New America Media - Ethnicities

Should Black Women Defend Abortion Rights?

2012-02-05T17:50:14Z

Sunday, Jan. 22nd marked the 39th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, where the high court marked abortion as legal in every state in the U.S. However, nearly four decades after the landmark ruling was given, the issue of abortion still remains controversial.

Some religions take a hardline approach to opposing abortion.

For example, the Rev. John J. Raphael from the National Black Catholic Congress likened abortion to being a “major crisis” in the Black community and claims that abortion is the leading cause of death for Blacks.

On a nearly annual basis, new legislation has been proposed to severely restrict access to abortions in various states. In spite of the legal and moral issues surrounding abortion, the actual procedure remains a popular surgery for many women. Black women accounted for 40.2 percent of women who had abortions in 2008 or 472 abortions for every 1,000 live births in 2009 — the most recent year that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had data available.

Young Poor Women Have Majority of Abortions

According to the CDC, the high abortion rates among Black women can be attributed to the higher rates of unintended pregnancies. Women of color who have abortions tend to be between the ages of 18 to 24 and are either separated or unmarried and make less than $15,000 a year, according to the Black Women’s Health Project.

Meanwhile, a 2004 Guttmacher Institute survey shows that the top two reasons women gave for going through with an abortion were: 1) “Having a baby would dramatically change my life;” and 2) “I can’t afford a baby now.” Other reasons included: relationship problems; a desire not to be a single mother; not wanting to have any more children; and health problems.

How to lower the number of abortions, in particular for Black women, can be boiled down to increasing access to birth control to lower the rates of unintended pregnancies, according to the 2008 Guttmacher Policy Review.

“Geographic access to services is a factor for some women; however, for many, it is more a matter of being able to afford the more effective — usually more expensive —prescription [birth control] methods. Beyond geographic and financial access, life events such as relationship changes, moving or personal crises can have a direct impact on method continuation,” the review stated.

Veronica Byrd, the director of Black media for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, says she has heard similar reasons as to why birth control is neglected among Black women.

“Over the years, I’ve heard many friends describe having to choose between their birth control pills and paying their bills,” Byrd wrote in her article, “Why African-Americans Support Abortion Rights.”
To Byrd, the higher abortion rates are not a moral failing or a sign of conspiratorial genocide, but a symptom of massive health care disparities.

“Abortion is a stopgap, not a solution, to the real problems facing Black women,” she said. “While standing firm for abortion rights, we must also find ways to reduce poverty and expand access to prevention services,” she concluded.

Last Monday, Jan. 23rd, a mass to pray for the end of abortion was held at St. Martha Church in Miami Shores. Church officials declined to make a formal statement about the mass.

Transitional Kindergarten a Bridge to Success

2012-02-05T17:21:22Z

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Last year, my grandson Rickey took his first steps into a transitional kindergarten classroom. When he was in preschool, Rickey, a fall baby with a November birthday, was among the youngest in the class and I noticed him avoiding leadership roles, as well as fine motor skill activities such a coloring. As a grandmother, I believed in his intelligence and abilities, but I knew that the gift of time was just what he needed to foster those invaluable learning traits.

That’s why I’m confounded by Gov. Brown’s budget proposal calling for the elimination of transitional kindergarten. Last year, California Senate Bill 1381 was passed to gradually change the kindergarten birthday cut-off date from December 2 to September 1, over a three-year period, from 2012 to 2015. Transitional Kindergarten is a one-year pre-k program created under the bill to continue to educate children whose admissions are delayed.

The extra year it afforded Rickey was simply a great opportunity, giving him the time to mature and develop the readiness skills necessary to thrive in school. His experiences within the walls of this classroom have shaped his current success in kindergarten and these benefits will no doubt continue to stay with him in later grades. It is difficult to imagine young children like my grandson being denied the right to the same kindergarten opportunity.

As a San Diego teacher, elementary school principal and administrator for 32 years, I have seen bright and capable children like Rickey, whose birthdays fell later in the year, struggle to meet the rising demands of kindergarten. For these students, transitional kindergarten acts as a bridge, inculcating in them the groundwork for later success through a developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Resembling the kindergarten classrooms of a generation ago, transitional kindergartens today feature kitchenettes, dress-up areas, and centers for coloring, painting and block building. But don’t let appearances fool you. Offering the right learning environment, this extra one year of school gives children an opportunity to learn from a credentialed teacher in a hands-on, interactive way that supports their development, while still maintaining the high-standards of kindergarten.

We have already seen the positive impact of transitional kindergarten programs in several communities, including some here in San Diego. Other school districts throughout the state have been offering transitional kindergarten for years.

This is especially important for California Latinos, who account for more than half of all children age 5 and under across the state but who make up only 14 percent of children enrolled in high-quality early learning programs. In San Diego, where Latinos account for 40 percent of the overall child population, less than a quarter of three-year-olds and four-year-olds are enrolled in publicly contracted programs.

Already lacking affordable preschool options, Latino families may be squeezed even further by impending state budget cuts to child development and other critical programs for young children.

According to the original plan, when fully implemented transitional kindergarten will benefit 125,000 children – of which 40 percent are English language learners and 62 percent are from low-income schools – since it ensures all age-eligible children, regardless of family income, access to a public school program. Doing so gives these kids a head start on learning, allowing them to absorb and master fundamental skills, and helping to reduce the likelihood of retention in later grades.

San Diego County, which currently has 10 transitional kindergarten programs in place, plans to offer 105 classrooms serving more than 2,000 early learners by 2015.

Today, Rickey is a confident leader in the classroom and has found new enjoyment in coloring. The social-emotional, pre-literacy, pre-math and school readiness skills I have seen my grandson learn have assured me that transitional kindergarten was the right choice for him. I know it will offer the same wonderful benefits to all our children here in San Diego and across the state.

Sylvia Gonzalez is director of Early Childhood Education Programs for the San Diego Unified School District.

Urban Youth Ask: Are We Married to Facebook for Life?

2012-02-04T09:00:00Z

Ed. Note: Young people in the San Francisco Bay Area write about how they see their future with the regional Internet giant Facebook.

Molly Raynor, 27, Richmond

I am a 27-year-old transplant from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I run a creative arts program in Richmond, California, live with my best friend in Oakland and have a wonderful group of friends. I like to think that I have reached a point where I am super comfortable with myself and secure in who I am.

Despite all of this I find that I am obsessed with checking my Facebook. It’s like a sick addiction, this need to stay updated on everyone's lives, including people I barely know or care about. I get too excited when I see the little red pop up signaling new notifications and sadly depressed when I don't.

I often think about deleting my account, since I get sucked in for way too much time that I could be using for more productive things, but I can never bring myself to do it. I mean, what would the world come to if I didn't know what so-and-so was listening to on Spotify or what this person just ate for dinner?

Our generation is so "connected" by technology, yet so disconnected from each other and our former, more meaningful modes of communication. While I could go on all day about how stupid Facebook is, I am still a complete sucker for it.

Edgado-Cervano Soto, 22, Richmond

As an aspiring journalist, Facebook is my friend.

At my fingertips, I have a personal directory through which I can promote certain news articles, points of view and happenings, or ask for leads and recommendations for my own reports, and remain connected to dispersed communities.

I have used Facebook to fulfill my own belief that information is power, posting anything from Youtube videos of a San Antonio Chicana rock band to links supporting the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights on my status updates. Facebook affords me a platform to promote my social justice views and see what other politics my circle of friends have swimming in their heads.

Alongside the politics, I post the personal. On some days I treat Facebook like a diary, typing nostalgic and very “emo” status updates when my world seems bleak, all for the public to see. When I enter these kinds of posts, I am reminded of Walt Whitman’s poem, “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” and I too am like the spider shooting strings of gossamer web into a digital world in need of human contact. I post remnants of the past, photographs of moments with my sisters, friends, grandparents and family -- as if by digitizing them I am vowing to never forget them.

With Facebook, I have a documented life. I am often shocked when I see my photographs, archived chronologically in my online account, describing my life back to me. Facebook reminds me of the friends I no longer have, the places I left, the many identities of me I have shed and left behind in cyber-space.

But Facebook and I shouldn’t be friends. We’re complete opposites.

In the physical world, I am silent. I tend not to make my politics clear through my exterior self, and I don’t always share my feelings with the people closest to me. And yet, I choose to participate in an online community that requires a loss of inhibition. It’s a contradiction, the way I function as a cyber-person and the form I live in the flesh. In sending my random thoughts out over the network, in the moments when I reflect on my personality and my desire to be connected, I see that the reason why I choose the Facebook way is because I lack an honesty and self-satisfaction in the physical.

I’d like to think I am using Facebook as my own training ground, where I practice being loud and present, until I can express the political and personal through my very real body and voice.

Sean Shavers, 20, Oakland

In September of 2010 I got involved with Facebook, which I thought was a cool site to meet women and chat with friends. But after using the site for a while, I realized it was actually just a gateway for other people to nose around in your personal business.

People I never used to communicate with were suddenly eager to chat and discuss issues regarding my personal life. Even the church folks got involved, chatting with me online and pretending to be genuinely concerned about my life, when we don't even speak at church.

After about a month, I deleted my Facebook account entirely and went back to my old life. I used the site for what it was worth but in my opinion, it wasn't worth much.
Maybe because it was my first time using any type of social media network. I never had a Myspace page, never used a chat room or even had a personal email before.

Regardless, I don't see Facebook leaving anytime soon, just because everyone I know uses it. From kids to teens to seniors, it’s all the same… There are just too many people involved, not to mention addicted, to Facebook.

Victor Petersen, 23, San Francisco

When I first created my Facebook profile over two years ago, I was sent dozens of friend requests and questions about how I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. Here I was in my private room, feeling as if I had just walked into a reunion attended by almost everyone I’d ever known. As much as I felt uncomfortable, I felt connected and found myself logging in daily, excited to discover who was sending me a friend request, message, or notification.

In 2011 I was isolated in the Central Valley, finishing up general education requirements to transfer into SF State. Being hundreds of miles away from all of my friends and family motivated me to log in to Facebook in the morning, noon and night. I remember chatting on Facebook one night with a friend, enjoying a glass of wine, while reminiscing about our past together.

Since I’ve moved back to San Francisco, however, I barely log in to my Facebook account. I haven’t posted anything in months and when I do log in, I check my messages then log out. Facebook was my connection to the world when I was isolated from friends and family. Now that I am back in The City, I can meet up with people and connect with people in person.

I believe Facebook is here to stay for a while, as is social networking in general, because many people may feel isolated and invisible without a Facebook profile. Be that as it may, I plan to use my Facebook profile as a tool to be useful and beneficial for the world surrounding me.

Taisa Grant, 25, Richmond

I’m a young black woman in her mid-20’s who enjoys writing, photography, music… I truly seek to live in a world that is better for all, so this desire is expressed in all that I do.

Facebook is something that I enjoy using. It allows me to share who I am with friends that aren’t presently in my life and it allows me to reconnect with people from my past whom I wish to be in contact with. Also, being young and single, it’s a nice place to stay in contact and learn more about potential love interests.

Still, I wouldn't say I'm married to Facebook -- if something better comes along I'd have no problem leaving it. For now, it is a place where I express my feelings and concerns through poetry or what I like to call “capturing thought” statements. I’m able to get feedback from people and this does give me a feeling of not being alone.

Cutting School Buses Would Spell Disaster for CA’s Desert Communities

2012-02-04T09:00:00Z

Governor Jerry Brown recently announced that midyear budget cuts could include a reduction of school transportation budgets by $1.5 million throughout California. The news was met with horror by students, parents and community members in the eastern Coachella Valley, an agricultural region overlapping Riverside and Imperial counties where small towns are separated by miles of highway and the oppressive heat of the desert sun can make walking or biking long distances feel like a death sentence.

“In this district, transportation is a must,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). “A lot of these kids would not be able to get to school without transportation, which means there will most likely be a higher drop-out rate.”

Although a final decision on the budget cut is still pending, many in the community have been left to wonder what the fallout would be for students and district staff.

“Rumors are flying,” said Steven Young, student transport specialist at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS), who explained that $1.5 million is equivalent to cutting 10 bus drivers. “This is going to affect us big time.”

Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), a community based advocacy group in the east valley, is representing local residents who are worried about these looming transportation cuts.

“(The cuts) would leave the youth stranded,” said Allex Luna, a community organizer for ICUC. “How’s this going to affect them academically?”

Transportation cuts could lead to a chain reaction that affects families and students, said Luna, ultimately leading to a drastic decline in school attendance and a vicious cycle that could lead to even more budget cuts.

“Every time [a student] is in that seat, the school gets paid,” said Luna, meaning that a decrease in school attendance will lead to even less funding for local schools.

According to Luna, more than three-fourths of the district’s student population currently takes the bus.

Some students, such as Yesenia Isidoro, say that even if transportation budgets are cut, they’ll do whatever it takes to graduate high school.

“I wouldn’t want to let my parents down,” said Isidoro, a senior at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS). “I think I would buy a bike so I could get to school every morning.”

Others, like Diana Reza, a sophomore at CVHS, said it’s hard to imagine making do with less, since the district’s school buses are already being stuffed to the max. “The bus already (has) three people per seat. I’m pretty sure all the bus doors would break because everyone just shoves and rushes in to find a good seat.”

The situation could be even worse for students living on the far eastern edge of the school district, in communities like Mecca and Thermal that tend to be poorer and more isolated.

“Transportation is already an issue. I couldn’t imagine how much more affected the students would be if bus routes were completely cut,” said Berenice Venegas, a junior at Desert Mirage High School. “I live in Mecca, [which] doesn’t have many resources.”

Safety is also a concern in east valley communities such as North Shore and Oasis, which do not have sidewalks or street lights, making it difficult and often dangerous for students to making the long walk to and from rural schools.

“It’s important to keep in mind that parents or guardians aren’t always going to have the opportunity to drive students to school every morning, due to their jobs or simply because they don’t own a vehicle,” added Venegas.

Despite the already challenging conditions faced by families in the east valley, district officials can only hope to maintain the status quo.

“Things are operating as normal, but for now we are just waiting for a decision,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for CVUSD.

“Normal,” to some bus drivers already means carrying double loads and making several trips back and forth across the valley until every student arrives home.

“Buses have always been packed. In order to have one driver for one bus stop, we would have to hire more drivers, and unfortunately we don’t have that luxury,” said Aguirre.

As administrators await the official decision from the school board, ICUC has been proactive, researching the potential impact by having community organizers interview valley residents, and organizing group meetings with teachers and parents. They also plan to mobilize the community with press releases, phone calls and social media.

“In this district, transportation should be a right, not a privilege, because our district is very rural,” said Aguirre. “It is not safe to walk home.”

To join ICUC’s efforts, contact Allex Luna at (760) 398-0877 or at allex@icucpico.org.

Don Cornelius Dead: Why Soul Train Will Never Leave America's Station

2012-02-01T21:46:19Z

A few days before the release of The Best of Soul Train DVD set Soul Train founder, creator and impresario Don Cornelius was asked what it was that made Soul Train the hit that was. Cornelius didn't hesitate, "That was the period when soul music grew up."

Cornelius could have added one more thing to his on-point observation for the reason for the show's success. It was also the music that I, and many other blacks, grew up with. It was virtually a black household ritual to do one of two things when Saturday rolled around and it was Soul Train time. One was to sway, swoon, and sing the lyrics belted out by the parade of R&B legends and top hit artists, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, and the Four Tops who regularly turned up on the show.

The other ritual was to dance, or more likely stumble around the living room, trying to do our best imitation of the latest dance steps displayed by the show's perpetual motion gyrating couples. Then there was the signature Soul Train circle dance line. Then and now there isn't a party, dance, or social that you can go to without a group of partygoers breaking into the Soul Train circle line. Even if you had two left feet, the spontaneity, gaiety, joy, and liberating feeling, that you got from strutting your stuff, or just making a fool of yourself as you paraded down the center of the circle line was irresistible and infectious.

But it wasn't all song and dance on Soul Train. To drive home the point that this was a unique product of the African-American experience Cornelius managed to slip into the show's format, the "Soul Train Scramble Board." Two dancers had sixty seconds to unscramble a set of letters, which was not limited to trying to figure out the name of that show's performer but also a famed African-American historical figure. The man really knew how to educate an audience on our history literally without missing a beat.

It didn't take long for the ritual watch and imitate Soul Train groove that gripped black America to become America's ritual. Cornelius observed "Record stores were cropping up and Motown emerged to allow the music to cross over to the point where all cultures were listening to soul music." That cross over was due to Soul Train. It made black music and dance not only respectable but virtually mandatory for non-black kids and adults to watch and try to imitate. The Soul Train happy time infection spread everywhere. It was just simply too much pure unadulterated fun to watch, sing and dance along with the couples on the show that seemed to render race for the moment a non sequitur.

The operative word though is "seemed" because underneath the universal popularity of Soul Train, the show was an unvarnished testament to the historic role that music and dance has played to provide comfort, relief, escape, and the sense of personal freedom for generations of blacks, young and old. Soul Train captured in all its naked and raw beauty and energy the sound and fury of black cultural life. That life no matter how harsh the discrimination and conditions that blacks faced could not be snatched away.

Soul Train accomplished one other feat that's considered a rarity in pop culture. It transcended it. It became both a musical and a social phenomenon. This added to its appeal, cross over and otherwise, and its staying power. The popular artists that appeared on the show would come and go. The dance styles would change. The outlandish fashions on garish display would change. The outrageous high Afros of the times would disappear.

Yet Soul Train always managed to stay fresh, alluring and project the unmistakable magnetism of black dance, song, and art. This is why only a scant five years after the last Soul Train episode was seen in 2006, the Smithsonian Museum will be the repository of some the show's memorabilia.

This almost certainly won't be the last stop for Soul Train. The tributes, accolades, remembrances, and interviews with the principals will continue for years to come. It could be no other way for a series that was the complete musical and cultural package when it came to not only showcasing the art and artistry of black America. And equally important, it made that art and artistry an integral part of America.

Cornelius's stock ending to each show was "As always in parting, we wish you love peace, and Soul." Forget the parting part, the soul that Soul Train so embodied was America's train. And that train will never part the station.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst, and host of the weekly Hutchinson Report Newsmaker Hour on KTYM Radio Los Angeles streamed on ktym.com podcast on blogtalkradio.com and internet TV broadcast on thehutchinsonreportnews.com Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson

Indian Americans Take Up Guns in Wake of Robberies

2012-01-31T22:36:06Z

After a spate of violent home invasions and robberies in recent months, Indian Americans living in Roswell, a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, are taking up guns and being helped by the local police in receiving gun training to help protect them from robberies.

Over a recent weekend, community members gathered at a firing range, as Roswell police have so far charged seven Colombian nationals with home invasion. "This is my first time," Ashish Dhume was quoted as saying by AP.

C.K. Patel, former president of the National Federation of Indian Associations, said, "We have reports that Indians were targeted in Atlanta. Indian businessmen and their establishments were being targeted."

According to Patel, Indians are targeted because they keep jewelry at home. "There have been cases where they were robbed of their jewelry immediately after they purchased it from a shop and were bringing it home."

"Some of our friends actually got robbed. We don't want to be victimized when we are at home," he added. "I feel confident I can use the gun and protect myself," he said after receiving an hour-long training.

"I just wanted to see what it feels like and learn some safety issues, more than anything else, just in case I get into a situation," Nivelle Bilimoria said.

Indian American communities in other parts of the United States have also been targets of robberies.
But this is the first time that they are taking training in shooting as a self-defense measure.

"Indians seem to be adverse, probably culturally, but once you settle down in this country, you have got to adapt to the country," Dijjocam Raina was quoted as saying, adding that he had not held a gun in 20 years, but now he plans on buying one and keeping it close for safety.

Local police conceded that the Indian American community is being targeted by robbers who held them at gunpoint and snatched away their gold and other valuables.

Last month, police in Fremont, Calif., with a high Indian American population, arrested two men in connection with a string of robberies — Matthew Howard and Daryl Dove, who police said targeted individuals wearing “high-dollar necklaces and bracelets.”

The Native American SOTU: A Call on Obama to Advance Indigenous Rights

2012-01-31T17:44:11Z

WASHINGTON – Unless you’re tuned into American Indian law and policy, you likely missed the annual State of the Indian Nations address last week. Presented by the National Congress of American Indians and following the US President’s State of the Union, the SOIN sets the tribal agenda for a new year of politicking on Capitol Hill.

While there were few surprises in Thursday’s speech, there was an interesting call on President Obama to strengthen the federal government’s stance on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The international human rights resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007 and signed by President Obama in 2010. While many see the 46-article Declaration as paying symbolic recognition of the 370-million First peoples worldwide (the document is not legally binding), many indigenous advocates are, today, demanding states reconsider the resolution when framing new and outdated policies.

Marking the first time the Declaration would be mentioned as a top priority measure in a State of the Indian Nations address, Chickasaw tribal leader and NCAI President Jefferson Keel called for full implementation of the resolution to improve the government-to-government relationship tribes hold with the US. “We see a future where the trust relationship actually works,” he stated. “But that trust also requires consultation—legally enforceable consultation.”

For American Indian nations, the Declaration represents a chance to strengthen tribal sovereignty by fully implementing Article 32—an agreement in which governments shall allow for “free, prior and informed consent” before any kind of development disrupts tribal lands, such as mineral exploration or mining production.

This call for improved consultations with tribal nations has been actively pursued for the better part of the last decade, most recently in response to the land-use case involving a ski resort atop the San Francisco Peaks. Recently argued in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in early January, the lawsuit challenges the planned use of treated wastewater for snowmaking at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort.

According to an attorney representing the Save the Peaks Coalition, he states there was no discussion that took place among at least a dozen American Indian tribes who consider the mountain to be sacred.

Earlier cases filed on behalf of the tribes have been argued unsuccessfully in separate courts. The Havasupai Nation, in August, went so far to file an Urgent Action / Early Warning Complaint with the UN, alleging the violation of their religious freedoms. Despite these efforts, the owners of the ski resort say they plan to begin making snow for skiing and snowboarding for this ski season.

“There would be a public outcry if the federal government tried to impose policy on a state without its consent,” said Keel in his address. “Without the power, legislation and accountability— ‘free, prior and informed consent’ are just some nice words on a page…We call for action to make consultation count.”

Getting government to respond to these demands could take awhile. Historically, the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has advanced at a slow and steady pace. Drafting of the resolution began nearly 30 years ago in 1985. Before then, the nascent indigenous rights movement was finding its voice in the international community. In fact, many early advocates have credited the American Indian Civil Rights demonstrations of the late 1960’s and ‘70’s for galvanizing the global indigenous cause.

Considered the framework to the overall indigenous rights effort, the Declaration quite simply affirms that indigenous people are uniquely defined and thus demand a set of different laws to protect their equality. The fact that states like the US ever adopted the Declaration is seen as a major victory. Next to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the United States was the last country to acquiesce, waiting three years to sign the resolution after its adoption in 2007.

According to Katie Jackman, staff attorney at NCAI, she believes many state leaders were reluctant to sign the Declaration based on language that stated Indigenous peoples held rights to lands of “traditional ownership.” But she argues that today’s tribal leaders—at least in the US—do not interpret such articles literally. “The vast majority of tribal leaders are more realistic, today. They still interpret [the Declaration] in a reasonable manner. They just think they should have more access and control of lands than they do right now,” said Jackman.

Overcoming this hurdle may only be the beginning. According to Jackman, if the Declaration is to be fully implemented, there remain certain provisions that do not currently meet federal Indian law such as Articles 21.2 and 22. These items call for the protection of indigenous women, who today, collectively experience some of the highest rates of violent crime and sexual assault. NCAI is currently lobbying two bills through Congress to respond to these troubling trends in the US.

It means there is much more work to do if the Declaration is to ever be considered anything more than emblematic language. In the words of President Obama when he announced his support for the Declaration— “what matters far more than words…are actions to match those words.” And thus begins a new chapter in the Indigenous rights movement.

African Americans in Dallas Target Korean Business

2012-01-31T00:13:38Z

The African American community in Dallas has been protesting a gas station run by a Korean-born U.S. citizen in a predominately black neighborhood in South Dallas for over a month, taking issue with what they claim were racial remarks by the station’s owner.

The Korean government dispatched the consul general of the Korean Consulate General in Houston to the area yesterday to help resolve the issue, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“We made emergent contact with the Korean community, requesting that its members restrain from an emotional response and examine their relationship with other communities,” an official of the ministry said.

According to the ministry and the local Korean community, the conflict occurred on Dec. 9, 2011, between the Korean-American owner of a gas station in southern Dallas and a black customer over the sale of gas.

The customer, complaining that the price of gas at the station was much higher than at other stations, demanded he be able to buy gas by smaller amounts than what the owner set as the minimum sales unit. The owner refused and told him to go to another station, to which the customer responded by telling the owner to go back to his country. The owner responded by telling the customer to go back to Africa.

That triggered a boycott of the gas station by the black community in the region, followed by them speaking out against Korean and other Asian immigrant communities.

The Los Angeles branch of the JoongAng Ilbo reported that leaders from the black community in the region also requested cooperation from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Nation of Islam.

The tensions are of concern to the Korean community in the U.S., with fears that the case may develop into a replay of the massive anti-Korean riot by African Americans in Los Angeles, which marks its 20th anniversary in April. The official of the ministry said the risk that this will happen remains slim so far, saying that the actions taken by the black community remain civil.

“It is also a conflict between U.S. citizens, so there is not much that we can do because it could be seen as inappropriately intervening,” the official said.

The Korean community in the U.S. said that the case reflects the underlying conflict between the two communities.

“We see the fundamental causes lie in the exclusivity of the Korean community, which is stingy in sharing with others, as well as the black community’s relative sense that the Korean community is depriving them of opportunities,” a member of the Korean community in the U.S. told the JoongAng Ilbo’s Los Angeles bureau.

Foster Care, Uncertain Futures Loom for Thousands of Immigrant Children

2012-01-30T09:00:00Z

WASHINGTON—More than 5,000 children of immigrants are languishing in state foster care nationwide because their parents were living in the United States illegally and were detained or deported by federal immigration authorities.

These children can spend years in foster homes, and some are put up for adoption after termination of their parents’ custody rights. With neither state nor federal officials addressing the problem, thousands more are poised to enter the child welfare system every year.

“They can be dropped into the foster care system for an indefinite period of time,” says Wendy D. Cervantes, vice president for immigration and child rights policy at First Focus, a bipartisan advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. “This causes severe long-term consequences to a child’s development. It has a negative impact on the country as a whole and a direct impact on taxpayers. The fact that these children have parents means they shouldn’t be in the system in the first place.”

A recent report by the Applied Research Center (ARC), a national racial-justice think thank, found that when immigration enforcement methods intersect with the child welfare system, consequences for immigrant families can be devastating and long-lasting.

Jailed or deported parents are prevented from reuniting with their children, and parents held in immigration detention centers are penalized for being unable to attend hearings in family court. They are also penalized for not meeting court-ordered requirements for regaining custody of their children. The requirements are impossible to meet from jail.

In addition, detained parents often aren’t aware that they can request that their children be returned upon deportation, placed with relatives in the United States, or allowed to return to their home countries. Parents unable to speak, read or write English, let alone understand complicated legal rulings, are often uninformed of their legal rights or where their children have been sent. They often don’t have lawyers to help navigate the child welfare system.

“Immigration policies and laws are based on the assumption that families will, and should, be united, whether or not parents are deported,” the ARC report states. “Similarly, child welfare policy aims to reunify families whenever possible. In practice, however, when mothers and fathers are detained and deported and their children are relegated to foster care, family separation can last for extended periods. Too often, these children lose the opportunity to ever see their parents again when a juvenile dependency court terminates parental rights.”

Encarnación Bail, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, who is in a prolonged fight to regain custody of her son, has confronted many of these obstacles.

She lost custody of her infant son, Carlos, in 2008, a year and a half after she was arrested and jailed by federal immigration authorities during a raid of the poultry plant where she worked in Cassville, Missouri. Awaiting deportation, she spent two years in federal detention, first in a local county jail in Missouri and then in a federal prison in West Virginia. During her imprisonment, relatives caring for Carlos gave the baby to a local couple who were childless.

After a county court terminated Bail’s parental rights on grounds that she had abandoned the baby, the couple adopted her son.

The court sent an official letter to Bail informing her that the couple was caring for her son, but the letter never reached her and was returned unopened to the court. When a formal adoption petition did reach her, Bail was stunned. With the assistance of a prison guard and an English-speaking visitor from Guatemala, Bail wrote back that she did not want her son put up for adoption and wanted him placed in foster care until she was released. She also requested visitation with Carlos. She never received a response from the court and she was never informed about the custody hearings.

The Guatemalan government learned of her case through news reports and intervened on her behalf, prompting the American government to put the deportation order against her on hold and grant her temporary legal status allowing her to stay and work in the United States while she continues a legal battle to regain custody of Carlos.

“I’m very sad, I very much want to be reunited with him,” Bail said through her lawyer. “I suffered an injustice. I’m the mother of Carlos and I was worried for Carlos during my entire detention. I was always thinking about him and I never gave my consent for his adoption.”

The Obama administration now says it is no longer targeting immigration enforcement activities on undocumented workers, such as Bail, and is instead focused on seeking out and deporting immigrants who have committed major crimes. However, immigrant advocates say that federal immigration agents, state law enforcement agencies and local county police departments participating in federal immigration enforcement programs do not follow that policy uniformly.

In fact, the government deported more than 46,000 parents of children with U.S. citizenship in the first half of 2011, according to the ARC report.

“It’s clearly un-American to take kids away from loving families,” says Rinku Sen, president and executive director of ARC. “It should give Americans real pause about what we’re engaged in. We need to take a very hard look at these policies and practices.”

Hispanics make up the majority of undocumented immigrants in the United States and, as a result, children of color born to parents from poor countries in Latin and Central America and the Caribbean are affected disproportionally.

What’s clear, say immigrant advocates, is that racial bias toward Latinos and other people of color play a significant role in separating children from parents and relatives.

Court transcripts strongly indicate that social workers’ decisions about foster-care placements and judges’ rulings on custody are sometimes driven by the feeling that the children are better off living in the United States with middle-class, white Americans rather than uneducated and unemployed parents who have been deported to poor home countries.

Furthermore, children in foster care are often not placed with relatives unless the relatives are here legally. Child-welfare workers consider undocumented relatives unsuitable foster parents because their status in the United States is unstable and they, too, can be detained or deported at any time.

“There are definite judgments being made about the value of one particular family over another family,” Sen says. Immigrants and their lawyers “have been told by officials in the child welfare and court system that a child placed in foster care is better off than being with family in Guatemala. There are racial biases that language and immigration status play into that we should be very careful about.”

In Encarnación Bail’s case, the judge who terminated her parental rights made clear in his ruling that he believed the adoptive parents, who make a comfortable living, were more suitable parents than Bail, whom he characterized as a serial lawbreaker. He wrote in his opinion that she, "would be unable to provide adequate food, clothing or shelter” to Carlos in the future.

“Encarnación is a human being, there’s nothing quote unquote illegal about her,” said Omar Riojas, who is her pro-bono attorney. “She lacked proper documentation to work; her defunct crime was one of immigration status, not of violence, not of larceny, not of any crime involving moral turpitude. Being undocumented does not render her unfit to be a parent.”

Seth Freed Wessler, senior research associate at ARC and author of the report, says caseworkers told him that when parents are detained, “they fall off the face of the earth and when they are deported, it’s even worse. It makes their job to reunify families all but impossible.

“Most caseworkers want that to happen but when immigration enforcement is involved, that outcome starts to rise. A whole set of systemic biases starts to emerge and take hold, a revealing assumption that children are better off in the United States no matter what, which ensures that children are not reunited with their families.”

Marty Rosenbluth is executive director of the North Carolina Immigrant Rights Project, a
nonprofit in Durham that works to protect rights of people in deportation proceedings. He says laws give judges and child-welfare workers little latitude to reunify parents and children more easily.

“People will get picked up on some minor violation and end up being deported without any due process or hearing,” Rosenbluth says. “We try to slow down the process enough so people can make some plans.”

The biggest fear of parents in the immigrant community, he says, is that they're going to be deported and forced to abandon their children. “My clients talk about it all the time,” Rosenbluth says. “They ask, ‘If I get deported, what’s going to happen to my kids?’ ”

He says he tells them to grant power of attorney in advance to someone who can take custody of their children.

“But even that is risky,” says Rosenbluth, an attorney. “Do you want to sign over custody of your children to someone you may not know simply because they are legal? A lot of Latino organizations are now telling undocumented immigrants with children to have an action plan and to have certain documents prepared and signed.

“I’ve seen several different models of these action-plan packs. They include power of attorney and representation forms to have others sell their car or their property. I tell them to have someone who they can trust and who has some kind of legal status. They ask if they can sign over custody to their pastor or to their priest, but there’s only so many children pastors can take.”

Cervantes says that since release of the ARC report, First Focus has been “in more intense conversations” with the Obama administration about adjusting current enforcement policies to ensure that nonviolent, non-negligent parents are not detained, and if they are, that they can make arrangements for the care of their children.

Her organization also lobbies for congressional passage of legislation that would establish “nationwide protocols to help keep children with their parents or caregivers while immigration proceedings are underway, and guidelines for certain immigration enforcement activities that involve parents, guardians, or primary caregivers of minor children.”

“Responsible enforcement includes letting parents have due-process rights and ensure the well-being of their children,” she said.

The Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act, also known as the HELP-Act, was introduced in the Senate by Al Franken (D-Minn.),and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) introduced a companion bill in the House. Both are stalled. Cervantes says the ARC report gives advocates momentum to make a new push for passage.

Meanwhile, Bail is now back in Missouri and working in a turkey processing plant. A year ago, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously overturned the judgment terminating her parental rights and the adoption of Carlos and ordered a new trial scheduled to begin on February 28. She is optimistic that the court will rule in her favor.

“God is listening to my prayers,” she said.

(America’s Wire is an independent, non-profit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. America’s Wire is made possible by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit www.americaswire.org or contact Michael K. Frisby at mike@frisbyassociates.com.)

Filipino Cuisine Poised to Break Gastro Ceiling

2012-01-29T16:56:44Z

SAN FRANCISCO – The Year of the Dragon will be the Year of the “Adobo” if some local foodies are predicting it right. Braised chicken or pork in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic, Adobo is considered a signature dish in Filipino cooking, which, judging from the buzz at this year’s Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, could be poised to ride the next gourmet food wave.

The show’s organizers, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade decided on a Filipino dish for the cover of their latest magazine edition. In her feature story, Joanna Pruess cites what makes this cuisine stand out: “big, bold flavors of sour, sweet and salty.”

One example is “Kare-Kare” or oxtail and vegetable stew in a peanut sauce, which no Filipino will eat without a dab or three of “bagoong,” fermented shrimp sauce.

Veteran food writer Nancy Freeman has been a long-time fan. “I think there are so many hot Filipino restaurants now, and they have really helped get this food bubbling to the surface of the marketplace,” she said during the recent “Kulinarya” event in San Francisco, a celebration of Filipino cuisine. As president of the Asian Culinary Forum, Freeman also organized a chefs’ panel for the organization’s Filipino Flavors Symposium in 2010 in San Francisco.

In the Bay Area, several hotspots for Filipino food have emerged, ranging from fine dining restaurants to lounges, bakeries, and popular gourmet food trucks, including Adobo Hobo, Señor Sisig, Hapa SF and Lumpia Cart. At The Naked Chorizo’s food booth at Kulinarya, hungry guests lined up for tasty chorizo tacos with avocado and salsa.

Filipino Culinary Superbowl

Organizers for the Kulinarya, led by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, say they want to elevate the cuisine to the next level and make it more palatable for American tastes. Many believe it’s just a matter of time, pointing out that Filipino food -- like the community – is a sleeping giant ready to join the ranks of other Asian fare already popular in the American gastronomic vernacular.

The Philippine Consulate launched the Kulinarya Showdown events, the community's cooking Superbowl, in line with its ongoing "Kulinarya" (Culinary) Food Trips -- travel packages designed by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism in conjunction with Philippine Airlines aimed at attracting more U.S. travelers to the Philippines, giving them a chance to discover authentic regional cuisine there.

Over several centuries, Philippine cuisine has evolved from its Malayo-Polynesian origins to a mixed repertoire with Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, American and other Asian influences. Provincial specialties have added to the mix of styles.

“Out of these influences and combinations, we developed our own distinct taste,” says chef and event judge Ron Bilaro, segment host of The Filipino Channel TV's “Adobo Nation” and one-time sous chef for Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef. That taste was on display at the Kulinarya, where three amateur and three professional chefs presented 4 courses each: a starter, a 1st entrée; a 2nd entrée: their own interpretation of the classic “Adobo” and dessert.

Among the judges were Lynne Bennett, staff writer and wine coordinator at the San Francisco Chronicle, and Pinay food bloggers Joanne Boston-KwanHull and Rose Ravasco aka Urban Food Maven.

In the amateur division, Arlene Nunez took the prize for her menu including “Vegetarian Fresh Lumpia” and savory “Adobo Banh Mi” - crossing the Filipino dish with the classic Vietnamese sandwich.

Manila-born Chef Albert Rivera, meanwhile, won in the professional division with a sampling that included shrimp and vegetable fritters with a “Calamansi” Ponzu Sauce and “Halo-Halo,” a dessert of shaved ice, evaporated milk and a mixture of various fruits and beans topped with purple yam ice cream.

Healthier Filipino Food: The New Niche

For some Filipinos it’s a bit of a paradox -- since many traditional recipes call for deep-frying, fattier cuts of meat, salt and sugar. But at the Kulinarya competition, chefs found ways to stay true to the flavors of beloved classics while using healthier ingredients and techniques.

Gloria Ramos, a self-confessed foodie and published author who competed in the amateur division, believes that’s the ticket for Pinoy food to make it big time in the culinary world.

“I veganized it,” she said of her "Afretada", a tomato sauce-based stew traditionally made with chicken or pork, which Ramos replaced with soy protein and tofu. “My daughter turned vegan and I had to create different things for her,” she added.

Ramos’ spin on the classic Adobo, featuring lettuce wraps, is another example of how “Filipino food can be healthy, attractive and tasty,” appealing to even the most health-conscious of mainstream consumers, like those found at Whole Foods.

A new line of frozen appetizers named “Kusina ni Maria,” or Maria’s Kitchen, is now available in almost 20 Whole Foods Markets and select Costco Stores across Northern California. Linda Zavoral of the San Jose Mercury News described these new products, which were featured at the SF Winter Fancy Food Show, as “a great answer to those late-night lumpia or adobo cravings. The chicken is antiobiotic-free and both the adobo and "pancit" kit (stir-fry noodles) are gluten-free.

Nicholas von Wettberg is managing editor with the local Fil-Am Star newspaper. Covering the Kulinarya event, he agreed that Filipino cuisine could “break through the mainstream food scene by making it as healthy as possible, especially by cutting down on grease and sodium i.e. soy sauce.” He cites an example from the cook-off, where one of the chefs in the Adobo entrée round cooked the bone marrow into the dish, rendering it “too fatty.”

But overall he says he was impressed with the level of creativity displayed by the competitors in the professional divisions, especially with their desserts. “The way the chefs presented their dessert courses was very colorful and vibrant…It’s satisfying to know that there are young Filipino chefs out there who are thinking outside the box, there was definitely love and care for detail with these dessert dishes.”

Re-Inventing Filipino Food for the American Palate

Filipino food’s global heritage may be the biggest key to its breakthrough, according to Nancy Freeman, who for years has been touting its wine pairing characteristics. “I believe this is primarily because of the Spanish influences in the dishes…Spaniards drink wine all the time,” she explains.

Freeman cites “Kare Kare” as a perfect example, because it’s very similar to a Spanish dish, only that the Filipino version uses peanuts instead of almonds. “But since it’s not hot/spicy nor sour, you don’t have to compensate for heat nor sourness when you pair it with wine.”
Of adobo, she said she's paired the dish "with white wine and who would have thought that would be fantastic? It worked very well, none of us expected it!”

Freeman was married previously to a Filipino man and lived many years in the Philippines, and in that time she learned many of the traditional recipes. “I divorced him, but I didn’t want to divorce the food… I don’t want to leave a culture I’ve adapted to,” she says.

Freeman also stresses that another important step for Filipino chefs is to consider veering away from “lutong buhay,” or home-style cooking, as much as possible and work towards making it more creative and commercially appealing. “It can’t just be as my mom or grandma makes it. It can be however you want to make it, it can be a modern take, it can be fusion, it can be whatever tastes good, as long as it reflects its roots,” she said.

At the Mercury Lounge in San Francisco’s South of Market district, Chef Dominic Ainza showcases his unique Filipino fusion creations. At a special culinary event, he prepared “Kare-Kare” Dumplings, “Pinakbet” (ratatouille of long beans, onions and tomatoes in a shrimp paste) Pizza; and “Tocino” (cured pork) Truffles, a dessert he collaborated on with Kulinarya judge Jo Boston-KwanHull.

Chef Kristela Mendoza is also doing her part as executive chef at Berkeley's Pyramid Breweries. Mendoza described one of her entrees in the competition. “I’m making hand rolls with Sisig, which is traditionally pork belly rendered down with "calamansi" (Filipino citrus fruit) and a lot of spices… I make that into a soy-sushi wrap.”

Mendoza’s got a secret ingredient of her own for this popular dish. “One of our signature beers is Thunderhead IPA. So instead of San Miguel beer,” popular in the Philippines, “I use our own brew to de-glaze the meat and because of that, I am able to serve Sisig in an American restaurant.”

“And everybody loves it, even if they have no idea what it is,” she says.

Odette Keeley is host and executive producer of “New America Now”, NAM’s TV show, airing on weekend nights 6 PM PST on COMCAST Hometown Network - CHN 104 & also available on COMCAST ON DEMAND..

American Dreams Shift in Weak Economy

2012-01-28T09:05:00Z

This story originally appeared on the Web site of Investigative Reporting Workshop

BALTIMORE — Derrick McLaughlin, 43, a real estate agent in Baltimore, remembers the first time he heard of the American Dream. It was when his grandmother, an immigrant from Trinidad, bought her first house in Brooklyn, N.Y., after decades of saving. That was the moment when she believed she had attained her American Dream, she told him. “You would’ve thought it was a mansion from the way she talked about it,” McLaughlin recalls, noting that she likely would never have been able to buy a house in her home country. “The idea of the American Dream is what got her to leave Trinidad” as a woman with young children, McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin believes his grandmother’s experience was emblematic of what the American Dream used to be — not an important event to everyone, but momentous for her. As for himself, he says, “I’m maybe at the three-quarter’s mark,” of achieving the American Dream. “I have the things as a kid that I thought I wanted,” but added, “the American Dream changes based on where you are in your life.”

McLaughlin was part of a recent study on the American Dream conducted by the Investigative Reporting Workshop. For the 17 men and women interviewed, the American Dream continues to resonate. But that dream is tinged with caveats, doubts and hesitations.

A Matter of Definition

Though most people interviewed said that the American Dream is individually defined, their responses shared common themes. These include the ability to own a home, the pursuit of education, an eventual payoff in professional success and financial security from hard work, an agreement that the dream is usually achieved later in life, and the ideal of leaving descendants better off than themselves.

Methodology

Two focus groups were conducted in Baltimore on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Each group included eight to nine participants. One group included individuals who can be considered lower-middle class (based on income and household size) while the other can be considered upper-middle class. Both groups included a mix of genders, ages and ethnicities.

The group discussions were led by a professional moderator and each lasted 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Focus groups are a qualitative research methodology used to explore attitudes, motivations and beliefs in-depth among a group of people.

To ensure open, honest opinions, the focus group participants were not told what organization was conducting the research, and participants were guaranteed that the discussion would be kept confidential. However, afterward the participants were asked if they would be willing to speak with a reporter and have a follow-up interview, during which time they were also asked to give their permission to quote from their focus group session as well as from the interview.

Respondents also reported that achieving the dream meant meeting the modest goals of living comfortably, but also that it meant becoming wealthy.

Scott Kelmer, 40, who was recently laid off from his contractor job with Verizon, said, “Everyone in the world wants to come to America,” reinforcing the group’s belief that people immigrating to this country can still “make it” through hard work and education. “Part of the dream is to be on top, and helping people while you’re there,” said Gregory Parson, 23, a pre-med student in Baltimore.

This idea was shared by a number of American University students polled in a related study, with more than half saying that the dream held more value for people outside the United States than for those already here.

First Hearing About the American Dream

Not surprisingly, the current economic chaos has affected the dream.

Long-serving politicians and corporations are “balancing their checkbook on the backs of the middle class,” said McLaughlin, making it far more difficult to pursue the opportunities believed to be available in this country.

Most participants agreed that this is particularly true for young people. It has become significantly harder for younger people to achieve the American Dream than in generations past, several said.

“I want to move out of my parents’ house. I want my own house and I want to put my own family in it,” Parson said. But, he added, that is out of reach. He is committed to becoming a doctor, he said, but worries about taking on thousands of dollars in student loans to do it.

Though the youngest in the group, Parson said he had already achieved the American Dream, because “I’ve had opportunity, which is what it is about.” He said that once he becomes a doctor, he hopes he will be able to help others achieve their own dreams.

Frustration with the current political and economic system was apparent. But few among those interviewed have a sense of what can be done to help turn things around. And immediate economic needs are pushing bigger concerns to the side.

“All I can do is help where I can help. My first responsibility is to my family,” said Paul Drgos, 36, a computer programmer and recently divorced father of three.

Parson said he felt a sense of duty in helping the country recover from the recession but was unable to articulate what he might personally be able to do. “I feel responsible for having to fix it, but I don’t feel responsible for having caused it,” he said. “I feel thrown into it.”

Signs of Improvement are Few

“I’m doing OK, but I deal with people who aren’t doing OK every day,” said McLaughlin. The economic situation is unlikely to turn around until the nation can form a better-functioning government, “or until the American people get to the point that Occupy Wall Street becomes Occupy America,” he said.

Only one person interviewed said the nation’s financial situation would improve within the next year. Many peg it at a two- to five-year recovery, although Kelmer thinks it could take as long as a decade. For their personal situations, however, people are generally more optimistic, believing their lives will improve within the next year or two.

This attitude was particularly prevalent among the better-educated or more affluent members of the group, who had a sunnier outlook about the time needed for both the general economy and their personal situation to improve.

Decades of Gallup polls support these findings, showing that Americans typically have a more negative outlook for the nation but a stable and positive one regarding their personal situation. Since the economic recession in 2007, the differences in these views have only increased.

In keeping with this attitude, some participants have been able to turn national and personal misfortune to their advantage through home ownership. Drgos said that he managed to avoid the burden of a home worth less than its market value, because his ex-wife received the house after their divorce settlement. One young woman bought a house for less money than she had originally planned because of depressed housing prices in the Baltimore area. McLaughlin’s business as a real estate broker has thrived for the same reason, as he is able to purchase homes below market value, refurbish and resell them.

Achieving the Dream

For most participants, the dream is still a work in progress. The younger people generally said that they were on the path to achieving their dreams, though a few people reported that they are genuinely struggling to make ends meet. The retirees in the group said they have achieved the American Dream, though not always in the manner they had hoped. One man had planned to travel the world in his retirement, but that is no longer possible.

Those shifting expectations — and making peace with them — may be a key to securing the dream. With an economy still staggering after the recession’s official end, the new American Dream may be just having enough, not having it all.

Despite the uncertainty and readjustments, the American Dream still has meaning, McLaughlin said: “We’re in trouble the day people stop thinking they can attain that.”

Related story:Young people optimistic they can achieve American Dream

Calif. Investigates Skin-Lighteners for Dangerous Mercury

2012-01-27T09:00:00Z

Image: Texas health officials linked several mercury poisoning cases to Crema Aguamary, a cosmetic produced in Mexico.

SAN FRANCISCO -- There could be a dark side to skin-lightening creams often found in stores that cater to ethnic communities.

Starting next week, California health officials will collect and test a sampling of skin-lightening products in the Bay Area for possible mercury contamination. Health officials launched the investigation in response to a spate of mercury poisoning cases linked to the tainted face creams that are made outside the United States.

A handful of cases emerged in the mid ‘90s, but it was a 2010 case involving a 39-year-old Latina and her family in Alameda County that spurred the state to action.

Coordinators of a health study found the East Bay resident with dangerously-high mercury levels, and notified state health officials.

An investigation traced the source of her mercury poisoning to an unlabeled jar of face cream, which relatives from Virginia had brought back from Mexico and given to her.

State health officials, working with their Virginia counterparts, identified in total 22 people who were exposed to mercury through similar face creams, including extended family and friends. The case was highlighted last week in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

“This is one of the first investigations of the problem within California,” said Dr. Rupali Das, chief of Exposure Assessment and Environmental Health Branch of the state Department of Public Health and co-author of the MMWR report. “Why [we’re focusing] attention on the issue now -- these cases have come to our attention here, we think it’s enough of a problem to address it.”

Last year, the state documented a dozen cases of mercury poisoning from tainted skin lighteners, Das says, and have anecdotal reports of at least another four cases.

Signs of Mercury Poisoning In adults
 -nervousness and irritability, difficulty with concentration, headache, tremors, memory loss, depression, insomnia, weight loss, fatigue, numbness or tingling in hands, feet, or around the lips.
 - Mercury exposure can also affect the kidneys.
 In children: Symptoms include acrodynia (pain in extremities), irritability, anorexia, and poor muscle tone.
 If you believe you are affected, contact: Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222
 Dispose of mercury-tainted products at local household hazardous waste facilities. (http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/UniversalWaste/HHW.cfm)
 Source: CA Dept. of Public Health
Health problems from mercury exposure include “mental and neurological” symptoms, according to Dr. Mark Miller, director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at UCSF and co-author of the MMWR report, which noted that some of those who were exposed to mercury experienced “numbness, tingling, dizziness, forgetfulness, headaches, and depression.” Encountering high enough levels or chronic exposure can also harm the kidneys, Miller says.

The people profiled in the MMWR report said they used the face cream for “skin-lightening, fading freckles, and treating acne.” Mercury, a metal, is a highly effective skin lightener, because it blocks melanin, which gives hair and skin pigmentation.

“It’s effective. It’s just dangerous for you,” said Miller, adding that the FDA does not allow any mercury in products sold in the United States. He said all the products with dangerous mercury levels are here “illegally.”

Nationwide, state health departments are coming across scores of cases of mercury poisoning through skin-lightening products brought into the country from someplace else. Health officials in Texas, New York, and Minnesota have recently carried out investigations of skin-lighteners, and alerted the public about possible mercury contamination.

In 2010, the Chicago Tribune carried out an investigation of skin-lighteners sold in local stores and on the Internet, and found that out of 50 face creams, six contained “mercury levels banned by federal law.” The six products were made in “Lebanon, China, India, Pakistan and Taiwan.”

California health officials will begin to collect and test a sampling of skin-lightening products from store shelves in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, said Lori Copan with the state health department. She says they will target ethnic stories and swap meets, catering to three “priority groups,” including Chinese, Filipino, and Latino.

In the cases documented last year by California health officials, most involved products that were brought into the state through people’s “personal luggage,” Copan said. The extended family profiled in the MMWR report brought the skin-lightening cream back from Mexico, while two other households bought them in local stores. The products were also made in Mexico.

Copan says the state health department issued alerts about mercury-laced skin-lighteners in 2010, and will be working with a statewide network of “promotoras” -- peer health educators -- to get information into hard-to-reach communities.

“It is very important. Ladies using the cream not only put it in her face, but using in [sic] her whole body,” said Vicky Avila, health educator with Vision y Compromiso in Redwood City, Calif. “They put the cream on babies…it’s a big problem for them.”

The case that prompted California health officials to issue a health alert in 2010 involved unlabeled products in white jars. Other state health departments have issued alerts about products made in Mexico with dangerous levels of mercury, including Crema de Belleza–Manning and Crema AguaMary.

Last year, researchers from UC Berkeley and UCSF, conducting a health study in collaboration with state health officials, found a Latina in San Francisco with high mercury levels, the source of which was eventually traced to her face cream. In that case, the cream was a U.S. brand name product that was purchased and likely adulterated in Mexico.

"It is not likely that U.S. brand name products for skin lightening would contain mercury. Though there is no real oversight by FDA," Copan said, adding that any skin-lightening product purchased abroad could be tainted.

California’s health department advised consumers to avoid buying products that list “mercury,” “mercurio,” or “calomel” (mercurous chloride) on the label as well as unlabeled beauty products.

Health worker Avila says many of the women she sees prefer to buy products they are familiar with from their home countries, especially new immigrants who want to feel connected to their “roots” and culture.

Avila says the women load up on products when they travel to Tijuana or they may shop for them at local Latino stores in California. Often times, the products may not be displayed on shelves, but carried in a backroom, so they must ask for them specifically.

“Women don’t like to talk about it,” Avila said. “They don’t like to say where they bought it.”

Colorblind Racism: The New Norm

2012-01-25T23:49:43Z

Colorblind racism is the new normal in American conservative political thought. Well after the election of the nation's first African-American president, in 2012 Republican candidates are using egregious signals and dog whistles to incite racial divisiveness as an effective tool for political gain. But when confronted about the nature of their offensive rhetoric, the answer is either an innocuous denial or dismissive retort.

It is curious that people bold enough to make outlandish racial claims never admit guilt or receive a proverbial trial and conviction by the greater populace. Paul Rosenberg, a political contributor to Al-Jazeera, recently explained that this curious phenomenon of "racism without racists" has become de facto in today's political discourse and is best described as "colorblind racism."

First explored in the book Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a professor of sociology at Duke University, the concept explains much of the Republican strategy to defeat Barack Obama, using race as a wedge issue. Bonilla-Silva defined colorblind racism as a racial ideology that expresses itself in seemingly nonracial terms. As such, it is most practiced by people who never see themselves outside their own myopic worldview.

Last week's Fox News debate prior to the South Carolina Republican primary was an excellent example of the hubris inherent in today's racially charged, conservative environment.

All the more offensive was the fact that this debate took place on the national holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. As Michael Keegan explained in the Huffington Post, "What could have been an opportunity for the candidates to express their support for the myriad advances of the civil rights movement and to address the real challenges that remain, instead turned into a mess of racially charged attacks on African Americans, immigrants and the poor."

Newt Gingrich -- the worst offender -- doubled down on his prior attacks. When asked by Juan Williams, the lone African-American Fox News moderator, about calling Barack Obama the greatest "food stamp president" and his insistence that he would "talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps," Gingrich played to the bloodthirsty audience.

"Can't you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?" Williams asked.

"No," Gingrich replied. "No, I don't see that at all."

The response? Roaring applause and a standing ovation.

Now confident, with the wind at his back, Gingrich went on to repeat his misguided call for poor, inner-city children to be forced to work as janitors.

But this is only the least of offenses. The former House speaker has been using blatantly racist rhetoric to attack President Obama for the past two years. Starting with the suggestion that Obama could only be understood through a Kenyan, anti-colonialist mindset -- an idea he borrowed from the equally problematic Dinesh D'Souza -- to his oft-repeated correlation of the president with food stamps and welfare dependency, Gingrich refuses to accept responsibility and is quick to accuse liberal media of bias.

Mitt Romney, the candidate most likely to receive the nomination, was not immune. In response to a question from Rick Santorum, Romney declared his opposition to extending voting rights to convicted felons, an issue that disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic males and is a direct result of the vast disparity created by the drug wars implemented during the Reagan administration.

Romney also promised to veto the Dream Act, a law supported by Obama's White House, which would allow the children of long-term, illegal immigrants to gain citizenship while proving themselves through military service or higher education. All these statements reflect a post-Tea Party conservative climate, which is fueled by xenophobia and racial animus.

Perhaps if these instances had not become so commonplace, they could be disregarded as gaffes, but following Santorum's remark in Iowa that he did not want "to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money" and the unearthing of a new set of newsletters from Ron Paul's past framing African Americans as ravenous criminals, the racism is too obvious to be dismissed as subtle subtext.

In his article, Rosenberg notes that one of the central frames at the core of colorblind racism is "minimization of racism, [which] suggests discrimination is no longer a central factor affecting minorities' life chances ('It's better now than in the past' or 'There is discrimination, but there are plenty of jobs out there'). It remembers the past with a highly selective intent, to excuse the evil that remains."

Gingrich, Paul and Santorum convey textbook definitions of the minimization of racism. Paul "can't remember" who wrote what and thinks "it's not important anyway." Gingrich doesn't see anything wrong with any of his comments about the poor and blacks. Santorum's excuse is "blah." They each adopt a cavalier attitude toward the feelings of minorities and suggest that the fuss is much ado about nothing.

Why do they do it?

Just a quick look at Gingrich's rise in the polls and his recent win in South Carolina explains why it's a winning strategy among white GOP primary voters. The latest Gallup poll shows the race in a dead heat nationally, with Gingrich at 28 percent to Romney's 29 percent. Romney has essentially lost any advantage he had before the South Carolina primary.

Yet the American public and media have developed an acute sense of political correctness, which allows conservative politicians like Gingrich to lie and bait so outrageously without being called to task. And when confronted, Republicans are always quick to deny any malicious intent.

As I expressed in a previous article, poor whites have been encouraged to vote against their own economic interests; more broadly, middle-class whites are encouraged to vote against their better judgment. They are manipulated by race-baiting tactics that lead them to believe that the social ills of the nation are caused by the black and brown poor -- or, as Gingrich would have you believe, the black "elite" currently residing in the White House.

The political rhetoric being espoused from the far right has become inundated with corrupt language born of a racist past that still plagues the American consciousness. An informed electorate can no longer excuse blatant racism as a casual, social faux pas.

Voters in the upcoming Florida primary and across the nation must demand that Republicans take responsibility for wallowing in a cesspool of race-baiting for political advantage, ever hiding behind a veil of colorblind ignorance and innuendo.

Edward Wyckoff Williams is an author, columnist, political analyst for MSNBC and a former investment banker. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Obama's State of the Union: Eleven Sentences Too Short

2012-01-25T22:47:43Z

BERKELEY, Calif. -- As President Obama delivered his third State of the Union Address, the 11 sentences he dedicated to addressing my current immigration status did little to instill in me any more optimism than did similar statements from the last State of the Union… or the one before that.

“Let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country,” Obama stated. “Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.”

With that, Obama put the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act – which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented students like me – back on the table.

But I wasn’t completely convinced. That’s because the optimistic picture Obama painted of the future of America doesn’t seem to include me.

As my graduation looms, the reality of being undocumented becomes increasingly stark. Unlike my U.S.-citizen classmates, I won’t be able to do basic things, not the least of which is working legally.

As the president spoke, among the coterie sitting next to the president’s wife was Juan Rose Redín, a former DREAM student who attended UCLA and is now a practicing attorney and U.S. citizen. His case demonstrates how an undocumented student can become an integral part of reinvigorating the American work force.

There are thousands of us.

Yet listening to the president lay out his “blueprint” for building “an economy that’s built to last,” I couldn’t help but think of friends with degrees in civil engineering or education, recent graduates and fellow DREAMers with the skills needed to energize domestic manufacturing and bolster the creation of green jobs.

But because of their immigration status, they remain in the shadows.

Of course the DREAM Act alone wouldn’t solve the problem.

If approved, the DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for only a select group of undocumented high school graduates who have enrolled in college or the military, and meet certain requirements. For example, they must have come to the United States before the age of 16, lived here for at least five years, be within a certain age group, and have “good moral character.”

But more undocumented students would be excluded from this than would actually benefit under the legislation. A Migration Policy Institute report found that although 2.1 million young people could potentially be eligible to benefit from the DREAM Act, in reality only about 825,000 would likely gain legal status under the bill.

With the niche population the federal DREAM Act targets, it would seem more of a moderate compromise capable of attaining bipartisan support, yet not even Democrats were able to gather the needed votes to pass the bill during the lame duck session in 2010.

Left with little sign of a possible vote this year, combined with a record number of deportations under the Obama administration (including DREAM Act students), the president’s speech seemed more aimed at garnering campaign support than enacting substantive change.

I am a supporter of our current president. However, the continuous stream of political rhetoric without clear action has slowly begun to eat away at me.

“The opponents of action are out of excuses,” he said. “We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now.”

Agreed. But Republican lawmakers continue to throw up what Obama termed “excuses,” and the possibility of any real reform seems out of reach.

For me, as for thousands of other undocumented students who are looking ahead toward graduation, the future has never seemed more uncertain.

African American, Hispanic High School Achievement Lagging

2012-01-24T14:34:42Z

WASHINGTON — While achievement levels have improved considerably for minority elementary and middle school students, studies show academic performance among high school age African Americans and Hispanics has fallen to dangerous lows.

How prevalent is the achievement gap at the high school level?

On average, math and reading skills for African-American and Latino high school seniors are at roughly the same level as 13-year-old white students, according to a November study put out by the Washington-based advocacy group Education Trust.

“We take kids that start [high school] a little behind and by the time they finish high school, they’re way behind,” says Amy Wilkins, vice president for government affairs and communications at Education Trust.

“Education is supposed to level the playing field,” adds Wilkins. “And it does the opposite…While many people are celebrating our postracial society . . . there is still a significant hangover in our schools.”

African-American and Latino students have made little to no progress in 12th-grade reading scores since 1994, according to the study, continuing to lag behind white students. Math achievement has also remained flat, with the gap between white students and those of color widening.

Causes for the disparity include: lowered expectations for students of color, income inequality and a lack of resources in low-income school districts, unequal access to experienced teachers, an increase in “out of field” teachers, and an “unconscious bias” among teachers and administrators.

These factors, experts say, produce an opportunity gap for students of color.

“A 12th-grade education in a more affluent neighborhood is not the same as the education in a less affluent neighborhood,” says Dominique Apollon, research director with the non-profit Applied Research Center. “Top students in low-income schools don’t have the opportunity to be pushed further and further.”

School advocates say students of color, regardless of class, are frequently confronted with lowered expectations and requirements from teachers and administrators. Students in low-income schools are more likely to be given an “A” for work that would receive a “C” in a more affluent school, the Education Trust study showed.

They are also less likely to be given advanced-level coursework, an issue John Capozzi, principal of Elmont (N.Y.) Memorial Junior-Senior High School, where a majority of students are African American and Latino, sees as a civil rights issue.

“They have preconceived notions about minority kids,” says Capozzi of his fellow educators and accreditation officials. “A large part of my job . . . [is] dispelling the stereotypes of our kids. It’s long been embedded in society.”

“African Americans and Hispanics have been denied access to the more rigorous courses,” Capozzi says. All students, he adds, “should be thrown into vigorous classes” and be given proper academic support to ensure their success in college and work.

According to Education Trust, more white high school graduates were enrolled in college prep courses than were their African-American, Latino and Native American counterparts. Often, schools with large minority populations do not offer advanced classes.

Pedro Noguera, professor of education at New York University, notes, “Where there’s tracking, [you have] obstacles to getting into the more rigorous classes, and the teachers aren’t that committed to teaching. Those are all signs of a dysfunctional culture.”

Even a middle-class background is no guarantee that minority students won’t experience such obstacles. Wilkins says middle-class black teens are more likely to be placed in less competitive classes than their white peers, and a black child with high fifth-grade math scores is less likely to be enrolled in algebra in eighth grade, the study shows.

“A lot of the time, those [middle-class black] kids are in schools where they are in the minority,” Noguera says. “If they don’t have teachers that are encouraging them, they feel alienated.”

Another obstacle for poor and minority students is that they are more likely than white students to have inexperienced and “out of field” teachers -- for instance, a math instructor teaching English or a science instructor teaching history. That, education experts say, is a recipe for disaster.

So is the prevalence of inexperienced instructors.

“Some of the least experienced teachers are put in classrooms with our most needy kids,” says LaShawn Routé Chatmon, executive director of the National Equity Project based in Oakland. “This doesn’t mean that new teachers can’t serve needy students. But there is a trend of large numbers of teachers who aren’t fully prepared.”

The result? According to Chatmon, inexperienced teachers inadvertently perpetuate the achievement gap. Students performing below their grade must be taught at an accelerated level, she says. Teachers must be “warm demanders,” showing students respect, encouraging them to be partners in their learning and communicating clearly that they are expected to master the subject matter, Chatmon says.

This is particularly critical in the early years of high school when students learn groundwork for more advanced coursework.

“All the research shows that ninth grade is a pivotal year, for all students, but in particular minority students,” Capozzi says. “If you don’t catch them in ninth grade, the rise in dropouts increases dramatically.”

Correction: Headline and lede paragraph have been amended to more accurately reflect study findings.

A longer version of this article appeared earlier on America's Wire.

America’s Wire is an independent, non-profit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. America’s Wire is made possible by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit www.americaswire.org or contact Michael K. Frisby at mike@frisbyassociates.com.