Zocalo Has A Summer Office!!

El Zocalo has a summer office! It'll be open from from June 10-July 25. The office, located on the grounds of St. Edward's Catholic Church on 8th and Ferry in Little Rock, will be open from 3pm-7pm, Monday-Thursday. For information about volunteering or services, email lrimmigrantcenter@gmail.com.

Coming up there are also Advocacy Phone Bank Parties co-hosted by the Arkansas United Community Coalition! Drop in Tuesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 13 from 4:15-7 pm. (There will be snacks!)

*Sorry I've not been posting much! Summer happened. Since it's no longer homework, I have to find different time to fit blogging into my schedule!

Cinco De Mayo Fiesta!!

Friends and readers in Central Arkansas, you should make the time to stop by the Cinco De Mayo Fiesta in Little Rock! It should be fantastically interesting and a great opportunity to experience some cool cultural experience!

I'd so be there if I weren't going out of town. Enjoy it for me!

Writing as Reflection

Writing For Change has been a great learning experience. I've always had a special interest in non-profit organizations and volunteer work. The skills that I've learned taking this class have given me a way to help local organizations (and possibly work for one later on!). It helps immensely to have a class that breaks down the requirements and conventions of documents in the non-profit sector. Other people may figure it out as they go, but I certainly prefer getting the overview in one semester!

The most helpful thing that I've gained in this class is the understanding that advocacy writing functions like any other technical writing. There are certain things that are expected of each document for each audience. Sure, it's more complicated than that when you start writing, but at it's heart, grant writing isn't really different from a job application--you want to use the language of the organization, you want to ask for funds in exchange for work, and you have to follow the instructions.

That makes it seem slightly less intimidating, right?

My favorite part of this semester, though, has totally been the blogging. Which is weird, since I've tried blogging before and wasn't such a fan. I think it's different since I'm writing about a specific experience, but more importantly, an important organization. El Zocalo is a young organization and I'm incredibly pleased to be able to represent them in blog form. Hopefully it has (and will continue to) spread some awareness (and gained support for) their organization.

As my schedule (and attention span) allows, I plan on continuing to write about the issues that face immigrants in Arkansas (and the rest of the United States), El Zocalo, and my advocacy writing (read as bleeding heart) experiences!

Immigration Reform

One of the important aspects of El Zocalo's mission is to lobby and advocate for substantive immigration reform. This is especially important for Arkansas! Our immigrant population is growing and changing the population of Arkansas. This infographic from The Immigration Policy Center breaks down what that means for the state.



El Zocalo has signed onto the Reform Enforcement Caucus, which outlines the goals of several likeminded, immigrant advocate groups. This document addresses failures in the current system and suggests things to consider for meaningful reform. Highlights from the document are:

True reform means establishing a system that values migration, supports family unity, protects the rights of workers, promotes racial justice, ensures the health of our communities, and addresses the root causes of migration while preserving our basic American values. 

True reform must include a pathway to full citizenship for those currently living under threat of deportation as well as for those seeking to reunite with their families. Full citizenship means equal rights that include being a full participant in a free and vibrant society that works to promote and protect the rights and well-being of all. 

Legalization should aim to keep families together—including those family members who have had past contact with law enforcement. The pathway to citizenship should not become an excuse to further divide and criminalize immigrant communities

There are many places to find more information about specific goals and suggestions for immigration reform!
The Immigration Policy Center has tons of great information about immigration reform as well as health care, citizenship, and unemployment among immigrant populations.

The longer that the debate goes on, the more politicians come out for meaningful reform. Even conservative politicians, like Senator Rand Paul, have started to speak out against the penalizing focus of the system. Paul says:

“Basically what I want to do is to expand the worker visa program, have border security and then as far as how people become citizens, there already is a process for how people become citizens. The main difference is I wouldn’t have people be forced to go home. You’d just get in line. But you get in the same line everyone is in.”

Hopefully, we, as Americans will come to a consensus to help immigrants and treat them with the same dignity that we treat natural born citizens!

Who doesn't love public art?

Thanks to wonderful genius and classmate, Nicolle Boswell (who has her own blog about advocacy writing), I am taking an entirely different approach to my grant search.

I had been looking for a substantial grant that would meet the needs of an existing operating budget but, frankly, that's hard. Most foundations seem to want to fund fun things--things that they can post pictures of and tell cool stories about. Light bills don't really meet that criteria!

I also considered filling out an application for a grant from a local Catholic Charities organization, but I feel like El Zócalo has that one under control (they've received the grant before). It just didn't get my creative fire going, you know?

Then, Nicolle posted the link to the Inside Out Project and it was like I'd met my project soul mate. I love photography, I love public art, and I love raising awareness. I had seen the project before, but I had never thought about it as a way to increase immigrant visibility. I've emailed the organization to get more details about the process for initiating a project! While I wait, I'm focusing my grant search on public art projects.

I hope I can find something!

How YOU Can Help!

I've talked a lot about how El Zócalo helps people and vaguely hinted about how they use volunteers, but I haven't talked about how you might be one of those volunteers!

There are a variety of volunteer opportunities for Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers alike. This is totally not a comprehensive list. If you have an idea for a way to help, contact Sara Mullally or anyone else involved (including me--I'm easy to contact! Just leave a comment)! There are a ton of ways to help El Zócalo!

Because most of people (including myself) are not fluent in English and Spanish, I'll start with the opportunities for non-Spanish speakers!

• Represent El Zócalo in the community

Market and Media Outreach

Photography and Social Media

Organize a Community Event, Fundraiser, or Outreach Presentation

Visit a Detainee**

Food Pantry Volunteer

Work on Advocacy, Public Policy, Education, or Research

Grant Writing

For you rare bilingual folk out there, you can help with all of those things and more!

• Interpretation at Local Charity Clinics
• Help with Case Management and Medical Referral System
• Direct Service with Immigrant Families

**In Central Arkansas, there are detainees that speak English, Spanish, and Arabic.

This is such a simplified list. El Zocalo is a grassroots organization, so all of the important work that they do is accomplished by volunteers! Think about working with El Zocalo the next time that you are bitten by that community service bug!

Arkansas Dream Act

For those who don't know, the Arkansas Dream Act (SB915) is a bill that would allow immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition. It doesn't cost the state anything, the undocumented immigrants still can't qualify for the state funded scholarships, and it actually increases potential profits for the universities because they have a pool of potential customers students.

To help ensure that this bipartisan piece of common sense legislation is passed, El Zocalo is asking YOU for help! If you have a moment and feel led by your conscience to do so, please take a few minutes and make a quick phone call, or type up an email asking your legislator to support this bill. Although it'd be great if you used personal stories, we've got a sample script for you if you aren't sure what to say! 

“My name is ________ and I am from _________. I am calling Senator ________ urging him/her to vote YES on SB915. It only makes sense to invest in future productive citizens. This bill will not cost the state any money, and it will actually allow us to capitalize in an investment that we have already made. These students will NOT be able to apply for scholarship or loans, including the Lottery Scholarship. In-state tuition is good for Arkansas. Please vote YES to SB915. Thank you.” 

 If you're not one for phone calls (lookin' at you, everyone my age), we also have an email template you can use! 

 Dear State Senator: 

As a constituent of your district, I would appreciate your support for "The Postsecondary Education and Economic Development Act of 2013", which would allow undocumented students to use their own money to pay tuition at the in-state rate. We, as your district, look forward to your support, and helping our community acheive its education and economic potential.  

Sincerely,

Name

Address

And finally, for those of you who don't make a habit of hitting up your legislator for some quality legal chat, you can use this link to quickly look up your representative's contact information.

Pro-Tip for Conway kids:  We're represented by Jason Rapert. His phone number is 501-336-0918 and his email address is Jason.Rapert@senate.ar.gov.

The legislature especially needs to hear from non-Latinos. If they know that a diverse group of Arkansans are supporting this, they're more likely to vote for it! Latinos (actually, all minorities) are marginalized. Marginalized populations aren't disadvantaged because people in power listened when they spoke alone. Women didn't get the right to vote working alone! These students need our support to create a loud voice advocating for their right to an affordable education.

If you're interested in tracking the progress of this specific legislation or helping out the immigrant community as a whole, I encourage you to "Like" our Facebook page.

And while you have your activism shoes on, go show SB33 some love. You can find out more about that bill and its progress here. Both bills are sponsored by Joyce Elliot and would absolutely be positive steps toward improving education in Arkansas.

"Lost In Detention"

Immigrant detention centers are a major blight in our immigration system. I've posted before about the horrible atrocities immigrants may face in these centers, from being relocated to a state hours away from their families to being sexually assaulted by guards. Our system is flawed.

PBS Frontline recently produced a documentary called Lost In Detention that highlights some of these injustices and the legislation at the root of them. It is about an hour long, but well worth your time. Even if you just watch the first 15 minutes, you will be more informed than you were before! Some of these families may not have another voice. Some may not have another chance to speak to you. Please, watch. Even if it's only for a few minutes.

Watch Lost in Detention on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Technology is not the best

Usually I consider myself pretty tech-savvy!

I can make minor adjustments to html tags, I can operate Adobe Photoshop with competency, and Microsoft Office with ease. I'm a regular, and enthusiastic, user of social media.

Even with all of those things in my favor, sometimes even my interactions with technology go... awry. There are so many different web applications and mobile versions of this application or that! And some interface more effectively than others.

Blogger, for example, has a mobile app. Last Saturday, I tried to upload my blog post from the Blogger mobile app. The app gave me a message that said it had posted, then I went to type a post today and found my post from last week in my drafts!

Obviously, I'm not as tech-savvy as I think I am.

Technology is something than many non-profit organizations are struggling to utilize well! It can be difficult keeping up with the best way to get new followers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or that new blog you've started to get publicity. There are tips and tricks to each different medium and it can basically be a full time job to successfully use all available

What I think might work best is for organizations to start out with one or two media outlets. Then, as they build a base, add one or two more. This spreads out the amount of time spent learning the "tricks" to getting followers and gives the writer time to acclimate to each platform.

Maybe I'm just oversimplifying! Or maybe my plan moves too slowly and results in missing out on some early involvement. Opinions?

My Non-Profit Is The Best.

I am so glad that I have chosen El Zócalo to work with for this class!

Today I had the opportunity to talk to Sarah Mullaly, the director, on the phone. She seems like she will be really great to work with. Since their formation, she's been the main driving force for the organization. Other people come and go, adding their expertise and time, but then moving on to other things. As a result, she's thrilled to have more help!

In case you're not a faithful reader, or you've simply forgotten, El Zócalo is a local organization that works to provide assistance and resources to immigrants in the central Arkansas area. They've only been around about a year and a half, so they are still very much in the growing stages!

I'm so excited to get started on a project to help this organization! There are, of course, challenges. El Zócalo isn't a registered 501c3, so donations aren't tax deductible. It also means that to apply for grants we have to apply as a part of another organization. Luckily, they've already done some applications and things so we have a basis! Seriously, they're fantastic. I hope this project is the start of an ongoing relationship!

The American Dream

One of the current focuses of El Zocalo's work is advocating for the closure of the 10 especially abusive detention centers. They have joined a national campaign with 300 other organizations to work to promote awareness and write letters to local and national legislators.

The 10 dentention centers singled out for closure by activists for immigrants rights are:

Etowah County Detention Center (AL)
Pinal County Jail (AZ)
Houston Processing Center (TX)
Polk County Jail (TX)
Stewart Detention Center (GA)
Irwin County Detention Center (GA)
Hudson County Jail (NJ)
Baker County Jail (FL)
Theo Lacy Jail (CA)
Tri-County Jail (IL).

Detention Watch Network has recorded several stories of cruelty in these centers. Some detainees are denied adequate food and water, some are denied medical care, and some are even beaten or verbally abused by the detention center employees. In their "Expose and Close" reports, they have detailed specific instances of this mistreatment:

At Pinal County Jail complaints regarding sanitation include receiving food on dirty trays, worms found in food, bugs and worms found in the faucets, receiving dirty laundry, and being overcrowded with ten other men in one cell and only one toilet.

At Polk County Detention Facility, one man showed volunteers from the DNC a fungal infection on his scalp and the medicine he was prescribed.  According to the packaging the medicine was intended for female infections.

A man with serious emotional health problems in the Houston Processing Center in Texas was placed in solitary confinement for months at a time, a practice which the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has deemed torture.

El Zocalo is one of the signatories of the special letter written to President Obama asking him to do more to close these centers. They also hosted a prayer vigil in respect and solidarity for those who are detained and to demonstrate that there are people who are staunchly opposed to allowing the violation of human rights.



This gross mistreatment of our fellow man is not what the American dream is all about. People come seeking hope and opportunity, only to be faced with cruelty and shame. This is what El Zocalo Immigrant Resource Center seeks to change. They seek to preserve the beauty of the American dream.

Do you?

El Zócalo: An Introduction

El Zócalo Immigrant Resource Center is a local non profit that does a lot of grassroots work. When I say grassroots, I mean grassroots. They are new enough that they don't even have a physical location. All of their work has been put together through people making connections and volunteering their time to help out. 

A lot of information about their work and different projects they've done can be found on their Facebook page! Looking through their photographs will really show you just how much they do and how much it means to the people that they help.

I first learned about them at a Volunteer Fair that featured several local organizations that were hoping to recruit some support from the local university community. I was drawn to their ideas. The root of their mission is essentially to help these immigrants in any way that they can. They visit detained immigrants, they provide assistance to families, and help them navigate complex paperwork. The whole time, they're also lobbying for meaningful immigration reform.