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Archive for the 'Latino/a' Category

Immigration Reform - Employers

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005

More on the lack of enforcement of employer violations. Read here. And here.

“Only 2,300 out of about 5.6 million employers (less than 1%) in the country were participating in Social Security Verification program.”

Also, “ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] often lowers the amount of a fine in negotiations with employers, which undermines effective enforcement and means that company owners might view fines as the cost of doing business.”

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The next generation…

Thursday, June 9th, 2005

This just out - you can read about it here and here and here - Latinos constitue 1 of every 7 people in the US. For perspective, us gringos still make up a little less than 5 of every 7 people, but the most growth - no surprise - has been among Latinos in the US. To add to that, the Latino community in the US is one of the youngest groups.In California, for example, over half of the children born in state the last year were Latinos. Read here and here. That means the next generation of college students, at least in California, will be significantly more Latino.

If I keep working on it now, maybe I’ll actually be fluent - despite my wife’s wild claims that I am already - in Spanish by the time my kids (forthcoming - check here and here) get to college.

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QUOTE - Convictions

Wednesday, June 1st, 2005

From Occupied America, Prof. Rodolf Acuna says,

“The vast majority of North Americans of all colors are believers - they do not search for truth or facts but rely on their convictions. Consequently, when they read a counter-hegemonic work… they rebel. It goes against their beliefs and their common sense; and when pushed to far, they question not their beliefs but the facts.”

FYI: hegemonic - Gr. hegemonia = “to lead or to go ahead” and generally refers to any dominant school of thought.

So, what do you think?

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Immigration - Dream (Act)

Monday, May 23rd, 2005

This weekend at the Urban Youth Worker’s Institute (UYWI) I learned about two pieces of immigration legislation that would greatly impact - for good - a multitude of students across the country, but especially in Los Angeles.The first is called the DREAM Act - “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors” (S. 1545). It has been introduced twice in the US Senate by Orin Hatch of Utah, and Richard Durbin of Illinois. A summary of the bill is:

Age Requirement

Students must have entered the US before the age of 16

Scholastic Requirement

Student must have a High School diploma or GED at the time of application; and must be accepted into a two or four year institution

Moral Character

Must demonstrate good moral character as defined currently by immigration law; and must have NO criminal record

Adjustment of Status

Will be granted “conditional status” for six years, during which one of the following options must be complete

Earn a degree from an institution of higher education

Perform at least 910 hours of communitey service in a program approved by DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security)

Serve in the US Armed Forces for at least 2 years

The second piece of legislation is the Student Adjustment Act (HR 1684), that was introduced in the House by Chris Cannon of Utah, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California (Boyle Heights!!!), and Howard Berman of Utah.Both legislations have been gaining support in both branches of the legislature, but will probably need help from the White House in order to go through. I encourage you to write a letter to the president (YES, Mr. GW) at president@whitehouse.gov. Check out a sample letter of support.

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Posted in Jesus, faith, the Bible, etc., Latino/a, Politics, the Law, Quotes, Blogs, misc | 2 Comments »

Need for College-entry Saavy

Monday, May 9th, 2005

This article - “Latino parents often lack college-entry saavy” - highlights some of the broader complexity Latino students face in going to college. As if the “dropout factory” factor (see previous post) weren’t enough. It really re-affirms the saying - “It takes a village to raise a child.” May God raise up more villagers, I mean neighbors, for the process. Read Noel Castellanos blog - President of the Latino Leadership Foundation - for more on this.

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Posted in Latino/a, Students | No Comments »

Immigration Hostility

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005

“Why can’t we all just get along?” Rodney King’s infamous statement from 1992. Some questions never go away. And while I’m not a supporter of the recent Channel 62 billboard ad, I’m concerned about the potential for negative backlash against Latinos from those that have over-interpreted this ad campaign as endorsing illegal immigration.

If only the backlash would be against the media & ‘get your attention at any costs’ culture that runs LA. While Channel 62, and KFI radio (see backlash billboard) are benefiting in increased viewers, the average JoseMaria, Javier y Juan Carlos - whether undocumented or 5th generation - gets double scrutiny about whether or not they “belong” here.

In a moment of media-redemption, Sam Ruben from KTLA Morning News made this comment about the backlash, “I don’t like it because they demonize illegal immigrants, while they make more more money.” Interestingly enough, KFI AM 640 is owned by Clear Communication, the same company that is producing the controversial billboards. Hmm? What is happening to our beautiful city - El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles (1781)?

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Immigration Amnesia

Wednesday, April 27th, 2005

I like to consider myself an “Angelino.” My family has lived in the LA area for over 115 years. My mom attended the same high school as my grandparents. And I’m the 4th generation of my family to attend the same college - !!Io Triumphe!! - Go Oxy!!!And I can empathize with other Angelinos that are concerned with the economic challenges that face our city because of the ever expanding demand for city & social services. Every hospital that shuts down brings shame to this great city.

But I have a difficult time understanding the intense xenophobia - dig deep into your SAT archives - the fear of the “other” that leads to so much hatred of immigrants, particularly Latino immigrants, to Los Angeles. My love for history and heritage - starting with my family - presses me to also recognize the history and heritage that many Californians have with Latin America, particularly Mexico.

The original 1849 constitution recognized this. Not only was it written in both Spanish & English, but it also contains a clause that preserves the maintaining of the language and culture of its Spanish speaking citizens. Clearly that, along with many other legal protections and promises, has been disregarded and cast aside.

So when some [read the link] speak about how our country was based on legal immigration, I think they stretch and manipulate the truth. In regards to the Southwest - from Texas to California - we clearly ‘invaded’, I mean, immigrated a land that was not yet ours, legally. And while the African slave trade was “legal” until 1808, it was clearly immoral long before that.

Based on that, I would understand if more conservative advocates for immigration reform - like those that back the Minute Man patrol - were interested in eliminating the immoral human trafficking that comes as a result of our militarized southern border. [P.S. Let’s be clear - the border is militarized to ‘combat’ immigration, not the drug trade or terrorism]. Instead, the overriding fear that grips most anti-immigration proponents is fear of immigrants - legal or otherwise.

I think I have a lot more to say on this topic, so I’ll leave it there for now.

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Posted in Latino/a, L.A./ East LA, Quotes, Blogs, misc | 3 Comments »

My multi-ethnic world

Thursday, April 14th, 2005

Most of the students I serve are Black. My wife is Mexican (and if she finishes her citizenship application, well….). My neice and two nephews are biracial - korean & gringo. I grew up in La Crescenta - a mostly white suburb despite the Spanish name, and now live and minister in Boyle Heights, once a strong Jewish community, now mostly Mexican, despite the non-Spanish name. In her book - “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”- Beverly Tatum asks “Who am I? The answer depends in large part on who the world around me says I am.” While I don’t agree fully with her statement, I do realize how my identity has been transformed by God through the complex multi-ethnic world around me.

And tonight I’m flying out to Madison, WI as part of the InterVarsity La Fe Servant Leadership Team. La Fe is IV’s Latino ministry. By God’s divine grace & humor, this gringo has the honor of serving on this coordinating team for the national movement of InterVarsity. And so I’m flying out to represent La Fe in a predominantly white organization - InterVarsity. Like the rest of my life, I still figuring things out. How does God want me - a big gringo - to lead and influence a mostly gringo organization like IV, in reaching and better serving Latino and Black students and staff. The one grace I hold onto - that I’ve learned as a basic element of my own ethnic identity development and cross-cultural development as a gringo - is that the world is much bigger than my personal experience says that it is. The grace is that my God created that big world - thus he is my grace in it.

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Posted in Jesus, faith, the Bible, etc., Latino/a, My Life, Family, etc, Culture | No Comments »

Drop Out Factories

Wednesday, March 30th, 2005

This past Thursday, March 24th, Cal. State - Los Angeles hosted an educational forum put on by the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University to discuss research about high school dropout rates in California. Some of the enormous disparities are highlighted below:

• Statewide, just 57% of African Americans and 60% of Latinos graduated in 2002, compared with 78% of whites and 84% of Asians.

Unfortunately, even for the small percentage of Latino & African American students that do graduate, their preparation for college has been significantly damaged by these very same “dropout factories.” Many of those students are at CSULA.

What we’ve had to come to grips with in our ministry is that teaching the Bible and making disciples of students necessarily involves righting this wrong. For us, this has included math tutoring & paper writing & reviewing, as well as seminars on financial aid and filing taxes. This is part, we believe, of what Jesus talked about in bringing “good news to the poor.” Not just good news that heaven will be better than earth, but that the kingdom of heaven can, will, and does break forth to transform the kingdoms here on earth.

I’m still learning what this means on a systemic, social & political level in how we minister and influence change in the greater university & in our city. But it has already involved changing the structural and systemic leadership within our ministry. Now, not only do I care the concern for their spiritual development, but I long for the day when I get to celebrate with my students their academic development in their graduation.