6 20 486 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 17 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Two Korean Americans re-elected to serve on school boards in New Jersey VTMBH Article: Author Joon Hwan Lee VTMBH Article: Publication Korea Daily News VTMBH Article: Original Language Korean VTMBH Article: Translator Sungkyu Yun VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Kyung Hwa Kim of Norwood and Won Lee of Palisades Park will return to their posts after winning the April 16 election. However, Sang Ki Lee of Fort Lee lost his reelection bid. The election had a low turnout, with less than 20 percent of voters participating. The Korean American turnout was also very low. Sang Ki Lee garnered just over 400 write-in votes and fell behind three other candidates. Won Lee ran unopposed. Kim also ran unopposed; and garnered over 400 votes to win another three-year term. The Korean-American community in New Jersey now has five people serving on various school boards. They are: Jason Kim of Palisades Park, Suh Kyung Kim of Englewood Cliff and Carney Choi of Tenafly. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-16 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Two Korean Americans re-elected to serve on school boards in New Jersey 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-04-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 28 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title The victims of the War on Terrorism are Pakistanis living here, as the crackdown against illegal immigrants continues VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Pakistan Post VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb American officials continue their arrests, deportations and late-night raids of U.S.-based Pakistanis. The deported and their families, left behind, are suffering. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body American officials are continuing their campaign against U.S.-based Pakistanis, citizens of an important American ally in the War On Terrorism. More than 1,700 Pakistanis have been detained in this country on immigration charges; many have been deported. The FBI and INS are focusing on Brooklyn, where Pakistanis live and their businesses are based. Authorities are knocking on Pakistanis doors late at night, questioning the residents, searching their houses and arresting those they find to be undocumented immigrants. Some report that officials are seizing even legal documents of people they question. Yesterday at 7 a.m. FBI raided the apartment of Colonel Mohammed Latif in a building at Avenue K and 13th Street. At that hour, most people in the house were asleep. When Mrs. Latif opened the door, six men barged in without identifying themselves or showing a warrant. They went into the living room, picked up a displayed photograph and claimed that it matched the person they were looking for. Colonel Latif tried to calm them down by saying that the photograph in question was of his son who, at that time, was at work. The officials asked Colonel Latif to produce identification. Other men took Mrs. Latif to her bedroom and demanded identification papers. They checked the bathrooms as well. Before leaving, they produced a picture of a Mr. Khan, and asked questions about him. A few days before the raid at Colonel Latifs, the police raided several apartments in his building, again without presenting a warrant. They woke people up, asked them about other residents in the building, all on the pretext of inquiring about a certain Zafar Mehmood. The same day, at 1360 Ocean Avenue, the police arrested a man for holding two sets of IDs. On 86th Street, officials arrested three men for allegedly being undocumented. When a legal resident living there protested that the officials entered the house without a warrant, the authorities told him to be patient. The next day, they returned with a warrant for his arrest. In another incident, immigration officials arrested the proprietor of Honey Locksmith on charges of immigrating under a false name. They confiscated the papers of his American citizen brother and family. The younger men of the household protested and told the officials to get out since they were there without a warrant. The officials came back a few days later and questioned the family about how they became legal. At this point the head of the family said that he would call 911 and say that people have barged into his house and are stealing his legal documents. At that moment the officials conferred together and then gave them back their documents. The families of many deported persons are still here; they are poor, lost and suffering. Of the approximately13 million illegal residents in the United States, an estimated 50,000 are Pakistanis, and it seems like officials are singling them out. Of the 19 hijackers, 16 were from Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, and one was from Lebanon. None were from Pakistan and no Pakistanis have been convicted in relation to September 11th, but its Pakistanis who are suffering. Immediately after September 11th American authorities were also raiding Arab communities, but under pressure from Arab governments, they have reduced the number of those raids to almost zero. Meanwhile, though President Prevez Musharref is lauded every day by politicians as an ally in the war against terrorism, the one million Pakistanis living in the United States, both here legally and illegally, are terrified. Musharref, on his tour of the United States, claimed that he would talk to the Bush Administration about easing the pressure on Pakistani communities here. Musharref reneging on his promise is not a new thing. In Pakistan, Musharrefs popularity is rapidly declining and resentment against American policy is on the rise. Al Qaeda and its supporters in Pakistan will take advantage of this situation. Pakistan is a frontline state in the war against terrorism and the majority of the Pakistani public does not support the Taliban or clerical rule. However, actions against Pakistanis in America are on the rise. In the U.S.-based Pakistani community, there is very little organizing and protest. But fear and terror against arrests and deportations is endemic. It seems that the Bush administration does not care about the sentiments of the Pakistani public either in Pakistan or here. This will not help them in their War on Terror. Moreover, many U.S.-based Pakistanis are thinking of migrating again, to Canada or Europe. Their businesses are suffering. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-29 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 109 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The victims of the War on Terrorism are Pakistanis living here, as the crackdown against illegal imm 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. American officials continue their arrests, deportations and late-night raids of U.S.-based Pakistani Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 5 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title What is our fault? VTMBH Article: Author Somia Kiran VTMBH Article: Publication Pakistan Voice VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb In the war between America and Afghanistan, Pakistan faced and is facing a lot of problems. We ask, What is our fault? VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Its September 11. The World Trade Center is burning. America is facing the worst disaster in its history. Everybody is mourning and crying. That day was devastating and totally unacceptable to anyone who understands the profound value and importance of a human life. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives. But after some time, our media declared that Osama Bin Laden is the prime suspect and that he is a Muslim fundamentalist. Then, the media showed a woman who had covered herself. They showed a Muslim child holding a gun. Nadia, a Pakistani Muslim girl, said, I am a Pakistani girl who is living in America and working hard like other Americans but still I was abused during the first week of that incident, just because I am a Muslim. Nobody realized that my father, mother, brother, sister or husband was working in the same building and died. Who realized that a lot of Muslims lost their lives as well? We learned that America attacked Afghanistan and is using Pakistans air space. In the war between America and Afghanistan, Pakistan faced and is facing a lot of problems. We ask, What is our fault? It was not an easy decision for General Pervez Musharaf to support America. He knew that millions of Afghanis are living in Pakistan as refugees. Afghanistan is Pakistans Muslim neighbor and only Pakistan had recognized the Taliban government. Anything that happens in Afghanistan has a direct or indirect impact on Pakistan. Pakistans border with Afghanistan is over 1200 miles long. A number of Pakhtoon tribes live near that border and sympathize with Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans migrated to Pakistan, even though Pakistans government closed its border to them. Those refugees are from a country without geographic boundaries. Their children grow up with guns in their hands. They face hunger, freezing weather. They already know that one day they might see a loved ones head cut from his body. Now all these Afghans need food, shelter and clothes. They are in a countryPakistanthat needs help itself. Pakistan does not have enough schools and hospitals for its own people. This tremendous increase in Afghan refugees is not easy for Pakistan. Of course, people in Pakistan and America itself are helping them. But is it enough? And will the refugees ever go back to their country, or is it a permanent increase in Pakistans population? People were asking these questions even as Pakistan is having a kind of civil war. Some are destroying their own hospitals, schools and streets. This news spread like fire in the media all over the world, and while different countries and religions took different perspectives, these pictures gave the wrong image of Islam. In Pakistan, nobody wants to invest money anywhere. They do not want to open their businesses. They are facing an uncertain tomorrow. They are facing critical economic crises. People do not want to leave their houses. This is a totally different environment, one of arms buildup on all borders. The Silk Road was blocked by Jihadeen for about ten days, which was a big loss. India realized that Pakistans relations with America are improving, which is not beneficial for them. Violence over Kashmir increased. Pakistan increased its armed forces on the border. Then, on the other hand, when the Northern Alliance won control of most parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan declined to recognize their government. Now, they have raised their army presence on Afghanistans border as well. In all these critical situations, Pakistan didnt want any other country to know about their nuclear plans and weapons. It another big challenge to keep them safe. Anyone could be the next target of terrorism. Now America wants to vanquish terror from the world. As we are being asked to fight against the world terror, Muslims would really like their cries of anguish (Kashmir, Palestine, and now Afghanistan, too) to be heard by a sorrowful American television audience. We want all superpowers to really do something for them. We must question why the victims of Sept. 11 are more important and more worthy of our efforts and blood than all the other thousands of innocent Muslims. We must believe what we understand and not only what we see or hear from anyone. We need to feel for others. We need to keep the problem in our mind and look at it in a positive way. At this critical time, we need unity, not of being a Christian, Hindu or Muslim, but as a person and as a human being. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-01-04 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 115 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource What is our fault? 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. In the war between America and Afghanistan, Pakistan faced and is facing a lot of problems. We ask, Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 35 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Life in the shadows: Haitian refugees strive for the American dream VTMBH Article: Author Macollvie Jean-François VTMBH Article: Publication Haitian Times VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb After fleeing Haiti, Daniel found life here as an undocumented immigrant difficult too. Thats why hes part of a national campaign to have lawmakers grant permanent residency to anyone who has lived and worked here for more than three years. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body In September 1991, Daniel fled Haiti after he was beaten with a gun during one of the many confrontations that took place between paramilitary groups and Haitian residents. With only the desire to survive and find a better life pushing him on, the fisherman and farmer boarded a rickety boat bound for Miami with his wife, leaving their children behind with his parents. When they arrived in Florida, the family learned that life in the United States without visas has its own sufferings as well. When people are here without papers, they live in fear, said Daniel, who did not reveal his real name. There are so many Haitians living here in misery and dont have anywhere to turn. When his upper spine swelled up after he was hit with the butt of a rifle in Haiti, he went to the emergency room of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. But he was turned away because he lacked valid forms of identification: no green card, no Social Security number, no passport with a permit to be in the country, nothing. Daniel said he tried to find work, but could not get a steady job because all the employers required proof of residency, or a work permit. There came a point where I had to beg, Daniel said. But a ray of hope came three years later for refugees like Daniel who benefited from a law passed in 1994 by then-President Bill Clinton to legalize undocumented immigrants. According to experts, 8 million undocumented immigrants work menial, sometimes abusive jobs, to make ends meet in the United States. Undocumented immigrants stand to gain from a national coalitions mass campaign under way to have lawmakers grant permanent residency status to persons who have lived and worked in the United States for more than three years. Advocates said granting such status would boost the economy, and help minimize the risk of undocumented aliens terrorizing the nation, by having dossiers of all those living in secrecy, fearing deportation. Hundreds of organizations nationwide have formed a coalition for immigration reform, and kicked off its A Million Voices For Legislation campaign four months ago. Their goal is to collect and deliver one million postcards on October 9 to President Bush at a rally to be held in front of the White House. The campaign is an offshoot of an earlier effort in 2000 orchestrated to benefit Hispanic immigrants. Unfortunately, our outdated immigration laws force many immigrants and their familieswho work hard and pay taxesto live in fear of being deported for simply going to work each day, the postcard to the president and members of Congress states. I urge you to support immigration policies that reward work by giving hard working, tax-paying immigrants already in the United States the opportunity to earn legal status. The U.S. Census reports that foreign-born workers make up 11.4 percent of the total workers population, 16 percent of which are service employees. Individuals like Daniel, who works as a taxi driver and security officer, end up with housekeeping, transportation, factory and farming jobs. Advocates report that they are paid the lowest wages, and receive little, if any, benefits. Though they dont have legal papers, the Immigration Policy Handbooks researchers estimate that immigrants paid a total of $133 billion in taxes to federal, state and local governments in 1997. Undocumented workers support the economy, said Omar Henriquez, immigration campaign coordinator at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)-Eastern Region. They contribute to social security, but they do not benefit from it. Daniel and others without papers are not qualified for any government programs. Pierre, who also refused to give his real name, is an undocumented Haitian immigrant who has lived in Miami since 1995. He and other refugees pool their meager earnings to pay the rent. He has four children and a wife in Haiti to whom he sends the money. The 39-year-old said he sometimes finds work as a busboy or cook for a taxable $6.50 an hour at a Miami restaurant. He received a work permit after the 1994 law, but not having legal status is still a barrier to reaching economic stability. When its busy, its good for two, three days, but after…, he trailed off, I dont have a steady job because I dont have papers. Pierres cousin, also undocumented, said the situation for Haitians is worse because Haitians dont help Haitians and immigration lawyers are expensive. Henriquez said the Haitian community must participate in this campaign because so many of the nations service employees are Haitian and undocumented. He said INS polices are discriminatory and deport more from certain countries than others. Micheline Charles, a Miami-based nursing assistant, said she has been distributing postcards at her workplace and neighborhood. She has collected at least 60 signatures. Charles remembers how fearfully undocumented Haitians lived during the mid-1970s when she first arrived. Can you imagine finishing a days work and being afraid to leave the building because of the immigration police? the mother of five said. I used to see people at work running away to hide, sending others to check if there were immigration officers waiting by the time clock to arrest them. Now a U.S. citizen, Charles said it is her duty to help in a campaign that may benefit fellow Haitians living in fear of detention and deportation. The INS has deported and detained about 200 Haitians whove tried to enter Florida by boat since December, while allowing non-Haitian asylum seekers to find support in the hands of families and caregivers. North Miami Councilman Jacques Despinosse said that without legal documents, immigrants are forced into the black market and engage in illegal activities such as selling illegal drugs and prostitution. Jean Robert LaFortune, chairman of the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition in Miami, said the coalitions member organizations in Florida have collected about 15,000 signatures from U.S. citizens and legal residents. Were trying to engage the policymakers to do the right thing, LaFortune said. Were hopeful that the White House and the Bush administration will agree with that move. But there is a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, largely because of the September 11th terrorist attacks, experts said. Reports of FBI agents raiding the homes of Middle Eastern families are common enough to have raised alarm, especially among civil rights advocates. A campaign statement read: Legalization would enhance the national security by bringing undocumented immigrants out from the shadows, thereby allowing the government to keep better track of who is in the United States. Some officials say such xenophobic sentiments many make it more difficult to convince Bush and Congress, but they insist that this means they should fight even harder. Despinosse, founder of Miamis Haitian American Democratic Club, which belongs to the immigration coalition, said a GOP administration makes the task more difficult. We know its hard, but we have to keep screaming, Despinosse said. He said that even though Congress is preoccupied with national security issues, the fight for documenting workers must continue. His office is engaged in e-mails, letter campaigns and other activities to raise awareness about the issue. Henriquez said, Theyre going to be all ears because its election time. With everything they have to think about, Haitians come last on their agenda, Charles said. I hope that [the president] pays attention and takes it into consideration. Though he has his papers now, Daniel still fears using his real name because he has applied for his children to come join him here, and does not want anything to jeopardize their chances. Still in the shadows, Daniel said he supports any initiative to help undocumented immigrants and has signed one of the postcards headed to the White House with the hope that it will make a difference. Daniel said even if man does not appreciate the campaigns effort, if successful, God would thank them. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-09-17 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 82 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Life in the shadows: Haitian refugees strive for the American dream 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. After fleeing Haiti, Daniel found life here as an undocumented immigrant difficult too. Thats why he Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 29 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title For whom is the law is written? VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Russian Forward VTMBH Article: Original Language Russian VTMBH Article: Translator Ari Vais VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb The United States, the wealthiest country in the world, is full of socio-economic contrasts and contradictions. The high levels of poverty and recent corporate scandals highlight the problems with the American economic model. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body America is the wealthiest country in the world and, at the same time, a country full of socio-economic contrasts and contradictions. For example, the following is a breakdown of children living below poverty level in economically developed nations: USA, 22 percent; Australia, 14.8 percent; Canada, 14.6 percent. During the last 40 years, the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line has declined, even though the general population has remained at roughly the same level: 35 - 40 million. The least prosperous people are those below age 18 and over age 65. Forty years ago, 37 percent of the elderly lived in poverty, as did 28 percent among those younger than 18 years old. In recent years, figures have been 12 percent and 22 percent, respectively, with times clearly better for the elderly. The most prosperous group is middle aged, from 55 to 64 years old. Here is another statistic highlighting the socio-economic contradictions in the States. The child mortality rate among the poor is 50 percent higher than among those in the middle and upper class brackets. Poverty among blacks is three times greater than among whites. A white male will live nine more years than his African-American counterpart. In Harlem, a predominantly African-American neighborhood, tuberculosis is 13 times more common than in the rest of the nation (the only place in the western hemisphere with a higher TB rate is Haiti). Neighborhoods in upper Manhattan that border Harlem, like the wealthy Upper East and West Sides, have almost no cases of tuberculosis at all. A black woman is three times more likely to die in childbirth that her white counterpart. Still-born children are twice as common among blacks than whites. This is not about genetics, not about the color of skin. The main criteria for health is not race but rather financial freedoms and the quality of life and of medical care that they bring. Poverty in America, of course, is nothing compared to the suffering felt by people in the worlds poorest nations. At the same time, it would be difficult to convince a representative of the African-American community that if his ancestors had not been sold into slavery here, he would have a much better life than he does currently in Harlem. It would be equally difficult to convince many recent immigrants that their welfare or SSI money means a better life than they enjoyed back home on their ordinary salaries. This is why the distribution of wealth and the quality of life differences always bring back debates on Socialism. Five percent of the wealthiest Americans have 60 percent (or, by some accounts, 70 percent) of the nations wealth. Consequently, the rich become richer, the poor remain poor, and the middle class is more likely to join the latter than the former. There is a growing dissatisfaction with the current situation in the community at large. The divide and conquer notion is not embedded in the American psyche. Rather, Americans are increasingly concerned that a massive portion of wealth distributed among such a narrow group of people is not due to the groups talents or hard work, but in fact, is because of their connections to prominent lawmakers and government officials. This dissatisfaction has only increased with the recent corporate scandals shaking America. Of those Americans polled, 91 percent think measures must be taken to reassert control and accountability within big business, as well as limit its influence on government. Corporations support, at least in large part, almost every elected official. The lions share of political contributions falls upon the wealthy, who will not part with a penny if they do not agree with the candidates positions. Politicians who campaign ethically and properly are the exception to the rule. Under these conditions, the financial elite not only supports political decisions in its favor, but also avoids the law without punishment. White collar crime costs the public 100 times more than any other criminal losses. In prosperous times, super incomes of dubious origin do not bother the public. But today, when most Americans polled by CNN/USA Today say that the country is suffering from a recession, the public mood is different. The president talks of war and of patriotism, while corporate bosses disgracefully manipulate their taxes, while lying to government and small investors. And though the President made promises and threats in a recent speech on Wall Street, the public remains skeptical. Most feel that proposed measures fall short of the mark; the involvement of the government, including Bush and his family, in corporate abuses, is also confusing. The New York Times, and most other prominent media outlets, talk of Bush being engaged in moralizing about crimes of epic proportions, in order to avoid the spotlight on his own dubious financial dealings. Republican political analyst Kevin Phillips, in a Los Angeles Times piece, writes that Never in history has a leading corporation (Enron) grown so rapidly in tandem with a Presidential dynasty and a corrupt political system. What can we expect in the days to come? The answer to this question will come not from public opinion polls, which have already gone beyond traditional political boundaries, but from a political struggle at the very top of the pyramid of power. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-25 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 103 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource For whom is the law is written? 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. The United States, the wealthiest country in the world, is full of socio-economic contrasts and cont Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 27 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Controversies over Boricua voter registration drives: Leaders accuse Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderon of favoring Pataki VTMBH Article: Author Ana Maria Ramirez VTMBH Article: Publication Hoy VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator Telesh Lopez VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Without the help of any New York Democratic Puerto Rican politicians, Puerto Rico Governor Sila Maria Calderon initiated a voter registration campaign on the Lower East Side. Democratic Puerto Rican leaders are wary of Calderons ties to Republican George Pataki. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Without the presence of New York Democratic Puerto Rican politicians, Puerto Rico Governor Sila Maria Calderon initiated a voter registration campaign. Jose Rivera, state assemblyman and president of the Bronx Democratic party, said he did not help launch the campaign because Governor Calderon did not directly contact Puerto Rican civic, political and religious leaders here. We found out at the last minute last week. If it is intended to give the Puerto Rican community power, she should have met with us, Rivera said. We worry about rumors that this is a political trick to favor Bush and the Republicans. Since things are not clear we will not participate in any circus because we are not clowns, he added. The disagreements between the Puerto Rican leaders and Governor Calderon emerge because of her ties to Republican New York Governor, George Pataki, who is running for re-election. The majority of the Puerto Rican Democrats support State Comptroller H. Carl McCall for governor. A fundraising initiative, called Que nada nos detenga (Nothing will hold us back), generated controversy both in Puerto Rico and New York because more than six million contributors will be solicited. The decision to hire publicity firm Garcia LKS has been debated too, because its owner is Mexican, rather than Puerto Rican, and was connected to George Bushs presidential campaign. However, Calderon said the campaign is nonpartisan, and will aid both Democrats and Republicans. I am not affiliated with either party, she said. She said, about the Democrats absence, maybe they have not understood all that we are doing. Calderon kicked off the voter registration campaign at the Grand Street Settlement Community Center, on the Lower East Side. The drive, coordinated by the Association of Federal Affairs from Puerto Rico, will try to register 300,000 Puerto Ricans for the 2004 presidential elections. The drive focuses on the 10 states in which 80 percent of the 3.4 million U.S.-based Boricuas reside. Deputy Mayor of Legal Affairs Carol Robles Roman, New Jersey Commissioner of the Department of Personnel Ida Castro, Ely Jurado, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, 1199/SEIU Union President Dennis Rivera and Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo all attended. Pataki, who called Governor Calderon his friend, said that millions of people died fighting for the right to vote and it would be a crime not to exercise it. As usual, Pataki spoke in Spanish. Today is a very important day. Our future depends on our responsibility, he said in Spanish. Calderon said that the Que nada nos detenga fundraising campaign would be launched on the 50th anniversary of the Puerto Rican Constitution, which established Puerto Ricos status as a commonwealth associated with the United States. She also said that, on the island, 80 percent of the eligible people vote; in the United States only 40 percent do. Democracy is a precious gift…Dont let anything stop us in Puerto Rico or in the United States. I hope that the campaign reflects the spirit and determination of Puerto Ricans who will not just register but vote, said Calderon. To kick off the campaign, Calderon and Pataki registered Delia Rodriguez and her daughter Renee Torres. For health reasons, I never voted. If our community wants medicine, education and homes they must participate, Rodriguez said. Puerto Ricans must lose their fear of participating in the electoral process, added Dora Irizarry, a Republican candidate for New York Attorney General. Lorraine Cortez Vasquez, president of the Hispanic Federation, pointed out that Puerto Ricans have no excuse not to vote. We have no barriers, since we are citizens and we should not just register, but also vote. Juan Figueroa, president of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, attributed low Puerto Rican electoral participation to their lack of incorporation into society and poverty rates. <i>Editors note: Boricua is another word for Puerto Rican.</i> VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-16 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 211 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Controversies over Boricua voter registration drives: Leaders accuse Puerto Rican Governor Sila Cald 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Without the help of any New York Democratic Puerto Rican politicians, Puerto Rico Governor Sila Mari Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 26 VTMBH Article: Article Order 6 VTMBH Article: Title From subway stations to Carnegie Hall VTMBH Article: Author Xiaoqing Rong VTMBH Article: Publication Sing Tao Daily VTMBH Article: Original Language Chinese VTMBH Article: Translator Xiaoqing Rong VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Most members of the Bao An Group had to live from subway station performances when they first came to the United Statesand some continue to do so, even now. So, the road to Carnegie Hall was not an easy one. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body When world-renowned Chinese artist and collector C.C. Wang stepped out of Carnegie Hall, his smiling face told all. It was great, said the 96-year-old painter, whose works are collected by the Metropolitan Museum. I have lived in New York for several decades. This is one of the most impressive Carnegie Hall concerts I have attended. Wangs feeling was shared by the 268 audience members, including both Chinese and Westerners, who attended the concert presented by Bao An Chinese Traditional Music Group on June 30. The group of 12 Chinese musicians, who have immigrated to New York, received a standing ovation of more than 10 minutes, as well as repeated requests for encores. Although this is not the first time Carnegie Hall featured Chinese traditional music, it was the first time for the members of the Bao An Group. Carnegie Hall was the international music stage they dreamed of performing on when they were in China. And, as most of them had to live from subway station performances when they first came to the United Statesor even nowthe road to Carnegie Hall was not an easy one. The group was founded by Chinese professional musician Bao An Cao in 1997. But when Cao arrived in the United States in 1994 as a visiting scholar, he never dreamed of founding a music group. The only thing on my mind was how to survive, said Cao. At first I thought I could live teaching Chinese fiddle, which is at least a decent job in our Chinese opinion, and a job I could tell my family and friends about. However, after searching almost all the professional agents in Chinatown, he disappointedly learned that the agents can only find him jobs at Chinese restaurants. Cao, the former Chinese fiddle soloist of Tianjin Music and Dance Company, had been used to ovations and flowers. He tried various jobs for making a living in New York, including washing plates at Chinese restaurants and even babysitting, a vocation considered exclusively for women in traditional Chinese opinion. Although Cao always dreamed of living on his music, he had never thought of performing at subway stations. That is even worse than doing babysitting, in terms of face, Cao said. In traditional Chinese opinion, playing instruments on the streets is called selling. It is almost as embarrassing as being a prostitute. Like most Chinese people, Cao deems face as important as his life. Thats why Cao would never forget the date he did the first selling of his life. That was July 14, 1994, thanks to his habit of always bringing his instrument with him. I transferred at the 34th St. station that day, and happened to see two western guys playing guitar together. I then stopped to listen. They saw the Chinese fiddle I brought, and invited me to join them. I knew some western music as well. For curiosity, I played with them for a while, Cao recalled. To his surprised, his Chinese instrument plus the western guitars generated some special sounding music, which attracted the subway passengers from all ethnic backgrounds. Within three hours, Cao shared $60 from the money they collected. I worked as a full time baby-sitter at that time and earned only $150 per week. $60 for three hours was so attractive that I decided to give up face and started my selling life. Since that day, the subway passengers can hear Caos Chinese fiddle music at the subway station almost every day. Although there had been some Chinese musicians playing at New York subway stations in 1994, Cao was one of the first to play Chinese traditional music. The music flowing from his fiddle, including the popular Reflection of the Moon on Lake Erquan, which is said to have been composed by a poor blind Chinese musician, always attracted crowds. Sometimes, the Chinese passengers who were familiar with the tragic life of the composer were torn by Caos music. Therefore, they were particularly generous with donations. Within the three years subway of performing, Cao had won the name the Subway King from his regular audience. Since his financial situation improved, Cao had spare money to send to his wife in China. Having a husband who earned money in New York made her proud. However, Cao never told his wife how he made the money. If the money could make her proud, the way I make it would humiliate her, Cao said. And I knew that people would laugh at her if they knew what I was doing in New York. Although he himself gradually accepted the Western philosophy that one should be proud of whatever profession one has, Cao stopped playing at subway station in 1997 when he saved enough money to start his music group. I appreciate the experience of subway performing, said Cao, who even quit smoking because of the days he spent working in the stations, which are non-smoking. But the subway station is not Carnegie Hall after all. Since he started his music group, Cao and other members set performing at Carnegie Hall as their primary goal. In China, all the musicians were first class, the highest ranking possible. When they fulfilled their long-time dream in Carnegie Hall on June 30, some of them asked reporters to give them a copy of the stories, which they said they would send back to their families in China. Few of them would talk about their experience playing in the subway stations, although some of them still must live on subway performance. I tried to be as proud of playing in the subways as Western musicians, but I still feel uncomfortable letting my family know, said a Bao An group member who wanted to remain anonymous. Even if I live in New York, I am still Chinese. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-02 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 103 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource From subway stations to Carnegie Hall 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Most members of the Bao An Group had to live from subway station performances when they first came t Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-02 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 45 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Restrictions on immigration: Many have lost their desire to visit their home VTMBH Article: Author Thikana staff VTMBH Article: Publication Weekly Thikana VTMBH Article: Original Language Bangla VTMBH Article: Translator Moinuddin Naser VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb In previous years, many Bangladeshis visited their native country to celebrate the Eid Festival, the greatest festival of the Muslims after Ramadan. However, according to travel agents and immigration lawyers, few are leaving the U.S. this year because of tightened immigration policies and the economic recession. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body This year, the number of Bangladeshis who intended to visit their native country on the occasion of the Eid Festival was less than previous years. Restrictions at the airports and the economic recession are said to be the major reasons people were discouraged from visiting their home country. This information was gathered from travel agents and immigration attorneys. According to available reports, in other years, immigrants in the United States on various visas, used to apply for visas earlier to visit their home country to observe the Eid Festival, the greatest festival of the Muslims after Ramadan, the month of fasting. In the past, many people went to their home country and duly returned after observing Eid. But after September 11th, many people, who had traveled to their native country even with a visa, faced problems returning to the United States. Quite a good number of such visitors have been sent back to Bangladesh from different U.S. airports on the next flight out, or after being held at a detention center for few days. Immigration attorneys advise those who have already applied for status based on marriage or work certification, but have not yet settled the issue, or those who have been granted political asylum, but have not yet received their green card, to refrain from visiting their home country until their case is settled. But there are not many problems for those who are here on the Certificate of Special Studies program or for programs with the League of United Latin American Citizens. Many people who have applied under the Schools Around the World program, and returned on weekend, also faced a lot of problems because many of the immigration officials working at different airports were not aware of the program. During weekends, when the INS office is closed, the official working at the airport failed to obtain necessary permission from INS authorities. Many of those returning from their home countries have faced problems of detention at the airport. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-29 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 68 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Restrictions on immigration: Many have lost their desire to visit their home 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. In previous years, many Bangladeshis visited their native country to celebrate the Eid Festival, the Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 37 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Violence dresses up as a bride: Hundreds of women wearing wedding dresses march in protest of abuses VTMBH Article: Author Jose L. Llanes VTMBH Article: Publication Hoy VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator Telesh Lopez VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Dressed as brides and widows, hundreds of women marched yesterday in New York to protest the increase in domestic violence and to commemorate the third anniversary of the death a woman shot by her ex-boyfriend on her wedding day. Known as the March of the Brides, the event was organized by New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence, (NYLADV), a coalition of community organizations defending womens rights. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Dressed as brides and widows, but wearing sneakers for the walk, hundreds of women marched yesterday in New York to protest the increase in domestic violence and to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of Gladys Ricart. Known as the March of the Brides, the event was organized by New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence, (NYLADV), a coalition of community organizations and defending womens rights. In 1999, Gladys Ricart was shot by her ex-boyfriend, Agustin Garcia, a prominent Dominican businessman, on her wedding day to another man. The couple had been in a turbulent relationship which culminated from the womans death in front of her family. We are committed to commemorating the death of Gladys every year and the hundreds of women who die everyday as victims of domestic violence, said Mireya Cruz, one of the event organizers while she helped the women with last minute details with their dresses, many donated by Marie Claire magazine. The idea was inspired by Josie Ashton, a Miami resident who promoted the walk from the victims home in New Jersey to the church in Flushing, where she was going to get married. Ashton reaffirmed her protest against the tragic events by walking from New York to Miami, which took almost a month. In the past year there has been a reported 290,000 cases of domestic violence in the city and 100 women have died. The majority are women of color. Puerto Rican Edna Cuevas Gambina, 38, is the mother of two. She has been a victim of violence since she was a child and by the two men she last shared her life with. I do not want to live like this anymore, always afraid, unappreciated and beaten. The violence must stop and this is a way to do it. Many of these women attended this event frightened of their men and some suffer in silence the abuse in their homes because they are undocumented or because of their economic dependence. Lethy Dennisse Liriano, 20, is the niece of Gladys Riscat, and a student at Columbia University. She arrived very early to the event. I will never be a victim of violence like my aunt. The crime was so unexpected and violent that it traumatized the whole family. But I have realized that it isnt only about her case. Men are not toys. They can kill you, said the young woman as she was picking up the train of her dress. The commissioner of HRS, Verna Eggleston was present and City Councilmembers Manuel Martinez and Margarita Lopez. I never thought Id ever dress up as a bride but today I do it for the Latina woman. To stain the white dress of a bride is to stain love itself. The violence is a thing of the past, said Lopez as she walked to the dressing room. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-09-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 147 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Violence dresses up as a bride: Hundreds of women wearing wedding dresses march in protest of abuses 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Dressed as brides and widows, hundreds of women marched yesterday in New York to protest the increas Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 5 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Sikh to sue township for violation of civil rights VTMBH Article: Author Suman Guha Mozumder VTMBH Article: Publication India Abroad VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb A Sikh court official in New York who was pulled from two domestic flights last October for refusing to take off his turban when asked by airport security officials, is taking legal action against the municipality and airline officials for alleged violation of his civil rights and for religious discrimination. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body A Sikh court official in New York who was pulled from two domestic flights last October for refusing to take off his turban when asked by airport security officials, is taking legal action against the municipality and airline officials for alleged violation of his civil rights and for religious discrimination. Tejinder Singh Kahlon, a resident of East Meadow, NY, said he had sent the notice of claim as is mandatory under the law, to municipal officials of Islip Township last week. The township owns the MacArthur Airport, where Kahlon was to have boarded a Southwest Airlines flight for Arizona. There is a 90-day period within which the municipality must reply to the notice, but we will not wait for the reply and go ahead with the lawsuit that is being prepared by my lawyer, he told India Abroad. On October 25, Kahlon, a hearing examiner in Nassau County Court, checked in at the MacArthur Airport and was walking towards the security check area to take a 6:45 p.m. flight. Before Kahlon could research the security area, a woman security official asked him not to come but stay where he was. Kahlon was then checked by two security officials with handheld metal detectors and was taken to a side room for a further security check. Although they did not find anything on him, once inside the room they asked him to take off his turban for checking. He said while the officials were free to check his turban from the outside, even with the handheld metal detector, he would not take off his turban in public as it was against his religion. But the officials would not agree. They insisted that either I take off my turban or I go home. I preferred not take off my turban, said Kahlon, an American citizen who has been living in the US for more than 30 years. Kahlon decided to go back home along with his daughter and wife. Pravin Mahavir, the station manager of the airlines, came to his home and apologized for the incident. Mahavir, also offered to book him on a 10 a.m. flight next day, October 26. Kahlon told Mahavir that as long as the officials did not insist on taking off his turban, he would gladly take the flight. But even that was not to be. The next day, when he reached the airport, saw a replay of what happened the previous day. A hapless Kahlon was then taken to meet in one official, whom he identified as Marty Raber, executive assistant to the Commissioner for Transportation and Aviation in Islip. Raber told him he was the final authority and that Kahlon would not be allowed to board any flight unless and until he took of his turban. It was a very distressing, very un-American way of treating citizens, Kahlon, who is often addressed as the honorable judge, said. They put restrictions on my freedom to practice my religion, he said. Kahlon said last week that apart from the Islip township officials, the lawsuit would also name airline officials as defendants. Asked if it would be a class action suit to include others who might have suffered the same fate in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks when security was beefed up, he said it was possible. My attorney tells me that at the moment it is an individual lawsuit which may become a class action later on, he said. Asked if he would seek punitive and compensatory damages from the township as indicated by his lawyer, Tomas Liotti, Kahlon pleaded ignorance. I dont know about that, as my lawyer is still working on preparing the lawsuit. My purpose is to get justice and see that the law of the land is upheld, he said. Liotti could not be reached at press time. Kahlon said his intention behind filing the lawsuit was to bring to public notice that such violations of civil rights should not occur even during times of increased security. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-01-18 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 69 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sikh to sue township for violation of civil rights 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. A Sikh court official in New York who was pulled from two domestic flights last October for refusing Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 18 VTMBH Article: Article Order 4 VTMBH Article: Title Rebuffed at Ground Zero VTMBH Article: Author Madison J. Gray VTMBH Article: Publication KIP Business Report VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Now that the dust has settled, some say its painfully cleartheres no role for new majority contractors in Lower Manhattans redevelopment. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body On the sunny morning of September 11, as most people were on their way to work, none of them could smell the disaster on its way, disguised as commercial jetliners. Neither could Las Allen. But when the World Trade Center collapsed, killing nearly 3,000 people, and creating more than one million tons of debris in and around the site, the theme for the day and ensuing weeks was complete chaos and horror. That didnt stop Allens desire to help a city that had been shaken like no American city had been shaken before. His company, Ovan Construction, a Queens-based firm, rushed down to the scene, volunteering to help remove debris in hopes that lives and property could be saved. But after that, he says, his services were no longer needed. We have trucks, big machines, all of the equipment that they would need to do any removal, but we have never been afforded the opportunity to bid or anything, Allen said. We have tried several times since then to pitch in and be a part of the effort, but the last experience I had down there was when they asked me to send a trailer and when I did they told me it was a mistake. <b>What About Us?</b> Allens feelings reflect the widespread frustration and fear among new majority contractors, construction firms and others that the process of rehabilitating the former World Trade Center site might not be inclusive of businesses owned by people of color. Unless the (Bloomberg) administration decides to turn things around, well be locked out of a $40 billion business opportunity, said Jim Heyliger, president of the Association of Minority Enterprises of New York, an advocacy group that includes large and small construction, contracting and demolition firms. When September 11th first happened we voluntarily went down there, he said. We werent looking for anyone to pay us, but we have not been invited back at all. None of our major guys who do big work have gotten anything, said Heyliger. But if they called up tomorrow and asked us to help, no matter what they laid on the table, wed have someone who can do that work. Heyliger explained that in order for there to be inclusion, there must be a mandate on the part of the agencies in charge of the site to ensure the participation of new majority firms, and said that AMENY planned to make inclusive procurement policy at Ground Zero an issue for the upcoming gubernatorial election. <b>We Didnt Mean It</b> But city agencies and companies that have participated in the demolition, and removal of debris so far said that the intention was never to shut out entrepreneurs of color and that emergency procurement meant calling the first available firms. You have to put it in the context that is needs to be in, said Richard McEachern, community affairs director for Turner Construction which did demolition and recovery work on 7 World Trade Center. It was an emergency situation where you pick up a phone and call someone to get out there. He said there were new majority contractors used in the cleanup effort, but could not give a number of how many were on hand. McEachern said that Turner does have program in which minority companies make up 15 percent of work on a site, but is not sure about the companys further participation at Ground Zero. The New York City Department of Design and Construction, which played a role in the demolition, recovery and removal effort at Ground Zero, said in this particular emergency situation, there was no procurement or bid program aimed at new majority firms. "The emergency procurement rules were very narrow because we were working with enormous immediacy and urgency to remove the mountain of debris," said Matthew Monahan, spokesman for the DDC. "Our role ends with demolition and recovery, and we dont have a longer range or long term role." <b>If Not Now, When?</b> Many are dissatisfied with this response and are watching carefully to see what direction Ground Zero will take for new majority firms as plans develop to rebuild the site. This council as well as other minority organizations is working diligently to ensure inclusion, said Lynda Ireland, president of the New York/New Jersey Minority Purchasing Council. She said that presently there is no reporting system in place for any of the agencies involved to show a level of new majority involvement, so it is difficult to put a percentage on what is good participation. Ireland said that her organization has not set any goals for inclusion at the World Trade Center site because new construction has not begun there yet, meaning it is too early to tell. Heyliger insists that there has been ample opportunity for government agencies to include new majority firms in the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan, but no outreach has yet been established. He points out that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation., an agency created solely to oversee the revitalization effort, has no representation on its board from members of AMENY or other advocacy groups like the New York State Association of Minority Contractors. Repeated calls to the Empire State Development Corporation, parent agency of the LMDC, by The KIP Business Report were not returned. <b>Political Pressure</b> Advocates say that ensuring participation in the refurbishment of Ground Zero will take a strong relationship within the new majority business community among politicians who can then influence policy. The solution would be with the political will, said Desmond Emanuel, president of Santa Fe construction, one of the largest Black-owned construction management and building contractors in the northeastern United States. You would need a group of elected officials who have the moxy to take this subject on as a charge and fight on behalf of the business community and be prepared to do it over the long haul. Santa Fe itself has not participated in any of the activity at Ground Zero thus far, and does not see any prospect for large-scale minority inclusion unless there is such a policy set in place. Denise Outram, general counsel for the office of Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, said that Fields has long placed emphasis on this issue. In December, the borough president testified before the city council that they had been bypassing the city rules for hiring minority contractors because it was an emergency situation, and there are provisions that allow for that, Outram said. But she said that it had been a few months and the real emergency had passed by and that it was time to get back to city procedures and emphasized that it was important to include minority contractors. So this is one of the key issues in out policy department, it will be an ongoing issue in our office. It will also be the focus of the Minority Business Leadership Council, a coalition of business and trade associations that has been meeting with legislators and policy makers on the issue of making the playing field at Ground Zero a level one. So far, the council has had four meetings and plans several more as the site develops. Darryl Green, president of Darryl E. Green and Associates, is a key player in organizing contractors with regard to Ground Zero redevelopment. He said there is hope as involvement between minority businesses and the political community continues. We have the full support of the minority members of the New York Congressional delegation, the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus of the New York State legislature and several members of the New York City Council in our pursuit of new policies regarding Ground Zero, he said. And are optimistic that we are on the verge of a much more productive future. This is going to go on for years, said Heyliger. And I dont want minority vendors to be left out. Someone is going to be making money and people have been making money, why not us? VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-19 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 114 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rebuffed at Ground Zero 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Now that the dust has settled, some say its painfully cleartheres no role for new majority contracto Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-04-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 42 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title The result of mid-term American elections on Korea VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Korea Times New York VTMBH Article: Original Language Korean VTMBH Article: Translator Jeongwoo Han VTMBH Article: Section war1 VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body For Koreans, who are facing the sensitive international issue of North Korea's nuclear weapon development, the American mid-term election was of the utmost importancemore so than any American mid-term election before it. Because it is expected that Bush's government, which defined North Korea as part of an axis of evil, would look to deal with the issue of North Korea after Iraq. In this mid-term election, the Republican Party won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. U.S. political commentators called the results a victory for President Bush. Republican gains in the Senate were especially considered to be the result of Bushs leadership. It is seen as a strong push for President Bushs national and international policies over the next two years. Political and social commentators believe that the issue of U.S. national security was the main reason for the election results. It is hard to anticipate how the relationship between the United States and North Korea will be affected by the election. However, it is expected that the Bush Administration will continue to pressure North Korea, straining relations. There is a possibility of strain leading to conflict rather than conversation and negotiation. Considering the Congressional suspicion of North Korea's nuclear development, experts suggest a strong possibility the new lawmakers will make American policy more strict. Thus, in this situation, South Korea's role in resolving the North Korea nuclear weapon problem is increasingly important. South Korea should lead the way in convincing North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and accomplish its purpose peacefully. However, this job is for the newly composed government, rather than the out-going government. Besides, the present Korean government better not burden the next government, to accomplish a good transition. The most important thing is to send the right signal to North Korea. Most of all, the plan to proceed with the attack on Iraq and the war against terrorism is not going to meet much opposition. The Democratic party, which lost this election, will be hard pressed to oppose President Bush's national security policy. The American people affirmed their support for his policy by voting Republican in this mid-term election. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-07 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 48 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The result of mid-term American elections on Korea 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-07 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 33 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Valor = Visa VTMBH Article: Author Stephen McKinley VTMBH Article: Publication Irish Echo VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted the right to stay in the United States by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as a result of his rescue work on September 11th. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted the right to stay in the United States by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as a result of his rescue work on September 11th. The INS confirmed last week that Roger Smyth, who is 36, would receive a three-year renewable O-visa, normally granted to aliens of extraordinary ability or talent, such as artists, performers or scientists. Smyths case was taken up by attorney Eamonn Dornan, who thought that there might be merit in applying for a visa for Smyth based in his extraordinary bravery in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. Its wonderful news, said Dornan, a partner in the law firm Smyth, Dornan and Shea. He stressed that Smyths case was seen from the start as highly unlikely to succeed. He will be able to travel freely to home and back again. Normally this visa is reserved for people like, say, an artist such as Brian Kennedy. On September 11th, Smyth had responded to the World Trade Center, was caught in the debris cloud of the collapsing towers, and spent the next 48 hours trying to rescue the injured. He gave a vivid description of Ground Zero to the Echo after the tragedy. Im not out of the woods yet, said Smyth, who still has to clear some bureaucratic hurdles with the State Department, but Eamonn did an excellent job. He is tenacious and very down to earth, like all us Northerners. Dornan added that along with letters testifying to Smyths work from New York Senator Charles Schumer, they were able to convince the INS that Smyth had made an extraordinary contribution, and was a person of extraordinary ability. Smyth, who has been in the United States since 1997, overstayed his student visa that allowed him to study Paramedic Technology at Northeastern University in Boston, and moved to New York, where he started work as a paramedic. When his sister became ill with cancer in 2000 back in Belfast, Smyth returned to see her and had problems reentering the United States in February 2001. He was aware that he was out of status but still hoped to find some way that he could visit his sister, who he said, is now in remission after cancer treatment. After September 11th, amid the frenzied attempts to find survivors and then to recover bodies, one small detail stuck out in Smyths mind: a police officer stared at his helmet and pointed out to Smyth that the numbers on the front were, coincidently, 9-11-0. Traumatized like many others by what he experienced, Smyth said that he is still coming to terms with what he saw on September 11th, and that it had changed his life profoundly. But he is thankful for other reasons. My sister is doing good, she has been able to visit me here and is in remission, he said. Smyth continues to work as a paramedic. Most recently he was on the team that responded to an apartment building in Little Italy when Nathan Maddox, a rock musician, was tragically struck by lightning and killed while watching a storm over Manhattan. Rogers case was like fitting a square peg in a round hole, Dornan said of Smyths case. Dornan also said that the case of Walsh visa couple James Murray and Ruth Gould, also from Belfast, might benefit from a new visa status, the U-visa for victims or witnesses of crimes committed in the U.S. As reported in the Echo, Murray and Gould were allegedly ripped off by their Las Vegas employer, Steve Smith, who has an extensive criminal record and has most recently been charged with attempting to kidnap a prostitute. The couple are at a safe location in Long Island, Dornan said, and are in the process of filing for a U-visa. The pair had been threatened with deportation after their former employer accused them of being terrorists. This will mean that they can stay in the United States at least until [their employers] court case can be disposed of, Dornan said. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-08-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 133 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Valor = Visa 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. A Belfast-born paramedic in New York whose immigration status had expired last year has been granted Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 25 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title U.S. to send home 52 illegal Filipinos: Chartered jet leaves California Sunday VTMBH Article: Author Mercedes Tira Andrei VTMBH Article: Publication Filipino Reporter VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Fifty-two Filipinos will be shipped out of the country by a special chartered flight arranged and paid for by the INS, the first en-masse deportation in the Filipino-American community. It is expected to be a painful moment, a wrenching, shame-filled and fearful process for the deportees and their families and friends in the U.S. and in the Philippines. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Fifty-two Filipinos will be deported on June 23, for violating United States immigration laws. They will be shipped out of the country to the Philippines by a special chartered flight arranged and paid for by the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) from El Centro, California. It is expected to be a painful moment, a wrenching, shame-filled and fearful process for the deportees and their families and friends in the United States and in the Philippines. For the first time, the United States will deport en masse Filipinos who have stayed illegally in the country, a move accelerated by the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. However, it is a practice already done with nationals of El Salvador and Canada who had broken U.S. immigration laws. Also, for the first time the Philippine Embassy is compelled to reach out to the Filipino deportees with a compassionate hand and a sympathetic presence during the deportation process and long flight back home. It is a gesture that deepens the brand of public service and humanitarian diplomacy of Philippine ambassador to the U.S. Albert F. del Rosario who has proactively urged for the humane and dignified treatment of all Filipino deportees from America, now and in the future. Del Rosario, a corporate chieftain and business warrior before becoming a diplomat last summer, has taken three steps to soften the deportation blow, shield deportees from harm and set the embassys policy of compassionate assistance to Filipinos being forced to leave the U.S. These are: 1) ensure that all present and future deportees have been and will be afforded due process before their actual removal from the U.S.; 2) make every effort to ensure that Filipino deportees are treated humanely and accorded dignity; and 3) direct all consular outposts of the Philippines in the U.S. to obtain access to all Filipino deportees as well as current INS detainees. Significantly, the ambassador formally expressed to the INS his objections to any physical restraints imposed on the Filipino deportees such as manacles, handcuffs or leg chains during their flight back to the Philippines. His objections were prompted by initial information from the INS that the deportees would be put under restraint during the flight for security reasons. The envoy, himself a World War II child refugee in the U.S. from the Philippines, also forwarded his objections in a formal letter to the State Department. Del Rosario specifically instructed all Philippine consular officials in the U.S. to provide free travel documents to the deportees, with the processing fees waived. But this step must be taken only after due process has been accorded the deportees, his instructions said. He instructed furthermore consular officers to obtain the names of the deportees families or relatives and their contacts, data that would be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. The DFA is expected to contact the deportees kin in the Philippines and make arrangements for them to meet the arriving Filipinos. Consul Henry Bensurto, the embassys legal officer, has been deputized by Del Rosario to escort the deportees who are expected to fly out from California, stop over for refueling in Hawaii and proceed to the Philippines. The chartered private airliner is expected to land in any of the two former military bases, Subic or Clark, the embassy said. The role of Bensurto, as official Philippine escort to the group deportation, is unprecedented, the embassy said, although Filipino consular officers have time and again accompanied Filipino evacuees from wars and overseas crises in the last part of the 20th century. Bensurto, a veteran diplomatic hand in the resolution of the infamous Contemplacion case (of the Filipina domestic helper who died by hanging in Singapore) and a newly minted father of a five-month-old son, told the Reporter he welcomed the role as companion to the deportees. Its part of pakikiramay empathy and compassion, Filipino style, he said. Being deported is a said circumstance, its not in the best of times. By accompanying the deportees, were trying to assuage our kababayans anxieties, he said in a telephone interview. Were not condoning their having broken immigration laws. The ambassador and we in the embassy all want to help. We want to be sure somebody is there with them (during the deportation flight) to assuage their sadness. Its a humanitarian gesture to our fellow Filipinos, our kababayans. Bensurto said as we go to the press that he was negotiating for a seating space in the INS chartered flight. It looks like the INS will allow me to board the plane and be the escort, they are cooperating nicely, he said. About four deportees in the embassys consular turf have also been in contact with the consul by phone. They are all very sad, fearful and anxious, they ask me ikukulong ba ako, anong mangyayari sa akin? (will I be jailed), noted Bensurto. I encouraged them to look forward, to not lose hope, to see that deportation is not the end, that something good will come out of this experience, he said, adding that the deportees will be allowed to bring personal effects but no balikbayan boxes, just the regulation 40 pounds of baggage. As of Thursday, 51 Filipino men and one Filipina, all of them grown-ups, have been confirmed as deportees on June 23 by the INS. Their names have been given to the Philippine Embassy here but the consulate has kept the list under wraps to protect the privacy of these kababayans and shield them further from embarrassment that publicity might bring. William Manalastas, 45, of Kentucky, will be one of the June 23 deportees, an official told the Reporter. He has been an INS detainee at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, one of the 210 foreign nationals, mostly from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, targeted and tracked down by the INS after September 11th. Manalastas, his wife and four daughters arrived from the Philippines almost 10 years ago landing first in New Jersey. But they overstayed, violating INS orders to leave the country by settling down in Elizabethtown, Ky. to build their American dream. Officials here said that Myrna Manalastas and her daughters have also been given final orders for deportation. However, the INS took a step backward and allowed Mrs. Manalastas and her daughters to be free from detention and to be able to travel around the country pending their return to the Philippines. However, Filipino consular officials expect the number to rise to as many as 70 as the deportation date approaches. The INS is continuing deportation proceedings of illegal aliens, whose backlog of 314,000 has been placed in the services Absconders Apprehension List, according to the INS press office here. The embassy and its consular outposts in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago are expecting future waves of group deportation of Filipinos, and are continuing to refine their means of compassionate assistance to them. The INS is poised to deport groups of Pakistanis also next week. Cambodians, as many as 1,400 of them either residing illegally or convicted of crimes across the country, are also under the gun. A significant move of Del Rosario is his request to U.S. authorities to accord the deportees with dignity and humaneness. On Wednesday, he wrote to the INS Special Removal Branch, the unit carrying out the deportation action, expressing his objection to the idea of putting the Filipino deportees in manacles and physical restraints during their flight back home. Although these Filipinos may have violated the immigration laws (of the U.S.), wrote the ambassador, They are not necessarily criminals who could pose a dangerous threat to any individual or the aircraft during the flight to the Philippines. The Filipino deportees should be treated more humanely and in a manner consistent with the dignity of each individual during the flight without necessarily compromising the security of the passengers and the aircraft. The INS said that the special chartered flight would slash the high cost of deporting individuals. Deporting a Filipino individual with the regular two INS escorts costs $10,000. The INS decision to deport the Filipinos in groups and batches is an economic one, officials said. The Filipinos are being deported not because they are terrorists or suspected as such but because of their illegal stay in the country. The INS said that the deportees have been served with deportation orders but they have evaded these. Absconders, they were included in the apprehension list that was triggered after September 11th. The INS assured the embassy that all the deportees have been afforded due legal process and that Filipinos were not being targeted as a result of 9/11. The INS has also been cooperating with the embassy in providing the deportees a human and dignified way to exit America, officials said. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-06-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 320 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource U.S. to send home 52 illegal Filipinos: Chartered jet leaves California Sunday 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Fifty-two Filipinos will be shipped out of the country by a special chartered flight arranged and pa Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-06-27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 16 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Fledgling Jewish groups supporting Palestinians say they are acting in Israels best interest VTMBH Article: Author Nacha Cattan VTMBH Article: Publication The Jewish Forward VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section J1 VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body A new generation of left-wing Jewish groups siding with the Palestinian cause has been gaining steam and press coverage as Israel's military action continues to drive protesters on both sides into the streets. Fledgling groups on what many view as the far left are boosting their activity and membership across the country by joining pro-Palestinian rallies, conducting acts of civil disobedience, placing ads in newspapers and initiating petitions. They are also earning the expected criticism from right-wing groups within the Jewish establishment and even some mainstream left-wing groups. The groups share certain positions well within the mainstream left in Israel itself: a call for an end to Israel's military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and, going slightly further, a demand for an immediate withdrawal that includes East Jerusalem. But some step off Israel's political map altogether by petitioning for a halt of United States aid to Israel, accusing Israel of terrorism or justifying attacks on Israeli soldiers in the territories. Some activists in the pro-Israel peace camp accuse these groups, many of them formed since the outbreak of the intifada 19 months ago, of being anti-Zionist. The groups respond that their harsh criticism of Israel's recent incursions into the West Bank and of the occupation is for the safety of the people of Israel. We act out of a motivation of love for both Israel and the Jewish people and we're doing what we feel will help Israel wean itself off of its self-destructive path, said Joshua Ruebner, cofounder and executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel, or JPPI. Ruebner accuses the Israeli army of deliberately targeting civilians and calls all soldiers in the territories legitimate targets. His group helped organize an April 5 protest outside the State Department demanding the deployment of international peacekeepers to the region. Nearly two-dozen demonstrators were arrested for blocking the sidewalk. Groups on the Jewish far-left represent a spectrum of ideas. Jews Against the Occupation supports the right to return for Palestinian refugees and calls for suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel. Not in My Name and a Women in Black vigil group in New York call for a just resolution to the Palestinian refugee problem but make no mention of a Palestinian right of return. Not In My Name calls for a suspension of military aid to Israel and Jewish Voices Against the Occupation goes one step further in calling for a reduction in economic aid. Nearly all of the above groups call on Israel to pull out of the territories immediately. These differences on the Jewish left are expected to play out April 26-29 at a conference in Washington, D.C., to form a national Jewish peace organization, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom A Covenant of Justice and Peace. Some activists, disillusioned by what they say is a growing anti-Israel sentiment on the left, say Brit Tzedek offers a more balanced alternative in its calls for a two-state solution and by not promoting a Palestinian right of return to areas within Israel proper. And yet JPPI, a new group of 50 that is helping to plan Brit Tzedek's founding conference, does call on Israel to recognize Palestinians right of return. Steve Masters, a member of the Brit Tzedek organizing committee, said JPPI's views on right of return would not affect the Zionist-leaning approach of Brit Tzedek. Some organizers of the conference, however, said it is too early to tell whether the new organization will be Zionist. With the organization still in its embryonic stage, organizers pointed to its broad founding principles that state: Brit Tzedek v'Shalom is deeply committed to the well-being of Israel and all of its neighbors. When you look at the left you see critics of the Israeli violence against Palestinians but not critics of the Palestinian violence against Israelis, said Masters, who last year formed the Philadelphia-based Progressive Zionist Alliance because he said his community lacked a dovish voice that was also Zionist. There are new young activists energized from the anti-globalization movement whose orientation around Israel is all negative, Masters said. But founders of Brit Tzedek love Israel and we are approaching our work from a total support of Israel. Its a big difference for me. Some on the left are also critical of some of the new groups for their willingness to equate Israeli military actions with terror attacks by Palestinians, including suicide bombings. Such an equation was drawn by Steven Feuerstein, co-founder of the 150-member, Chicago-based Not In My Name, in response to a question by the Forward. We condemn all violence against civilians equally, including [Israeli army] attacks on Palestinians, said Feuerstein, who is also on the organizing committee for the Brit Tzedek conference. They are killing civilians in the name of Jews worldwide and I personally don't want it to be done in my name. In a statement issued after a suicide bombing last August, Not In My Name condemned the cycle of violence in the Middle East and these occasional, dramatic, brutal crimes which also include Israeli state-sponsored terrorism, such as the use of tank shells filled with nails fired into neighborhoods, and assassinations without trial of Palestinians. Leaders of the Labor Party-aligned Labor Zionist Alliance say such statements cross a line. These groups are definitely lending legitimacy to the forces which seek to defame Judaism, said the executive director of the Labor Zionist Alliance, Ari Chester. What these groups are doing is drawing a moral equivalence between terrorism and military actions to prevent it. These new groups are subtly questioning the existence of Israel. It's intimated, it's an undertone, and people think that's the Jewish voice on the left because they're very vocal. Leaders of Meretz USA, the American support group for the eponymous left-wing opposition party in Israel, said that while they are deeply critical of the current government they accuse these far-left groups of being too one-sided in their criticism of Israel. They added, however, that some Meretz USA members join protests by a few of these groups, such as vigils organized by the veteran group Women in Black. I think these groups place a heavier onus on Israel than on the Palestinians and the Arab states, said Meretz USA Executive Director Charney Bromberg. It is important not to be so critical of Israel that the balance is disturbed, that we risk losing appreciation for the importance of American support for Israel. But Naomi Braine, a cofounder of the New York-based Jews Against the Occupation and an organizer for the Israeli-founded Women in Black network, countered that Prime Minister Sharons military tactics endanger Israel and Jews around the world. Israel actions against Palestinians do not make me feel safer as a Jew, Braine said, referring to the escalation of hate crimes in Europe since the military action began in the West Bank. Organizers of the Women in Black group in New York defended their anti-occupation message at an April 4 vigil in Manhattan's Union Square. The Thursday vigil drew close to 200 people, the group's largest crowd in Manhattan since weekly vigils began last October. I'm doing this because I'm a Jew concerned about injustice, said Irena Klepfisz, a poet and essayist who escaped the Warsaw ghetto before her father was killed as a fighter in the uprising in 1941. Jews know what its like to be without homes, they should be empathetic. Suicide bombings started a very short time ago, the occupation started 34 years ago. I dont see anyone protesting for 34 years and then stepping down because of suicide bombings. Its an excuse to not stand up for whats right. To those who question the loyalty of Jews involved in these groups, Klepfisz said, I resent being asked if Im a loyal Jew. It has nothing to do with whether the occupation is wrong or not. The second you criticize the occupation you're not a loyal and authentic Jew. Theres no debate allowed within the Jewish community. In a telephone interview from San Francisco, Bluma Goldstein, one of four organizers of a one-month-old ad campaign called Jewish Voices Against The Occupation and a retired University of California at Berkeley professor, seconded Klepfisz's concerns. If a Jew criticizes Israel were self-hating Jews, and if youre a non-Jew youre anti-Semitic, said Goldstein, whose March 17 ad in The New York Times was signed by 450 people. The ad indicates there's a large body of Jewish people who oppose the policies of the Israeli government. Represented at an April 6 pro-Palestinian march across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan were members of Jews Against the Occupation, who had helped organize the 1,200 strong protest, and members of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. Both said that although they did not agree with all the messages at the rally, such as a poster carried by one protester comparing the Star of David to a swastika, they said as Jews they could not remain silent at this time. At this point what's needed is a coalition of as many people as possible to bring as much pressure as possible on the United States and Israel to end the occupation, said retired chemical engineer and JATO member Bert Lessuck. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-19 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 105 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fledgling Jewish groups supporting Palestinians say they are acting in Israels best interest 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-04-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 10 VTMBH Article: Article Order VTMBH Article: Title The rape of Afghanistan VTMBH Article: Author Mariam Zaka VTMBH Article: Publication Afghan Communicator VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb To the Afghan people, war has been a way of life. Afghanistan has been manipulated and deserted in one way or another by many of its neighbors and by much of the West. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Kabul, Afghanistan: <i>Just after dawn the rumble of distant artillery fire shatters the frosted crystal morning. To my surprise, no one reacts. They have grown used to the sound of war. But Abdul Wahed?s eldest son...of about 12, begins to draw on the side of the black metal stove with a piece of chalk: a jet, looking like a paper plane, and short dashes representing the bombs it drops.</i> [National Geographic] It is ironic how little Afghanistan has changed since 1985, when the above passage was written, to now. Though in 1985 Afghanistan was the arena where the superpowers battled each other in relative obscurity, it is now the arena where the visible battles the obscure. I think it is fair to say that few Americans knew where or what Afghanistan was until the tragic events of September 11th. It is hard to imagine that life in Afghanistan in the 1960?s, particularly in Kabul, was not all that different from Europe or North America at that time. Students attended classes at Kabul University, went to the movies and attended concerts. In the mid-to-late 1970?s one could see men and women inside Kabul doing their best to keep up with the latest fashions: bell bottoms, polyester shirts, and singing along with ABBA when they appeared on TV. My parents have some great pictures from when we were in Afghanistan. I laugh every time I see my father with those long, bushy sideburns and my mom with her ?70?s hairdo. It was a time when girls went to school, women held positions in the government, careers were a matter of choice, and the now infamous "burka" was an optional social custom. This is very different from the images now being broadcast all over the world: ghostly images of women in burkas, long bearded men with turbans, and desolate, utter poverty. So what exactly happened to this country that sent it back to the stone age? One simple answer: the Cold War. Afghanistan used to be a moderate Islamic society. King Mohammad Zahir Shah presided over the many ethnic groups in Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973. Kabul University was set up in 1946, women ran for public office in 1965, a liberal constitution was introduced in 1974, and the press was relatively free. In 1973, Zahir Shah was overthrown in a military coup by his cousin, Mohammad Davoud, with the support of the Soviets and the Communist Party. Together they went after Islamic scholars and other Islamists, many of whom were imprisoned or murdered for ideological reasons. When Davoud realized the dangers of communism and wanted to get rid of the ever-increasing influence of the Soviets, he was overthrown and killed by them. By the late 1970?s, the United States and the Soviet Union fought proxy wars in Angola, Somalia, and Ethiopia, only a few years after Vietnam and only decades after Korea. The United States had begun providing aid to Pakistan-based Afghan Islamists some months before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. As Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Carter stated, "We didn?t push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would." And on December 27, 1979, the day the Soviets invaded Afghanistan: "Now," he said, "we can give the USSR its Vietnam War." In the mid 1980?s, William Casey, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under President Reagan, committed CIA funds to a broader plan to organize the Muslims of the world into a global jihad against Soviet communism. By the mid-1980?s, the CIA office in Islamabad, Pakistan, had become second in size only to its own headquarters in Langley, Virginia, and American assistance to the Afghan Islamists channeled through the CIA and the Pakistan intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was running into the billions of dollars. Pakistan expressed a great interest in Afghanistan because in the event of an invasion by India, Pakistan considered Afghanistan to be a military "safety net," a place to retreat and continue resistance. As General Gul, the ISI director-general under Pakistan?s former President Zia, stated, "...it was enough to justify a decade?s worth of meddling and military intervention [by the United States]." Additionally, some Saudi elements saw the war in Afghanistan as a way of exporting influence through their Wahabism (an extremist version of Sunni Islam, whose founders in the early nineteenth century actually attacked their fellow Muslims at Mecca and Medina, two of Islam?s holiest sites). The CIA worked very closely with these Saudi elements and with the Pakistani ISI, funneling billions of dollars in arms and aid. It was this relationship that provided the mission and the means for a rich Saudi businessman, Osama bin Laden, to organize thousands of poor Arabs from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. They were attracted by promises of food and money, and many harbored deep-seated anger and hatred towards their perceived oppressors. These groups made convenient soldiers in the CIA-backed "jihad" against communism. In 1989, the Soviets conceded defeat after a long and bloody war and finally withdrew from Afghanistan; it was only two years later that the Soviet Union collapsed. The United States, having accomplished its objective, left Afghanistan as well. With the Soviet Union disintegrating and the United States celebrating the collapse, Afghanistan was left in ruins with no assistance from outside. The billions of dollars from the Untied States quickly dried up. With the great superpowers gone, the resulting power vacuum saw the mujahideen (freedom fighters) in Afghanistan fighting amongst themselves. By the following year 25,000 Afghans had been killed in a civil war that would last for six years. In 1994, with the help of the Pakistani ISI, the Taliban movement began. From humble beginnings and with the promise of peace, the Taliban consolidated its power over the next two years by conquering the cities and towns of Afghanistan that had been racked by civil war. As it conquered, the Taliban quickly changed its promises of peace and emerged as one of the most repressive regimes in the world. From 1996 to 1999 the civil war evolved into a conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, a loose affiliation of the warlords who had been fighting each other prior to the Taliban?s rise to power. Meanwhile, except for a few missiles President Clinton lobbed into empty tents and the occasional verbal harangue against bin Laden, the rest of the world forgot Afghanistan. In a telling comment, which in many ways typified the attitude of the United States and the West, Brzezinski asked rhetorically, "What was more important in the worldview of history? The Taliban, or the fall of the Soviet Empire? A few stirred-up Muslims, or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?" These "few stirred-up Muslims" have become the chief protagonists in the first war of the twenty-first century. Central Europe continues to be the home of many terrorist groups. In one of just many ironies, Afghanistan, the birthplace of the famous Sufi poet Rumi, the country that stifled the expansion of the British Empire, and the place that saw the last great battle of the Cold War has quickly risen from the ashes of obscurity to become the center of the world?s attention. So, what have these last 20-plus years of war done to the people of Afghanistan? Millions have been brutalized and killed. At least two million people are now in refugee camps: displaced, homeless, hungry, sick, without work, without education, many orphaned. Many of these young people who are attracted to the promises of food, shelter, education, and work that are offered by some of the most radical extremists in the region. To the Afghan people, war has been a way of life, and drawing pictures of jets and bombs is nothing unusual for an Afghan child. It?s all many of these children know and have grown up with. Afghanistan has been manipulated and deserted in some way or another by many of its neighbors and by much of the West. In the realm of international affairs, concern and memory often run thin. Let?s hope that we don?t make the same mistake again. Let?s hope our memory does not fade away so quickly this time. Mariam Zaka is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in biochemistry. She was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-03-01 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 209 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The rape of Afghanistan 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. To the Afghan people, war has been a way of life. Afghanistan has been manipulated and deserted in Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-01 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 42 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Iraq war may cripple the Caribbean VTMBH Article: Author Lloyd Nicholas VTMBH Article: Publication Weekly Gleaner VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section war1 VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body A new war in the Middle East could cripple some Caribbean economies, particularly those dependent on migrant earning and those with a low tolerance for spikes in oil prices, says the Florida-based Caribbean-American Political Action Committee (CAPAC), a think tank group of migrant academics. Dr. Marcia Magnus, president CAPAC and a professor at Florida International University, told the Weekly Gleaner that cash remittances from Jamaican and other West Indian immigrants, which help buffer ailing economies, may dry up if the United States or a coalition force were to wage war on Iraq. But the potential loss of U.S.$600 million to Jamaica and another U.S.$18 billion in annual immigrant money as a result of a war-strained U.S. economy is not Magnus only concern. A much greater problem than the fall off in immigrants sending money to their home territories when the war breaks out is the likely effect of an increase in oil prices to the poor Caribbean economies, she explained. The potential effects of war on developing economies was also expressed by Ambassador Sakthip Krairiksh of Thailand. He warned the UN Security Council last week that if the tensions between the United States and Iraq continued, it would lead to dire consequences to the global economy at a time when many economies are struggling to recover from financial crises. The reliance of many economies on the Middle East for trade, investment and supply of natural resourcesincluding oilmeans that any instability or outbreak of military action in the region could have severe adverse impacts on the livelihood and well being of people all over the world, he added. The economic recovery process pursued by developing countries may be stalled or even reversed. This is a no-win situation for everyone, he warned. However, Al Francis, a veteran economist at the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica in reacting to a UN report on immigration policies employed by developed countries, told a local newspaper over the weekend that remittances have not helped the Jamaican economy. He had explained that while remittances wired to poor, and even the middle class families in the Caribbean area resolve some basic consumption needs, the real performance of these economies are not necessarily affected. Jamaica, for example, has not experienced any major impact although an average of $600 million flows in here annually. Most of the money is immediately used to meet basic needs and hardly any is left for savings, he said. But a study released a few days ago by the UN population division indicated that immigrants to the developed world helped boost their home countries economies of their home countries by adding as much as 10 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Jamaica, El Salvador, Eritrea, Nicaragua and Yemen during 2000. During the same period, the World Bank estimated Egypts total remittances from migrant workers at $3.75 billion, while Indian workers sent home about $11.6 billion in the same year. Ambassador V.K. Nambiar of India also lamented to the UN Security Council that his country had a vital interest and high stakes in peace and prosperity of the Gulf region. Our relations with this region have developed as a result of centuries of deep historical, cultural, religious and economic contacts, he said. Currently, about four million Indians live in the Gulf region. In Iraq itself, he said, India has substantial trade interests and projects that were affected after the 1991 Gulf War. Developments in the region this affect India, he added. Salah al-Muktha, Iraqs Ambassador to India, said last week that more than 500 companies are engaged in Indo-Iraq trade, which is worth over one billion dollars annually, while projects worth more than $5.5 billion are in the pipeline. Indias primary import is oil, which has averaged about $25-30 per barrel this year. But any major increase in its price is expected to hurt developing nations. Sheik Zaki al-Yemeni, a former head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was quoted as saying last week that a new war in the Middle East could jack up oil prices to a staggering $100 per barrel. Immediately after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, and the subsequent Gulf War in early 1991, millions of migrant workers, mostly housemaids and unskilled workers, lost their jobs almost overnight in the United States and were forced to return home. The returning migrants not only ended all inward remittances but also created new problems of unemployment in their own countries. This time around, however, the Caribbean could help thwart a war between the United States and Iraq since the large Caribbean migrant population in the United States may have political clout, says Professor Magnus. But the Caribbean political administrations must become proactive in order to preserve the U.S.$18 billion, estimated as the total amount of cash immigrants in the United States send home to their relatives in the Caribbean and Latin America annually, Magnus insisted. The legal Caribbean-Americans constitute a significant block of voters in U.S. elections. So, if this group of Americans were to be organized and made aware of their political leverage and their obligation to express an interest in the Caribbean area, pressure could be brought to bear on Bush, said Magnus. If we had used this approach when our banana industry was in trouble, the results may have been different, she concluded. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-13 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 125 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Iraq war may cripple the Caribbean 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 41 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Two sides of the coin: Brazilians in the US see a drop in sales as the dollar rises VTMBH Article: Author Jocéli Meyer VTMBH Article: Publication Brazilian Press VTMBH Article: Original Language Portugese VTMBH Article: Translator Matthew Corey VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb The overvaluation of the Brazilian real is causing dissatisfaction among many Brazilians residing in the United States, the opposite of conventional wisdom. Many with busness here already see a slowdown in sales and find it impossible to make investments in Brazil. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body The overvaluation of the Brazilian real is causing dissatisfaction among many Brazilians residing in the United States, the opposite of conventional wisdom. Many with busness here already see a slowdown in sales and find it impossible to make investments in Brazil. Ironbound, on the east side of Newark, is a typical immigrant neighborhood where Brazilians, Portuguese, and Latinos live. The local businesses suffered a significant reduction in sales. The information technology sector alone has registered a slide of 35 percent in sales. Fernando MacDonwel, an employee of retailer Ez-Tech, says that her products really stopped moving in the last two weeks. The reason for all this can only be rise in the dollar compared to the Brazilian real. Everyone is saving their money to send it to Brazil, MacDonwel complains. At the beauty shop, receipts dropped 15 percent. The ladies have given up beauty and have started saving instead, says Juca, at Salon Brasil. To prevent more losses, for the last three months Fino Joalheiro changed his entire business strategy. A one-time wholesaler, he changed his investment strategy focus only on retail. Im not feeling it too much because I took some preventive measures. But that said, in all my 18 years in the United States, this is one of the worst slowdowns in business, he says. Alongside manufactured goods, the food service sector has failed to escape unharmed. For waiter Marcos Chaves, of the churrascaria Boi na Brasa, customers, delivery orders, and even tips have taken a hit. Deliveryman Claúdio Soares confirmed the slowdown. Weve gone from $160 per night in deliveries to $100, he said. Soures and Chaves havent benefitted form the rise in the dollar, like those who took advantage of the exchange rate by plowing their money back into Brazil. The rise in the dollar doesnt help anything. Here, our sales are down, and we cant send money abroad, they say. <b>The other side of the coin. </b> Chaves was right when he mentioned in passing that many Brazilians in the United States have stopped living wellfor example, eating outto buy apartments in Brazil. While those who depend on the Brazilian consumer have ceased to prosper, others have taken advantage of the jump in the greenback and have started making deals in reals. The number of Brazilians investing in Brazil doubled over the course of three months ago, estimated Newark real estate consultant Luciana Moreira. Moreira works with a network of direct financing for developers who then do not have to make an individual declaration of income for tax purposes. Moreira generally works with young investors, from the lower-paid working class (nannies, cleaning ladies, etc.), whose goal one day is to return to Brazil for good. In most cases, the preference of these Brazilians is to buy apartments in the coastal cities, where the potential for a good return is greater. During negotiations, investors can hire an agent, who acts as a proxy and advertises the property to tourists. This is a way to make things easier on Brazilians living here [in the U.S.], who want to do business but cant come and go to Brazil as they please, Luciana explains. In the long term, when generally it is more expensive to rent apartments along the beach, they can earn upwards of R$8-9000 per year, according to Moreira. The exchange of money is generally made after the season, with 10 percent going to the agent (thats the going rate for real estate agencies). Because apartment prices are based on the Brazilian currency, the rate of exchange with the dollar has favored real estate buyers. At present, with less than U.S.$10,000, one can buy a R$40,000 apartment that would have cost US$20,000 four months ago. Investors start with a high down payment and then make reduced payments for 62 months. These fixed payments are also calculated in reals. This has attracted the Brazilian investor, and it is obvious that he has stopped spending here [in America] in order to invest down there [in Brazil]. I have some clients who until now have been saving up for a piece of real estate. Others are even buying two apartments. What every Brazilian wants is to make sure he lives with a steady income, Moreira concludes. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-10-30 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 159 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Two sides of the coin: Brazilians in the US see a drop in sales as the dollar rises 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. The overvaluation of the Brazilian real is causing dissatisfaction among many Brazilians residing in Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-30 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 15 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Police officers refuse to work with INS VTMBH Article: Author Jose L. Llanes VTMBH Article: Publication Hoy VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator Telesh Lopez VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb The Justice Departments proposal to use local police as Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS) inspectors is strongly opposed by some in the Justice Department as well as some in the NYPD. VTMBH Article: Keywords INS, NYPD, Latinos VTMBH Article: Body The undocumented immigrants in New York may rest easy for now. The Justice Departments proposal to use local police as Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS) inspectors is strongly opposed by some in the Justice Department as well as diverse organizations. Dan Nelson, a Justice Department spokesperson, said the idea is one of the new options that we are considering to enforce immigration laws, as there is a shortage of staff and funds at the INS during this period of increased anti-terrorist security. There are an estimated seven million undocumented immigrants in the United States and only 2,000 INS investigators. [The measure] is the most anti-immigrant thing Ive ever heard in my life, and it is unconstitutional, said Ruben Quiroz, a member of the Queens-based community group Accion Latina. The 150 ethnic groups that inhabit New York would be most affected, he added. They want to establish a state of full police control of minorities, said Quiroz, and announced that his organization would be the first one to protest the measures. In the past, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the New York Police Department rejected attempts to give INS tasks to the 40,000-member NYPD force. It is an absurd idea, said Anthony Miranda, president of the Latino Police Association. And it betrays the true tasks and priorities of the police force, which are to maintain order, prevent crime and protect citizens. According to Miranda, the project also entails some conflicts of interest. Agents need to communicate freely with the public they defend. Now, people will think twice before calling the police, fearing they will be questioned by the INS, Miranda said. The best thing to do is hire more [INS] personnel, he said. The rejection of the Justice Department proposal will depend on regional characteristics, political interests and pressure after September 11th. In Florida, for example, such a measure is part of the multimillion dollar antiterrorist strategy pushed by Gov. Jeb Bush, after that state harbored 13 of the 19 highjackers who crashed planes on September 11th. Seven other states are considering granting additional powers to police officers. Veronica Tobar of the New York Immigrant Coalition said that the proposal would increase the possibilities of racial profiling in the police department, especially against Hispanics, and would affect the rates of other crime such as domestic violence. If an undocumented woman is the victim of abuse she will never call the police department, fearing that she will be interrogated and deported, Tobar said. Immigration is the job of federal officials, not local forces, she concluded. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-11 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v15n1.doc VTMBH Article: Hit Count 107 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Police officers refuse to work with INS 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. The Justice Departments proposal to use local police as Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-04-11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 12 VTMBH Article: Article Order VTMBH Article: Title NYPD beats Pakistani man in Brooklyn VTMBH Article: Author Mohsin Zaheer VTMBH Article: Publication Sada-e-Pakistan NY VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Mohsin Zaheer VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body On the six-month anniversary of September 11th, a Pakistani immigrant was beaten and arrested on Church Avenue and East 18th Street in Brooklyn. The man, Raja Aftab, was charged with misconduct and released. Aftab is from Rawalpindi, Pakistan and has lived here with his wife and two children for the past 11 years. On March 11, around four oclock, I left my job at a health and beauty supply store on Church Avenue to buy a cup of coffee from a store across the street, Aftab recalled. When I was coming back from the coffee shop, some police officers stopped me and asked me where are you going? I replied, Im going back to my workplace across the street. One of the police officers said, you are Taliban, and began beating me. The other three police officers standing near him joined in, and beat me on the street in front of many people. Then they put the handcuffs on me, took me to 70th Precinct, gave me the misconduct summons and released me, Aftab said. After being released by the police, Aftab went to a restaurant on Coney Island Avenue, looking for someone from the community to help him. One of the restaurant customers called an ambulance when he saw how badly Aftab was hurt. Officers from the 70th precinct arrived with the ambulance. An onlooker reported that an officer denied everything. He reportedly said, there was a fight on Church Avenue between some high school students, and Mr. Aftab tried to interfere. He entered an area closed by the police, and later he misbehaved with police officers; thats why he was taken to the precinct and given the summons. And its not true that the police beat him. I was looking at some high school boys who were fighting over something I was totally unaware of, Aftab responded later. I had no idea why those boys were fighting or what was police were doing there. I even didnt try to interfere. Aftab was taken to the Coney Island Hospital and discharged around six a.m. after receiving medical treatment. I am the victim of a hate crime committed by police officials, Aftab said. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-03-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v12b1.doc VTMBH Article: Hit Count 158 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource NYPD beats Pakistani man in Brooklyn 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-27