Just a Few More Days
Posted on April 22, 2010 by felipe
Trail of Draems
Tonight, I’m writing from a dome in the woods of Spotsylvania, VA. The place we are staying at today is a house in a small secluded place only 65 miles from our final destination- Washington, DC. It’s a peculiar feeling to be so close after having walked through so many places. As I am getting ready for our big day, the only thing I have in mind is our desire to create a moment that will empower millions to take their place in the struggle. I am extremely anxious; feeling as if my wedding day is approaching and I am running around to make the last arrangements.
I am tired and I wonder how much more my body can take before exhaustion catches up to me. My feet are calloused and my soul mourns the failures of our immigration system that deny my humanity. I think of this Trail and the impact that it has had on those around me. Everywhere we have gone, we have treated everyone, including those whom oppose our views and opinions, as a full human. Our strenuous efforts led us to stand by love and created bonds that transcend legislation or ethnicity. We created an alternative way of discussing immigration issues in many of the places we had the fortune of walking through –a way that truly highlights the human cost of our administration’s inaction on this vital issue.
As I lay beneath this dome, lit by a dim, solar-powered light, I am thinking retrospectively to January 1st. I have witnessed beauty beyond anyone’s wildest imagination but also great pain and despair. Like Dante’s Inferno, we had to go deep into the hell of our broken system to find a way to salvation. Although the walk is not over and the dream has not yet been achieved; I can’t forget every tear I shed and shared with people as they told their stories. I wish I could have held Oscar, an 11 year-old boy, as he pleaded for his family to not get deported, and could have told him he had nothing to be afraid of. I yearned to tell Nancy, a DREAM Act student, to stop crying because we could find a way for her to go to college and stop fearing deportation. I wished we hadn’t lost Jose, Cameron’s partner, to senseless deportations and an even deeper root of racism and white supremacy. Each one of these stories has become part of me and I have become part of them. Just like the Zen saying, “How can the drops of water know themselves to be a river?” When we embarked in this journey I had not completely comprehended how connected we all are and the power we can have through unity. Our communities are bleeding and waiting is not an option that we can explore. We cannot allow for a whole generation to be wasted!
From our first steps in Miami, Carlos would continuously proclaim: “One step closer to DC, one step closer to DC….” After a few minutes his statement would become ridiculously annoying but now when I look back I see that he was right. Every step we took, it moved us forward towards our objective. The question that remains unanswered is whether our leaders in DC will have the same courage we had when we departed. Will they shy away from their responsibility or face this challenge? While many walk half way, we walked the whole way.
Before the walk many questioned whether America would be prepared for what we were about to do and others feared the consequences of our action. However, we remained resolute to the lesson that history had already taught us – “freedom will never be given by the oppressor but must instead be demanded by the oppressed.” MLK. May 1st is only the beginning of a new era in the immigrant rights movement. To even conceptualize returning to Miami to continue living the unbearable life of an undocumented student is too painful. We will not give up until change is realized!
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/22/just_a_few_more_day/
Friday, April 23, 2010
Obama on the Arizona Immigration Bill 2010
From Cesar Espinoza:
Please support the veto of Arizona Bill 1070 by signing signing a petition at www.altoarizona.com
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For Immediate Release // Excuse Cross PostingsContact: Marco Loera 602-373 3859 and Chris Newman, newman@ndlon.orgMedia Availabilities for Pablo Alvarado, director of NDLON in Phoenix ArizonaThis morning, the President spoke about SB 1070. He is reported to have said the following:"Indeed, our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to the irresponsibility of others. That includes efforts like the recent measure in Arizona, which threatens to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.
In fact, I have instructed members of my Administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country."The following is the reaction of Pablo Alvarado, director of NDLON:"Actions speak louder than words. Today, we will likely know if Governor Brewer will sign legislation that tries to take Arizona back a generation. If she does, all eyes will turn to the President to see what, if anything, he does to move us forward again. On Sunday, a large rally is planned in Phoenix if the bill is signed into law. We hope President Obama can join us at that rally to announce swift action the federal government will take to protect the civil rights of its residents."For more information, please see www.AltoArizona.com
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From Aurora Grajeda in San Francisco, more phone numbers, articles, and web sites on the Arizona issue:
To Request a Veto: Call AZ's Gov. Brewer 602-542-4331, a real person will answer and say: "I am calling to ask the Governor to VETO SB 1070" (say thank you and then hang up, if you hear msg. that switchboard is busy due to high volume of calls, do not hang up, it will continue to call repeatedly, hang in there until you get through)
Also, Call President Obama 202-456-1111, after a short message a real person will answer and say:
"My message to the President is that - if SB-1070 passes in Arizona, his Administration is going to go down in History as the Administration that turned Arizona into Apartheid Arizona" (say thank you and then hang up)
And Visit Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Ar
Also, Call President Obama 202-456-1111, after a short message a real person will answer and say:
"My message to the President is that - if SB-1070 passes in Arizona, his Administration is going to go down in History as the Administration that turned Arizona into Apartheid Arizona" (say thank you and then hang up)
And Visit Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Ar
The World is watching, from The Guardian UK: Arizona anti-immigration measures are misguided, warns Barack Obama
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 April 2010 19.03 BST
President orders scrutiny of civil rights implications as Latinos organize protest rallies in Phoenix
The Man Behind Arizona's Toughest Immigrant Laws
If Arizona State Rep. Russell Pearce has his way, citizenship would no longer be automatic for everyone born on U.S. soil. Pearce is the man behind some of the toughest state immigration laws in recent years. So far he's pushed through a dozen or so pieces of legislation and he's prepared to keep fighting.
UNDOCUMENTED AND UNAFRAID!
Posted on April 20, 2010 by carlos
Trail of Dreams
Ladysmith, VA
UNDOCUMENTED AND UNAFRAID!... Let it be heard all across thee nation!
"We have a duty to fight for our freedom, we have a duty to win, we must love each other and protect each other, we have nothing to lose but our chains!"
I am a man on a mission, my people feel broken...
I remember the tears I cried from listening to the stories of despair from the day laborers of Jupiter, FL.
I remember Felipe breaking down next to me in Albany, GA as he heard 10 year old Oscar plead President Obama, in front of news cameras, to keep his parents from getting deported.
I remember the undocumented student in Raleigh, North Carolina, who was deeply inspired by our journey. For her, words were not enough to express how committed she felt to the movement. And so, I shared with her the rewards of dedicating yourself to something greater than yourself. With the praxis of walking over a 1000 miles, I came to the realization of what I consider to be the greatest lesson in life. Farmworker social justice leader Cesar Chavez said it perfectly once: "We can choose to use our lives for others to bring about a better and more just world for our children. People who make that choice will know hardship and sacrifice. But if you give yourself totally to the non-violence struggle for peace and justice you also find that people open their hearts and you will never go hungry and never be alone. And in giving of yourself you will discover a whole new life full of meaning and love."
Her eyes alone conveyed how inspired she felt, how she felt alone for so long, and how she spent so long lacking the courage to even tell those closest to her that she was undocumented. Her words alone served as a reminder of those moments in my life many years ago when I was in her shoes -unable to tell my own friends that I was undocumented, I remember that dark and cold feeling of shame, fear and hopelessness.
After the death of my mother -the closest person to me in my life- I'd constantly ask myself what is to come of my life? Where is my life going? If it wasn't for her strength and desire to see us succeed in life, I would not have devoted myself to this cause in her memory. If it wasn't for her love -her incredible affection transcending my existence, I would not be able to conquer the fear of being undocumented. My love of humanity and my everlasting embrace of it, comes into manifestation through this social justice plight for immigrant rights.
It is our resistance to oppression, our courage in the presence of fear and intimidation, that allows us to reclaim our humanity. We find the holistic echo of our lost voices by standing up against this anti-immigrant concept of attrition through enforcement, being excerised worst of all in states such as Arizona, most evident with the passage of SB1070.
"The Arizona Legislature has just stepped off the deep end of the immigration debate, passing a harsh and mean-spirited bill that would do little to stop illegal immigration. What it would do is lead to more racial profiling, hobble local law enforcement, and open government agencies to frivolous, politically driven lawsuits," wrote the New York Times in describing SB1070, which only needs Gov. Brewer to sign in order to become law. Arizona has become the epicenter of the immigration debate, with its legal exorbitance and cruel display of hate, discrimination and injustice perpetuated against undocumented immigrants.
Behold Arizona! Unjust laws will turn to dust in the unyielding winds of justice and righteousness! The system may fail to acknowledge us but it can never eradicate our existence, our essence, the quality of being human. In the midst of the oppression, a nonviolent people will arise from the shadows in the righteous claim for justice! We are ten days away from completing this expedition; but I can assure you that this endeavor goes beyond a walk to Washington D.C. A people have risen, this movement has taken its unyielding sustainability as an chain-reactional force, which has been enacted through individual self-actualization.
As Robert F. Kennedy once said, "each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance".
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/20/undocumented-and-unafraid/
Walking Purposefully
Tags: Gaby
Posted on April 16, 2010 by gaby
From Richmond, Virginia
Trail of Dreams
This blog is didicated to all those whom have liberated themselves from their own fears and automatically liberated others. THANK YOU!
We have entered VA. Its our last state in this journey. We have taken millions of steps, met hundreds of people, and gone through every human emotion possible. We are almost there!
101 days ago we were at the steps of the freedom tower pouring our hearts out and telling our families that we would be back soon, that we would be safe. That seems like it was years ago. We decided to walk because we were tired of the situation millions of students and their families were in, because we love and respected this country, and because it was our duty and responsibility to do something.
As we entered Virginia, as generally happens, people stop to ask if we are okay and if we needed a ride. Our response to this question changes from person to person. It was difficult to get used to the accents of the people here and when the lady and her husband asked if we were with the camper ahead, it took us a few minutes to realize she was talking about the RV. We replied and said, “yes, we’re okay…we are walking purposefully.” When I said it, they smiled and left, and the words resonated with me as I put one foot in front of the other and noticed there were little rocks on the ground shining with the reflection of the sun. I picked one off the ground –the shiniest I had seen and thought to myself that it was a symbol of who we are.
We have shared our stories and continue to do so because we want this world to see the light through us. It is the light of truth about our immigrant experiences and stories. For too long we have allowed others to speak on our behalf. For too long we have allowed for the media to spread lies and hateful comments of our people. As we are getting closer to our goal, Washington DC, I feel that the light we have been emitting throughout the South, from Florida to Georgia, to the Carolinas and now Virginia –this light of mine is shining stronger than ever.
I write today particularly because we still need your help, support and valor. We need more and more people to come out and share their stories; to stand up in solidarity with our immigrant bothers and sisters and share our humanity. We have been in the dark for too long and it is time allow the sun to reflect off of us and show who we really are. Our stories are powerful our dreams are big come out on May 1st, do an action, tell a friend, write a letter, sign our petition at Trail2010.org
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5
This passage is the passage the Ramsey Memorial Church in VA used in the welcome poster they did for us. To me, it is another confirmation of God's desire for us to spread the light and love for humanity as a whole. We are doing the right thing. We are walking purposefully. Walk with me.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
—Marianne Williamson
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/16/walking-purposefully/
Immigration Bill Reflects a Firebrand’s Impact
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: April 19, 2010
The New York Times
PHOENIX — The Arizona Senate passed one of the most stringent immigration laws in the country on Monday, marking a new level of influence for a Republican state senator who not long ago was seen by many as an eccentric firebrand.
Passage of the law, which would, among other things, allow the authorities to demand proof of legal entry into the United States from anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, testified to the relative lack of political power of Arizona Latinos, and to the hardened views toward illegal immigration among Republican politicians both here and nationally.
As if to underscore how the political landscape will be changed by the law, Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who had refused to back the most extreme anti-immigration measures, came out in support of it just hours before its passage.
“I think it is a good tool,” said Mr. McCain, who is being challenged in a primary by a conservative former congressman who is thumping him on immigration. Mr. McCain added that he believed the bill reflected frustration that the federal government had not done enough to secure the border and enforce immigration law...link to complete article
Guilty Verdict in Killing of Long Island Man
Joselo Lucero, left, and his mother Maria Rosario Lucero visited the spot where his brother, Marcelo Lucero, was killed in Patchogue in 2008.By MANNY FERNANDEZ
Published: April 19, 2010
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — The white teenager accused of killing an Ecuadorean immigrant in a racially motivated attack was convicted on Monday of manslaughter as a hate crime, in a case that put a spotlight on anti-Hispanic violence on Long Island.The verdict in State Supreme Court came 17 months after the fatal stabbing in 2008 in Patchogue. The teenager, Jeffrey Conroy, was also found guilty of gang assault in the attack on the immigrant, Marcelo Lucero, as well as attempted assault on three other Hispanic men. He was acquitted of the most serious of the 20 charges against him, second-degree murder as a hate crime.
On the first-degree manslaughter charge alone, Mr. Conroy, 19, faces a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by Justice Robert W. Doyle on May 26. Had Mr. Conroy been convicted of the murder charge, the maximum possible punishment was life in prison...link to complete article
Obesity Epidemic is Everywhere
While the American diet is bringing us all to the bring of our mortality, the kids in Mexico are gaining too much weight from eating American type food.
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Mexico faces soaring childhood obesity rate
Mexico’s biggest food worry used to be hunger, but now it’s in a quandary over how to get its children to lay off unhealthful snacks and exercise more. That is more complicated than they sound.
April 22, 2010Ken Ellingwood
Los Angeles Times
reporting from mexico city — The midmorning bell at Technical Secondary School No. 14 sets off a rush for the campus snack bar, where students jostle for chocolate bars, chili-flavored lollipops, packaged popcorn and sweetened fruit drinks.
There's yogurt and bottled water, but it doesn't seem much in demand
"Potato chips taste great," enthuses Daniel Cuevas, 13, clutching a bag of chips and a bottle of orange drink.
After class, youngsters are greeted by a phalanx of sidewalk vendors hawking jelly-filled cakes, ice cream, mayonnaise-slathered ears of corn, french fries topped with cheese and cans of soda to wash it down.
Then they head home for midafternoon lunch, the main meal of the day in Mexico.
Mexican health officials say overeating and poor dietary habits have contributed to a fast-rising childhood obesity rate, behind only the United States for highest in the world. One-quarter of all school-age Mexicans, and more than one-third of adolescents, are overweight or obese. (More than two-thirds of grownups are too heavy... link to complete article
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Hopefully No More Arizonas
By Ken Dilanian - Los Angeles Times
April 21, 2010 | 9:19 p.m
Advocates say the deportation case against one Nevada couple highlights the continued harassing of many who pose no threat – despite Obama’s promises to target bad actors and help legalize others.
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More articles on immigration from the Los Angeles Times:
The Insanity in Arizona
The word from London on Arizona's new Immigration Bill:
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Immigrants helped make America great
Arizona's immigration bill goes against US ideals. Anyone with the gumption to come here and work should be welcome
by Jennifer Abel, guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 April 2010 16.30 BST
Back during the Vietnam War, an American military officer pioneered the concept of destroying a village in order to save it. Last week Arizona lawmakers continued that tradition by passing an anti-illegal immigration bill that would save America from the alleged immigrant scourge by destroying the very ideals that make America worth saving. The bill gives police power to stop anyone at random – provided police have "reasonable suspicion" they don't belong in this country – and anyone who can't show proper papers will be fined $500.
So what traits invoke "reasonable suspicion?" That depends on the cop, but will probably include speaking Spanish, speaking English with an accent, being Hispanic, looking Hispanic, or having dark hair and eyes. Millions of legal immigrants – and full-fledged American citizens – who fall into at least one of those categories had best prepare for regular ID checks in Arizona.
Government agents granted authority to stop people at will and demand to see their papers? As a kid I saw that all the time, while watching old black-and-white movies about the suckitude of life under totalitarian regimes, but never expected to see it happen in my beloved home, the Land of the Free. Anyone who supports turning America into such a place does more damage to my country than immigrants ever could. Of course, anti-immigration bills can be a tough sell in a nation founded by immigrants, so supporters of such laws often make a point of saying, "I don't oppose all immigration, just the illegal kind." Then they'll add, "My ancestors came to this country legally! Today's illegals should do that too."
That's a disingenuous comparison. For most of US history, legal immigration was easy: arrive on our shores, prove you have no contagious diseases, and you're in! If today's immigrants only had to do that plus pass a criminal background check, illegal immigration wouldn't be such a festering sore on America's body politic. But coming here legally is effectively impossible nowadays, at least for the illegal workers Arizona wants to deport back to poor Spanish-speaking countries.My maternal grandparents were born in eastern Europe, and came to America with no money, few skills and zero knowledge of the English language. Under today's immigration laws they'd never get in, and I'm far from the only American to say that of my ancestors. Face it: with the exception of the African slaves (who obviously didn't choose to come here) and a few aristocratic English second sons denied an inheritance by primogeniture laws, the people who built America were mostly – well, losers. Outcasts. Misfits. People so miserable in the Old Country they risked everything to journey to America and grab a chance at a new life. The rich, happy people didn't bother emigrating; it requires a certain desperation to take such foolhardy risks as crossing the Atlantic in steerage class or crossing the Arizona desert on foot, just for the chance to start over at rock bottom.
To solve our illegal immigration problem, we should return to old-school immigration rules: anyone with the gumption to come here and work is welcome, not on some disposable-worker H1B visa that puts immigrants at the mercy of their employers, but on the same free-agent residency/citizenship track available to all.
And those ambitious go-getters will do better things for my country than any number of my whiny, bigoted compatriots who think the way to make America great again is to ignore everything that made it great in the first place. link to article
Deferred Deportation for DREAMers!
Senators Lugar and Durbin are requesting that DREAMers not be Deported. This seems to be an idea that has much more viability. Lets hope:
see letter from Durbin and Lugar
| April 21, 2010 The Honorable Janet Napolitano Secretary of Homeland Security Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 Dear Secretary Napolitano: We respectfully request that you grant deferred action to individuals who would be eligible for cancellation of removal or a stay of removal under S. 729, the DREAM Act, bipartisan immigration reform legislation that we have introduced. As you know, the DREAM Act would provide immigration relief to a select group of students who arrived in the U.S. when they were 15 or under, have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, have good moral character, are not inadmissible or removable under a number of specified grounds, have graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and attend college or serve in the military for two years. At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 6, 2009, you testified, “the Dream Act is a good piece of legislation and a good idea.” We greatly appreciate your support for the DREAM Act. However, pending enactment, individuals who would be eligible for the DREAM Act are subject to removal, and such cases are currently handled on an ad hoc basis. Though they are technically out of status, DREAM Act students should not be removed from the United States. The DREAM Act is narrowly tailored to assist only a select group of young people, many of whom came here with their parents at an age when they were too young to understand the consequences of their actions. Deferred action for DREAM Act students would conserve limited enforcement resources. DREAM Act students are not, and should not be, an enforcement priority for DHS. As then-INS Commissioner Doris Meissner explained in a November 17, 2000 memorandum on “Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion”: Like all law enforcement agencies, the INS has finite resources, and it is not possible to investigate and prosecute all immigration violations. … As a general matter, INS officers may decline to prosecute a legally sufficient immigration case if the Federal immigration enforcement interest that would be served by prosecution is not substantial. The Meissner memorandum suggests developing a list of “triggers” to “identify cases at an early stage that may be suitable for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.” A number of these factors apply to DREAM Act students, including “Juveniles,” “Aliens with lengthy presence in United States,” and “Aliens present in the United States since childhood.”Deferred action for DREAM Act students would not apply to a large number of individuals. Based on information gathered by Senator Durbin’s office over the last several years, only a small number of DREAM Act students are placed in removal proceedings. This is probably because these students are well integrated into American society and do not typically engage in behavior that makes them an enforcement priority for DHS. The current leadership at Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been very helpful in addressing individual DREAM Act cases that have come to our attention. However, deferred action for DREAM Act students would be more efficient than the existing ad hoc system. The decision to grant deferred removal in a DREAM Act case is frequently made shortly before the removal date. This is an inefficient use of limited resources. As the Meissner memorandum states: As a general matter, it is better to exercise favorable discretion as early in the process as possible, once the relevant facts have been determined, in order to conserve the Service’s resources and in recognition of the alien's interest in avoiding unnecessary legal proceedings. There is a recent precedent for deferred action for DREAM Act students. In June 2009, DHS granted deferred action to widows of U.S. citizens who were married for less than two years prior to their spouses’ death. As you said at the time, “Smart immigration policy balances strong enforcement practices with common-sense, practical solutions to complicated issues.” The situation of DREAM Act students is just such a complicated issue which requires the common-sense, practical solution of deferred action.Thank you for your support of the DREAM Act and for considering our request that you grant deferred action to individuals who would be eligible for the DREAM Act. Sincerely, Senator Dick Durbin Senator Richard Lugar |
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Friday, April 16, 2010
Why we need the DREAM Act NOW: Stop Laura, Camilo and Natalia's deportation!
Posted on April 14, 2010 by alejo
Trail of Dreams
Friends,
Just three weeks ago we were able to put a halt to the deportation of our friend Leslie.
Today, we are faced with yet another deportation of close friends and hard-working youth.
Laura, Camilo, and Natalia, three siblings from Colombia who are DREAM Act eligible are currently being detained in the same center that Leslie was just weeks ago.
Yet again we are faced with Obama's broken promise for immigration reform and the misleading statement that ICE is only focusing on "criminal aliens."
Let's ensure that these Americans stay in the only home they've ever known.
Sign the petition, spread the word, and call:
http://action.dreamactivist.org/petition/perezsiblings/
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/14/why-we-need-dream-act-now-stop-laura-camilo-and-na/
"Perry Does It Again"
White, Perry dispute scope of dropout issue
By GARY SCHARRER
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
April 7, 2010, 7:57PM
chron
AUSTIN — The school dropout problem is so serious, Bill White said, he plans to discuss it everywhere as he campaigns for Texas governor.
The Houston Democrat faults incumbent Gov. Rick Perry for minimizing the problem. Nearly 1 million Texas students have failed to graduate or get a GED on time during the past nine years, White said this week.
“The governor should account for these students or say why it's not important,” White said. “If you do not understand the size and nature of the challenge, you can't solve it. You can't set goals; you can't measure annual progress. Governor Perry himself set a goal of not letting any of our students slip through the cracks. He's failed.”
The scope of the dropout problem comes down to “different calculations,” Perry said Wednesday.
“The one that Mr. White uses is taking the number of kids starting their freshmen year and then the ones that graduate in four years the following May or June. If a child dies, they count that as a dropout. I think that's a little harsh,” the governor said.
Earlier, Perry spokesman Mark Miner said, “The percent of students who enter high school and eventually earn a diploma or equivalent, or who remain in pursuit of a diploma or equivalent, is 90 percent.”
What the experts find
Many groups, including the Manhattan Institute and the Intercultural Development Association, generally agree the student attrition rate for Texas hovers around 31 percent to 33 percent statewide and approaches 50 percent in large urban school districts with big concentrations of minority students.
The San Antonio-based Intercultural Development Association reported a statewide attrition of 132,815 students from the 2007-08 graduating class. That included the loss of 22,870 students from Harris County, including a 42 percent attrition rate for Hispanics, 35 percent for blacks and 13 percent for Anglos...link to complete article
The Saga of the Texas Schoolbook Massacre
Why would any Textbook Committee in its right mind want to take Thomas Jefferson out of school textbooks? He was the smartest man of his time. There have been very few like him."When President John F. Kennedy welcomed 49 Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House – with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone"
All of my students know who Thomas Jefferson is. But if Jefferson Davis is put in his place, everybody's IQ will plummet...
As it is, Texas has a reputation for "not so bright" people. This is a myth, there are actually lots of intelligent people around here. However, if Thomas Jefferson is taken out of our school textbooks, who knows what else would be lost to our education system. As mentioned before in this blog, Texas is the laughing stock of the world these days because of the textbook controversy. See "Did Texans Walk With the Dinosaurs?" London Guardian, February 19, 2010 and "'Texas schoolbook massacre' rewrites American history," London Independent, March 28, 2010.
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From Historians at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at El Paso
Dear Colleagues,
Please read carefully, distribute widely, and consider signing the accompanying “Open Letter to the Texas State Board of Education.” We invite you to read it and add your name to the list of signatures by visiting http://sensiblehistory.blogspot.com/p/letter.html.
The Texas State Board of Education will hold a final public hearing about the standards in the middle of May. Historians at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at El Paso have drafted the letter for presentation before the hearing.
As you have probably heard from reports in the national media, the Texas State Board of Education is revising the state’s social studies curriculum, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Though numerous errors are circulating in the media, it is true that a majority of the board has voted to approve a curriculum that minimizes the history and significance of diversity in the state and emphasizes narrow ideological partisanship over broader education and critical thinking. Information about the review process and an online archive of media coverage is available at http://tekswatch.utep.edu.
Open Letter to the Texas State Board of Education
Public schools must provide students with a sound elementary and high school education that prepares them to succeed in college and their future careers. Such a sound education must be fair, accurate and balanced and it must be based on rigorous, mainstream scholarship, not on ideological agendas.
Those of us who teach and conduct research in colleges and universities have grown concerned, however, that social studies curriculum standards in Texas do not meet student needs. We also believe that the Texas State Board of Education has been derelict in its duty to revise the public school curriculum. In short, recent proposals by Board members have undermined the study of the social sciences in our public schools by misrepresenting and even distorting the historical record and the functioning of American society.
Some of the problematic revisions that they have proposed include:
* Weakening the study of constitutional protections for religious liberty that keep government out of matters of faith;
* Minimizing the struggle of women and ethnic minorities for equal and civil rights;
* Striking Thomas Jefferson from a world history standard about the influence of Enlightenment thinkers on political changes since the 1700s; and
* Excluding an important historical figure from Latin America because some board members did not recognize him
The integrity of the curriculum revision process has been compromised and we propose that the Board restore the trust of the public and the academic community by proceeding as follows:
* Delay the final adoption of social studies curriculum standards;
* Allow curriculum teams and a new panel of qualified, credentialed content experts from the state’s colleges and universities to review changes that the Board has made and prepare a new draft of the standards that is fair, accurate and balanced;
* Permit the public to review and comment on the new draft of the standards before final adoption; and
* Make final changes to the draft of the standards only after public consultation with classroom teachers and scholars who are experts in the appropriate fields of study.
Like all members of the Texas State Board of Education, we have a vested interest in giving our schoolchildren the tools that they need to succeed in college and their future careers. For genuine college and work readiness to occur the Board must adhere to a more transparent, fair, and inclusive process of curriculum revisions, and it must make full and effective use of the faculty and researchers from our colleges and universities in Texas who can offer expert assistance and guidance.
Thank you for your attention
Again, if you wish to add your name to the list of signatures, visit the following site: http://sensiblehistory.blogspot.com/p/letter.html.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Howard Kurtz: McDonnell's Civil War Blunder
(Page 1 of 14)
By Howard Kurtz
Friday, Apr 9, 2010
The Washington Post
How on earth does a new governor manage to make it seem that he's condoning slavery--or oblivious to its evils?
You would think that Robert McDonnell would have plenty to do in Richmond since taking office during a harsh recession. And the Confederacy is such a loaded subject, with constant state battles in the South over its flag and its symbols, that the danger of misfiring is great.
And yet Virginia's chief executive issued a Confederate History Month proclamation that was so horribly flawed, so politically tone-deaf, that he had to apologize within 24 hours.
The media coverage--front-page story in The Washington Post, stinging editorial in the Richmond Times-Dispatch--made that inevitable. The Civil War may have started 150 years ago, but it lives on in the 21st-century culture wars.
The clearest sign that the Republican governor had dug himself into a deep historical hole is that a number of conservative commentators turned on him, and others applauded his apology.
The war of secession is embedded in the culture as soon you get south of the Potomac River. I can remember listening to a tour guide in South Carolina talk about how the Yankees attacked our boys at Fort Sumter. Virginia celebrates Lee-Jackson Day, honoring Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Lee's birthday is honored along with MLK Day in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi...link to complete article
Arizona passes strict illegal immigration act
The bill mandates that police determine people's immigration status if there is a 'reasonable suspicion' they are undocumented. Immigrant rights groups say it amounts to a police state.
By Nicholas Riccardi
April 13, 2010 2:49 p.m.
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Denver
Arizona lawmakers on Tuesday approved what foes and supporters agree is the toughest measure in the country against undocumented immigrants, making it a crime to be an illegal immigrant in Arizona and allowing local police to determine whether people are in the country legally.
The measure, long sought by opponents of illegal immigration, passed in the state House of Representatives. The state Senate passed a similar measure earlier this year, and Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who has not spoken publicly about the issue, is expected to sign the bill.
The bill's author, State Sen. Russell Pearce, said the law simply "takes the handcuffs off of law enforcement and lets them do their job."
But police were deeply divided on the matter, with police unions backing it but the state police chief's association opposed the bill, contending it could erode trust with immigrants who could be potential witnesses...link to complete article
U.S. acts as though it seeks regime change in Israel
The Obama administration's lack of a clear strategy to move Mideast peace talks forward raises the question of whether the U.S. is interested in bringing about a new, more pliable Israeli government.
OpinionApril 12, 2010By Aaron David Miller
Los Angeles Times
Regime change. Generally it's a term and tactic reserved for America's enemies. But what if the Obama administration is developing a more nuanced version for one of the United States' closest allies -- Israel?
As the brouhaha between Israel and the United States over settlements and Jerusalem continues to simmer, you have to wonder whether President Obama is focused on changing the behavior of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or changing prime ministers instead. The absence of a clear strategy to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations forward, highlighted by the administration's repeated calls for a settlements freeze -- which neither Netanyahu nor his Likud-led right-wing coalition can accept -- raises the question of whether Washington is interested in bringing about a new and more pliable Israeli government...link to complete article
Friday, April 9, 2010
My Struggle
Posted on April 9, 2010 by None
Trail of Dreams
This is a poem that a DREAMer sent to us.
I was born not here nor there
As I did not where I was going
The moon and the sun and the clouds
Brought me to where I call home
I was born of a dream as a dreamer
With the sweat and tears of my parents
I was brought here for a better life
I encountered a bitter world
I struggled like those who look like me
And I persevered like those who are like me
I struggled no more for the end is near
The future is bright and the hope is alive
I walk with the weight of millions on my shoulder
With the eyes upon me of hatred and support
I walk with my head up high and my goal in sight
I walk for my future and the future of many.
I was born not here nor there
And here became my life
By Luis Escobar
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/9/my-struggle/
Thoughts Running Through My Mind
Posted on April 7, 2010 by felipe
Trail of Dreams
"We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. " MLK. I would like to dedicate this blog to all who decided to not be silenced but rather to speak as loud as they can!(This is for all of the people who never gets mentioned but do 90% of the work for the Trail. Meagan, Vickie, Grey, Wilfredo, Favi and everyone else in this campaign and local communities that have received us.)
From Wake Forest, NC
Everyday I wake up around 6 AM, eat breakfast, tie my shoes and head out the door down a long road to liberation –walking through the Southeast. Although many have doubted our ability to complete the 1,500 mile trek from Miami to Washington, D.C. we hold our heads high, despite the fact that we are undocumented students in a nation where unjust laws make our existence unauthorized. We felt, as Dr. M. L. King, Jr. once did that, “today the choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is between nonviolence or nonexistence.”
If I could go back in time, I would have never imagined being part of the Trail of DREAMs –a non-violent campaign for the liberation of unauthorized minorities. After a three year involvement in social justice organizations, I see the Trail as the cusp of my transformation. This started when I graduated from high school, not being allowed to continue my education as a result of my immigration status. Having grown up in extreme poverty in Brazil, I felt trapped again by an unfair system that would not allow me to fully develop.
In the moment of my greatest despair I found strength being active in Students for Equal Rights (SWER). Although I had been president in Student Government for a year, trying to give a platform of expression to students who felt voiceless… it was not until SWER came into my life that I learned about my internalize oppression. Together, with what grew to be my brothers and sisters in this struggle, we embarked on a process of self-liberation. We came together to stop other student deportations; provide college accessibility to others like us; try to pass legislation for the benefit of immigrant youth; win Temporary Protective Status for Haitians, and even fight back local sheriffs supporting agreements and partnerships with Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE). Yet, despite our growth from one campus chapter to fourteen since I started helping to organize in SWER, detentions and deportations have only increased. I quickly came to the realization that only escalation could create the urgency for reform and stop “middle America” from denying our existence.
The immigrant rights movement had become stagnant, so we took the initiative to awaken what the 2006 media classified as “the sleeping giant”. We are twelve million people living the American nightmare in one of its most vivid archetypes. We are forgotten in the margins of society, used, detained, and then returned as damaged goods to our country of origin. Young immigrants like me grew up in this society not knowing what awaited us after high school, believing the illusion that we would be treated fairly if we proved our self-worth. However, we soon learned that our worth depended more and more on access to a barcode –a social security number.
The Trail of DREAMs is a loud cry for justice, but on a more personal level, it’s been an affirmation of my identity: I am a son, forced to succumb to the reality of only contacting my mother on the opposite end of a phone receiver once a year. I am a man who dreams of one day being considered equal in the eyes of society next to my partner, Juan Rodriguez –the wonderful man I fear being separated from at any moment when all I wish is to spend the rest of my life with him. I am a student, yearning to surpass the ultimate scholarly test of proving himself as a teacher. I am a human being –I also bleed red. I am DREAMER –believing that every human being deserves a fair chance at a future. I am a fighter –daring to overcome whatever obstacles necessary to ensure equality.
We have witnessed outrageous abuses against our fellow immigrants along the trail. We met a mother of four who had more than four thousand dollars stolen from her in wages. We met a man who was a victim of a hate crime in north Florida and still faced the threat of deportation while he lay in a coma. We saw the tears of an eleven year-old boy as he pleaded for the current administration to give his father, who was in deportation proceedings, a chance. However, we also saw incredible displays of solidarity as we stood side by side with the African American community as part of an anti-racism counter-demonstration to a KKK rally. Though hate was present during different portions of the walk thus far, it was outweighed by the quantity of love.
It has been cold and my body has taken a great toll, but I feel renewed every time I remember the hundreds of stories I heard in this trajectory. I have slept in their homes, churches and schools. People have shared their food and love beyond our widest dreams. We feel empowered and honored by their courage and resilience but know very well that we also hold a responsibility to make sure that their voices are heard. We shall not falter in delivering their struggles and hopes to the very hands of those that have the power to pass a more just and humane immigration system. We will demand a favorable response even if it means risking everything to ensure that the message gets through.
This country has experienced many movements for equality and little by little, people have seen improvement. Now is my turn to do my small contribution for change. Like many of those who came before me, I am risking it all but carry onward undaunted. Deep inside, I know that freedom does not come for free and I carry this hope jointly with my peers that the Trail of DREAMs may be the missing piece we needed for real change in the United States. When I come back to Miami, FL I will not be the same. I will have learned that our lives are more precious than political games. I am more than ever committed in building a stronger progressive movement
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/7/thoughts-running-through-my-mind/
Trail of Dreams NY is takes its first steps in just a few days
Posted on April 7, 2010 by alejo
Trail of Dreams
We are excited to see that in just a few days the New York Trail of Dreams will take its first steps. It is through the power of solidarity that we will attain justice for our community.
Follow the NY Trail on Twitter
and check out their Website
link to http://www.trail2010.org/blog/2010/apr/7/trail-dreams-ny-takes-its-first-steps-just-few-day/
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