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!

Words Matter

As you may have already heard, the Associated Press will no longer be calling people "illegal".

Although it is important for everyone to understand the power of words, I think it is especially important for us as writers.

This study from The National Hispanic Media Coalition found that non-latinos demonstrated much more negative opinions when responding to the term "illegal" or "illegal immigrant" than they did to the term "undocumented". Although neither are fully accurate, people are not illegal. By calling human beings "illegal", we are dehumanizing them. We're equating them with their actions, not their humanity.

As writers, we have influence over the material that reaches the public. Written word in particular is a concrete type of discourse that can shape the way that issues and populations are viewed and understood. From one writer to another, please keep in mind that your words matter! Be kind and respect the personhood of others.

(and as one writer to another, good luck with whatever you may be writing at the moment!)

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!

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.

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?

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?