Month: June 2018

We endure another blow to democracy. In today’s narrow 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Immigration and Nationality Act (also commonly referred to as the Muslim Travel Ban) as constitutional. The unfounded sense of alarm that a group of people may undermine our country’s higher education, national security, healthcare, artistic culture, technology industry, and the overall economy is tremendously credulous.

The Historical Parallels of Trauma in the United States
The INA cannot be repackaged in any other way: it is xenophobic, discriminates humans based on their religious orientation, asserts empty claims of people from Muslim-majority nations traveling to the United States, and repeats the devastating mistakes of splitting up families. From trading enslaved people like property, to sending Native Americans to boarding schools, to justifying the removal of children from their parents’ homes on the basis of the cycle of intergenerational poverty, to deporting Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans in the 1930s because they were seen as responsible for the economic downturn, to imprisoning Japanese Americans despite their loyalty to the United States, and to forcibly separating children and families that are seeking asylum at the southern border. And now this. On which conditions are screening people on a case-by-case basis deemed necessary and appropriate? Under which conditions do “deficient information-sharing practices” lead to terrorism? Under which occasions do we as a superpower stand up to hate and hostility?  

The Responsibilities of the Government’s Fourth Branch
The Supreme Court’s decision to challenge the religious liberty that which the United States was found marks another dark chapter in our history. Do not tolerate today’s decision. Do not collapse from resistance and compassion fatigue. Do not allow our voices to falter. But do understand the vast consequences and implications of today’s decision, do share power with each other, and do vote in the mid-term elections to reshift the balance of power because we grassroots organizations make up the fourth branch of government.

In the words of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, “The President’s disdain for our values and the safety of the American people has led him to undermine relationships with critical allies, embrace autocrats and dictators, launch damaging trade wars and sow fear in our communities with his hateful, ugly language. Whether tearing children from their parents at the border or advancing a ban founded on open bigotry, President Trump is making our nation less safe at home and less respected abroad.”

INITIATIVE 1631 is an inclusive initiative by the people to promote a cleaner Washington State. You can show your support by:

–              Organizing events where you invite your volunteers, staff, and board members to them. Email Ahmed to coordinate.

–              Recruit new supporters to attend existing events by email and phone. Email Nick for a sample email and Izzy to coordinate phone and text recruitment.

–              Ask your supporters to sign up to receive petitions mailed to them. The deadline is June 27 for mailing petitions back to the office. Email Nick to coordinate.

–              Make sure you bring your I-1631 petitions to any public events you are doing. Email Lauren if you need more petitions.

Que Canten Los Niños

Que canten los niños, que alcen la voz,
Que hagan al mundo escuchar;
Que unan sus voces y lleguen al sol;
En ellos está la verdad.
Que canten los niños que viven en paz.
Y aquellos que sufren dolor;
Que canten por esos que no cantaran
Porque han apagado su voz…
“Yo canto para que me dejen vivir.”
“Yo canto para que sonría mama.”
“Yo canto por que sea el cielo azul.”
“y yo para que no ensucien el mar.”
“Yo canto para los que no tienen pan.”
“Yo canto para que respeten la flor.”
“Yo canto porque el mundo sea feliz.”
“Yo canto para no escuchar el canon.”

REPITE PRIMERA PARTE…

“Yo canto por que sea verde el jardín.”
“Y yo para que no apaguen el sol.”
“Yo canto por el que no sabe escribir.”
“y yo por el que escribe versos de amor.”
“Yo canto para que se escuche mi voz.”
“y yo para ver si les hago pensar.”
“Yo canto porque quiero un mundo feliz.”
“y yo por si alguien me quiere escuchar.”

Google Translation to English:

Let the children sing, let them raise their voices,
That make the world listen;
May they unite their voices and reach the sun;
In them is the truth.
Let the children who live in peace sing
And those who suffer pain;
Sing for those who do not sing
Because they have turned off their voice…
“I sing for them to let me live.”
“I sing so that mom smiles.”
“I sing for it to be the blue sky.”
“And I so that they do not litter the sea.”
“I sing for those who have no bread.”
“I sing to respect the flower.”
“I sing because the world is happy.”
“I sing not to hear the canon.”

Repeat first part…

“I sing for the garden to be green.”
“And I so that they do not extinguish the sun.”
“I sing for the one who can not write.”
“And I for the one who writes verses of Love.”
“I sing for my voice to be heard.”
“And I to see if I make them think.”
“I sing because I want a happy world.”
“And if anyone wants to listen to me.”

The El Viento classroom taught this song to the children in José Martí Childhood Development Center so that they could perform to the elders of our senior program. The children learned a new song to interact and bring joy to the seniors in our program. In doing so, they incorporated what is going on now in our nation.

Carmen Miranda showed the class a picture of the young boy crying for his mother in a cage. She brought out the photo to demonstrate why it was so important for them to sing and raise their voice to the world.

There are many reasons to sing: sing for the children who suffer from the pain of being ripped from their parent’s arms, sing to bring hope, and sing so that people can hear you. The performance and story were impactful, and the children were able to associate their act of singing as a way to fight injustice. In essence, the teachers of El Viento classroom were teaching our next generation how to have a voice when faced with horrible injustices in our society. We don’t need to sit back and do nothing when we see injustice. We can sing; we can use our voice to stand up against injustice.

Chris Lally faced one barrier that stood in the way of his aspiration of becoming a restaurant owner. He had the passion, skills, and experience. He worked as a chef in restaurants across the country and globe. However, investing in a restaurant came at a steep cost.

The turning point was when Chris found the Business Opportunity Center (BOC) at El Centro de la Raza. He soon realized there was another path to becoming the entrepreneur of which he always dreamt. Chris attributes part of his success to the BOC’s Food Cart Vendor program, “Getting the help was really important to get to the finish line.”

His drive combined with the resources available at BOC made him an unstoppable force. He continued to build out his dream and secured funding along the way. When the time came a to roll out his vision, Outsider Pizza was born, and it was a success.

Throughout Chris’ entrepreneurial journey, he embodied perseverance. Dreams do come true. If you have the opportunity, come by Plaza Roberto Maestas to see Chris and grab a slice or two of pizza.

Ruben was born with a cleft palate and a hand deformity. He had previously been referred to and was attending a program for students with special needs, but his parents felt that he was not being challenged intellectually since most of his peers had varying levels of developmental disabilities.

A family friend mentioned their positive experience at El Centro de la Raza, so the family applied and Ruben qualified for the free part-day ECEAP program. He started in the José Martí Child Development Center in September 2017.

When Ruben first started at the age of 3, he was very shy and introverted, cried frequently, and he didn’t want to try anything by himself. After observing Ruben, the teachers developed an Individual Learning Plan and encouraged his social-emotional development through culturally-relevant activities in his first language (Spanish). As his self-esteem grew, Ruben became more confident in his abilities and self-help skills, such as using the bathroom on his own, and the social emotional support really helped Ruben develop the confidence needed to grow in other areas of development.

Now, after seven months in the program, Ruben happily participates in class, socializes with his peers and shows initiative in trying and completing different activities. He practices fine motor activities and is able to write his own name and cut different shapes with scissors. Ruben loves to sing and dance; and after an operation on his tongue, his language abilities continue to advance as he pronounces sounds well for his age level and uses increasingly complex sentences.

Ruben’s parents are also very happy with the changes they have seen in their child. They support his development at home by providing him with puzzles and other challenging activities, and they encourage his independence and confidence to complete tasks on his own.

Ruben continues to receive physical therapy, so in conjunction with our dual-language, culturally appropriate curriculum, Ruben is supported in all areas of development, and after the second developmental assessment of this school year (one more to go), Ruben has already made significant growth and/or is meeting widely-held expectations for his age group in almost all areas of development. Ruben has one more year of preschool before kindergarten, but at the rate he’s going, Ruben is on track for success in kindergarten and beyond.