bill, when it is bold faced Republican hate and Democratic weakness that has killed nearly all hope for a Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill this year.

So now we DREAM. Now we keep fighting for all at every level, but look at the reality of the legislative landscape. Case by case deferments is not a policy that protects anyone in our communities no matter what the NYT says or what suspiciously leaked memos meant to add fuel to anchor baby type arguments hint at. Just like communities debated the different ways CIR could happen, let’s talk about the DREAM Act and the students fighting to stay in cities they call home.

Today we DREAM with David Cho:

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Reactions to Obama’s Speech on Immigration

July 2nd, 2010

Organizations whose survival relies on the idea that comprehensive immigration reform is not dead or on the rise of the Democratic party machine, will take a speech like yesterday’s and spin it into a positive, over and over again. I understand that and in some ways you have to respect that tenacity.

The Center for American Progress lavished the strongest praise on the President:

President Barack Obama boldly showed today that he is neither giving up on immigration reform nor giving in to restrictionist measures like the one Arizona recently enacted.

The president demonstrated great courage and conviction as he reasserted that the only solution to repairing our broken immigration system is one enacted by the federal government that is tough, practical, and fair.

In an email sent out, SEIU took the president’s call to get Republicans moving on a bill seriously:

In his first major address on immigration reform this morning, President Obama rolled up his sleeves and called on Republicans again to work with him on fixing our broken immigration system.

Still, Republicans have refused to cross the aisle and work with him to deliver the comprehensive immigration reform that a vast majority of Americans want.

So we’re asking all our members and supporters to call on the Republicans in the Senate to join the President by working together to fix our broken immigration system.

Click here to call a Republican Senator: http://action.seiu.org/letsgettowork

Reform Immigration FOR America, took the same approach, shifting any blame from the president or his party and focusing on Republican legislative inaction.

The National Council of la Raza wasn’t as laudatory as it tends to be everytime Obama makes a speech. Their press release post-speech concluded:

“America needs an answer. Comprehensive immigration reform is the solution, and the time to act is now. Politicians who stand in the way or sit on the sidelines will be held accountable on Election Day,” concluded Murguía.

I wonder if that was meant to mean the President as well?

Not all organizations did their usual song and dance though.

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The Non-Profit Industrial Complex Eats Reform and Spits Out DREAMs

June 16th, 2010

The Non-Profit Industrial Complex is like the Prison Industrial Complex in that despite the name, it is a capitalist model based in struggling for money. While private prisons fight amongst themselves for contracts with the Federal government and cut corners that usually equal abuses against those housed behind concrete and barbed wire, non-profits fight amongst themselves for money given out by corporate tax shelters and cut corners by watering down what should be revolution for reform and the end result is abuse against those whom orgs claim to represent and help in their mission statements. And just like private prisons would rather have rival gangs attack each other and distract from the bigger picture, non-profit organizations, whether on purpose or by default, also engage in divide and conquer politics that serve to dilute struggles rather than strengthen them. Need an example? Just look at the latest beef between some orgs in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform movement and the DREAM Act students.

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CNN Wasn’t Having It, But MSNBC Says Yes to Drop Dobbs Ad

October 29th, 2009

When America’s Voice raised enough cash to buy a spot for their Drop Dobbs ad in a Latino in America time slot, CNN felt that their loyalty to hateful Dobbs was worth more so they passed.

Knowing an opportunity when they see one, the Drop Dobbs ad will play tonight on MSNBC during the Rachel Maddow show at 9:00 pm EST. America’s Voice was able to purchase air time on local cable networks in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC. So tune in and even if you can’t tune in because the ad isn’t running in your ‘hood (or if you don’t have cable like me), let the CNN head know that one thing you aren’t watching is his network, especially as long as Lou Dobbs is on.

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CNN Wants Latino Viewers and $ But Not When They Criticize

October 16th, 2009

America’s Voice successfully raised enough money to produce and purchase on-air time for their Drop Dobbs television ad.

The plan was to pay the $16,000 it cost to place the ad during CNN’s Latino in America Series next week. Claro the show will be surrounded by Spanglish ads urging you to buy from Walmart with it’s horrible treatment of workers and eat McDonald’s with it’s horrible treatment of animals and your body. But air an ad that has something to say and is trying to sell a message of truth? Not CNN. They rejected America’s Voice money and ad.

I don’t have cable so I don’t watch CNN and I had no intention of watching the series, Latino in America. Given the criticisms I heard and read about the CNN series Black in America, I already had made up my mind that the show likely wouldn’t represent with any accuracy what the Latino experience was for me, my familia, my friends, and vecinos. The hypocrisy of a network that poses itself as a fair and balanced news leader,airing a series on Latinidad while paying the salary of a the hateful Dobbs, whose rhetoric gives both the government and individuals justification for hate crimes against Latinos, especially Latino immigrants, grows. As Nezua wrote, CNN doesn’t really care about what it really means to be Latino in America. Maybe it’s time not just to drop Dobbs but to drop CNN.

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Those Crazy Gringos Videos

September 23rd, 2009

Seems like racist white people in the media are getting alot of attention this week from various organizations and websites and some of that negative attention is well deserved. But negative, reactive pressure against some of these crazy gringos is only as effective as the values and goals behind them.

Our first video link is the latest edition of News with Nezua : Crazy Old White Guys.

News With Nezua | Crazy Old White Guys from nezua on Vimeo.

I already told you about the Basta Dobbs campaign. America’s Voice launched their own campaign aimed against Lou Dobbs. They are seeking donations to help buy ad space countering Lou Dobbs and his hate speech. (full disclosure: they have purchased ad space on VL).

Every weeknight, CNN airs one full hour of Hate TV — it’s called, “Lou Dobb’s Tonight.”

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Es Mentiroso Ese Hombre. Who Exactly Are the Liars? A Look At Reactions to Wilson.

September 13th, 2009

Everyone and their mami is jumping on the outburst heard round the world. Let’s take a look at how organizations that claim to be progressive or at the very least Democratic, are repping what down during Obama’s health care plan pitch.

The Free Press Action Fund, an org whose mission according to it’s tagline is to “Reform Media, Transform Democracy”, took the opportunity to ask for funds. In their request letter, they focus on the failings of the mainstream media:

For the past 24 hours, the media have focused on the controversy surrounding Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst, but not on the substance of his claim — that the president lied about coverage for undocumented immigrants — which is demonstrably false.

As in nothing to see here folks. Undocumented (at least they didn’t use the word illegal) won’t be covered. Hmm I wonder how independent media makers such as myself can get in on some of that fundraising action?

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Netroots Nation : Invisibility and Identity in Progressive Spaces Part 2 (Immigration)

August 23rd, 2009

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It’s been a week since I left Pittsburgh, pero drama from NN09, a mounting stack of bills, and la vida have prevented me from writing out this second part in a more timely manner.

The Movement is in the Messenging?
As I mentioned before, I was able to attend Netroots Nation gracias to a scholarship from America’s Voice because of my history of writing on immigration. Understandably, this was a decision that wasn’t popular with everyone since I am constantly pushing back on the beltway and their “progressive” supporters. Pero that is what I consider my job to be. I am not beholden to anyone except myself and my community which is why I think it’s really important to look at how the issue of immigration and the parties that claim to represent the issue in the real world and blogosphere are represented, specifically in the Netroots Nation ’09 context.

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