55 20 70359 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 3 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Terror Debate Seen as more vibrant in India than US VTMBH Article: Author Ela Dutt VTMBH Article: Publication News India-Times VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb The level and intensity of debate engendered in the two countries the level and intensity of the debate engendered in the two countries by Indias Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) and the Americas anti-terror legislations. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body While governments in both the United States and India have a history of assuming more powers in perceived emergencies, New Delhi appears savvier about the consequences of such powers than Washington. Such an inference can be drawn from the level and intensity of debate engendered in the two countries the level and intensity of the debate engendered in the two countries by Indias Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) and the Americas anti-terror legislations. While the dialogue in India is more vociferous and the ideological divide sharper, the debate in the US is muted and the ideological lines are blurred. Experts on India and rights activists note that the debates over the assumption of extra powers by New Delhi and Washington, supposedly in the face of growing terrorism, are very similar. This is a sensitive issue in both countries. The debate in India is very much the same as here, said one India expert in the US, who did not wish to be identified. But in the US, such kind of powers were used long ago, during the Second World War, he pointed out. In India, where similar laws, like the now-repealed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Actbetter known by its acronym TADA, have been on the statute books in the recent past. The intellectual left and right in the US have come together to voice opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act (passed by Congress) and the military tribunals to try alleged terrorists (on its way to the books). Rights activists say that the Sept. 11 tragedy has provided an opportunity, and even an excuse, for governments around the world to enact authoritarian legislation. Smirta Narula, Asia coordinator at Human Rights Watch in New Yorkwhich has appealed the introduction of POTO in Parliament for ratificationsaid the reactions to Sept. 11 could be separated into two categories. Some countries are using 9/11 to revise and revamp oppressive legislation. China and Uzbekistan are very good examples of that. In Indias case, it one of using this as an opportunity and the heightened national security concerns to push through POTO, Narula maintained. POTO, despite the safeguards that the BJP has said are included, has provisions that make it as bad, or worse, than TADA, Narula contended. We are very, very concerned about many of the provisions. One provision allows for preventative detention of up to 3 months without any evidence or charges. While it is still less than the six months allowed under the previous TADA, it is still unacceptable to detain someone for so long without charges, Narula emphasized. There is also a clause in POTO that makes abetting a terrorist punishable, without spelling out the requisite intent. So, it includes even someone who may have abetted without knowing. The India expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, agreed that the laws in both countries provide additional leeway to arrest people without the writ of habeas corpus. He pointed to the popular support for the measures put on the books after Sept. 11. The debate here is more among the intellectuals. Its the intellectual far left and far right that are opposing this. The latest poll by the Wall Street Journal and NBC shows that 81 percent of Americans support the Bush administrations handling ofthe terrorist threat within the country. But in India, the expert said, political parties were more immediate and vocal about their opposition to the anti-terror ordinance because of the experiences with such laws as TADA. In the US, the memory of it is too far away, he said. But you have people with similar arguments in both countries appealing against it. Narula said that other aspects of POTO were a cause for concern. For example, bearing arms in a notified area is automatically considered terrorist activity. She also noted that journalists in India have attacked POTO as infringing on their rights because it places burdens on them to reveal any information they may get in the course of their professional work. We do see a pattern here with the US legislation. India has had a long term national security concern, though in the US, it is a relatively new ball game, she said. In India, there is a concern that POTO may be used to target minorities the way TADA was used in the past. Under TADA, though more than 75,000 arrests took place, only something like 1 percent were convicted, she added. Many of those targeted were Sikhs, Dalits, etc. The majority of the arrests were in Uttar Pradesh, which does not have a real terrorism problem. So POTO may do the same. Looking at what was happening under USs antiterrorism regulations, Narula said, The similarities between the two are there. There is a global pattern to enact legislation to curb liberties in the name of anti-terrorism. In the US, broad discretion has been given to law enforcement agencies to detain and even to define terrorism and terrorist activities, Human Rights Watch has said. We are very concerned about the military tribunals. The point we try to make on that is that US itself has been in a position of criticizing similar tribunals around the world, and is now taking steps to establish these kinds of tribunals in its own country, Narula pointed out. Attorney General John Ashcroft had already given some information about the detainees, and revealed their nationalities, but nothing else. But we do know that many of them are of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent, even though charges may have to do with immigration. So the fear is that they may be singled out by their national origin, and that they may not have access to due judicial process without more information about them, Narula said. The USA PATRIOT Act has just recently been passed, whereas India has a long history of antiterrorist laws, she said. But we clearly have many concerns about foreign detainees in the US. According to Narula, the relative muteness of voices against the new anti-terror legislation in the US is not so much out of fear, but rather because people keep looking at what is politically correct and not politically correct. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2001-12-14 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File 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 Terror Debate Seen as more vibrant in India than US 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 level and intensity of debate engendered in the two countries the level and intensity of the deb 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. 2001-12-14 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 National Guard frisks those attending Eid prayers at Jersey City armory VTMBH Article: Author Mohsin Zaheer VTMBH Article: Publication Sada-e-Pakistan NY VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari. VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body <i>Women frisked as well, by male soldiers; indignant, many leave without offering prayers</i> For years, prayers on the occasion of Abraham's sacrifice (Eid-ul-Adha) have been offered at the Jersey City armory. This year, because of security measures, the prayer space was restricted to a basement with a small entrance. The National Guard frisked all attendees, delaying the prayers by one hour. Many recoiled at the thought of being frisked and led into a dungeon, and left without saying their prayers. Muslims of Pakistani, Indian and African origin have prayed at the armory on Eid-ul-Adha for several years. Members of the congregation say that in the past, officials, including the police, have extended all courtesies. This time, frisking was not the only thing that dismayed those in attendance. Organizers of the prayers, including a South Asian maulvi [religious leader], had not told them beforehand that the prayers would be in the basement of a building housing the National Guard. A spokesperson for a Pakistani community organization said that those who organize prayers for the community must be more sensitive in these times. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-03-07 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v12b3.doc VTMBH Article: Hit Count 91 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 National Guard frisks those attending Eid prayers at Jersey City armory 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. 2002-03-07 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 44 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title When will we stop worshipping at the feet of capital? VTMBH Article: Author Oriya Maqbool Khan VTMBH Article: Publication The Watan America VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body In Bolivia, people are drinking water unfit for livestock. Privatization of Bolivian public utilities began in 1990, and by 1999, drinking water became too expensive for many people. There are more examples of alarming privatization of public utilities in the 1990s in both rich and poor countries. After the deregulation of power in California in 1996, an electric bill of $50 rose to $120. In Britain, sewage and water services bills increased 450 percent after privatization. In Turkey, the state fishing corporation used to employ 250,000; it fired 150,000 people after privatization. Perhaps the contest between capitalism and the poor persons daily bread is an ancient one. However, humanity has come to expect that the state will provide basic services. The idea of the welfare state has appeared in theory and practice all over the world, say in post-war Europe and America, as well as an Islamic ideal that occasionally existed in Muslim regimes. These days, though, governments around the world are pulling out of providing public services. Somehow, arguments for privatizing public utilities or downsizing are seen as arguments that favor human progress! I asked a friend in a senior position at an international lending institution about these issues and he said that states burden themselves with providing services, and that the subsequent market inefficiencies will not foster progress. I asked him whether he cared that masses of people cannot afford higher utility prices, or what they are to do without jobs. But he again talked of inefficiencies, as if his eyes and ears were uncomprehending. What will become of a world where experts, economists and social scientists cannot think outside terms set by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund? VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-03 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 When will we stop worshipping at the feet of capital? 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. 2002-11-03 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 34 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title People of Pakistani origin living across the United States feel isolated, and fear arrest and deportation VTMBH Article: Author M. R. Farrukh, Aliya Khan, Javed Kausar, Rana Afza VTMBH Article: Publication Pakistan Post VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body On the anniversary of September 11th, Pakistan Post surveyed Pakistanis from different walks of life, in different states, seeking comments on being a Pakistani-American today. Many said that the Pakistani community should not hope that the Pakistani government would advocate on the communitys behalf with the Bush administration. Moreover, many said that the community should organize and take its case to the American public, intellectuals and the U.S. government. Other common comments included alienation from this society for the first time; disappointment in the Bush Administration's and the public's abandonment of the principles of democracy; and a deafening silence from all community leaders, particularly religious leaders, who always called for voting Republican. In the year since September 11th, American Pakistanis say, overwhelmingly, that their community is facing an identity crisis. They say that their civil rights issues are similar to those of African Americans in the era before the Civil Rights Movement. Not only are all Pakistani-Americans against terrorism, and none of those arrested has been convicted of such, but their country of origin, Pakistan, is the key ally in the international war against terrorism. Yet, the Bush administration is discriminating against them. How have the events of September 11th affected your lives? is the title of the survey, conducted by the Pakistan Post. One respondent said, Americans should be ashamed at how they are treating people who are allied with them in this cause. It is the blue-collar worker, the unskilled worker, the new immigrant, all members of the working class in the Pakistani community who are being arrested, held for indefinite periods and then deported. Muslims in general are being badmouthed in the media. Those surveyed were very critical of General Pervez Musharraf. Obviously his unstinting support of Bush is self-serving, and it reveals his anti-democratic nature. He has said nothing to Bush about not making American Pakistanis victims of the war on terror. Dr. Arif Muslim, vice president of Pakistani American Association of North America (PAANA) said that all Pakistanis living in the United States are against terrorism, and it is terrible that they are being discriminated against by the administration. Arif Butt, of the Pakistan League of America, said, The events of September 11th were a terrible crime in which tragic numbers of innocents lost their lives. However, innocent Pakistanis are being made to pay a price. Dr. Hussain Shahzeb, of New Jersey, said, September 11th seems to be affecting the Pakistani community more than any other. Discrimination is rising, and Muslims are being looked upon with suspicion. From Houston, Ashraf Abbas said, Pakistanis are with the United States in their war, but somehow the message is not getting through to the administration. The Pakistani community must make greater efforts at communication. A well-known Urdu journalist in New York, Fareedullah Husseini, said, Muslims in America are feeling a sense of unreality, as if there has been a lapse in the rhythm of their everyday life. We were living with confidence here in the United States and now we are not. In Chicago, poet and activist Ifti Nasim says that he is amazed at the administration's targeting of Pakistanis. Shaukat Hayat, a contractor in the construction business in New Jersey, complained of racial discrimination and said that Muslims are facing an identity crisis. Chaudhry Akbar, a limousine driver in Brooklyn, says that he has not felt this alienated in 25 years of living in the United States. We will have to work hard and honorably to prove ourselves to the public, he said. Dilawar Cheema, a cab driver in Washington, D.C., talked of facing discrimination in his work taking fares to the airport. He also said Islam is a religion of peace. An owner of an electronic goods store on Coney Island Avenue, Zulfiqar Ahmed Qiyani, said, The freedom that was the beauty of living in America for me now appears lost. Ahsan Bobby, a human rights activist in New York, says that his American dream has ended. Here too it feels like martial law. He feels brokenhearted after the intense shakedown of the Pakistani community in Brooklyn and Queens by the authorities, a drive which did not lead to a single terrorist conviction. Thousands of Pakistanis livelihoods and living have been affected. Jabbar Malik, chief executive of the Pakistan Association, asked, Why are Pakistanis being targeted out of millions of other illegal immigrants? Farid Khan, resident of Jackson Heights in Queens, said, I used to be in awe of the buildings of Manhattan, I used to look out for them everyday. Now I feel spied upon! Izaz Akhtar of Jamaica-Hillside wishes he had never come to the US. But it is difficult to go back after having spent so many years here, he said. Farzana Jamil of Long Island said, I am afraid for my children as never before. She fears hate crimes, and she is fearful of discrimination in schools and colleges. Aliya Jamaal of Brooklyn said, It is shameful that this country, which champions human rights in the world, should behave this way towards innocents who live within its own borders. Razia Iqbal of Jamaica says that she wishes September 11th was a nightmare she could wake up from. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-09-11 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 112 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 People of Pakistani origin living across the United States feel isolated, and fear arrest and deport 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. 2002-09-11 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 6 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title NY Protest against detention of immigrants. VTMBH Article: Author Priya Malhotra VTMBH Article: Publication News India-Times VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb On Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday, Desis Rising Up and Moving, the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants, the Prison Moratorium Project and others rallied against the detentions, calling them the worst kind of racial profiling. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Uzma Naheed said she never could imagine being treated like this in America. Standing in front of a crowd of over 100 people at New Yorks Union Square, the Pakistan-born Naheed looked anguished, but was strikingly confident as she narrated her story during a protest of the detention of immigrants after last years terrorist attack. Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), a community organization, claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) have detained over 1,200 immigrants, mainly of South Asian and Arab origin, since September 11. So, on Jan. 21, the birthday of the father of the civil rights movementMartin Luther King, Jr.DRUM, the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants, the Prison Moratorium Project and others rallied against the detentions, calling them the worst kind of racial profiling. Naheed said that on October 3, 2001, FBI and INS officials searched her home in New Jersey and threatened to arrest her. When she asked why, they allegedly told her it was because her brother, who had been arrested a few days earlier, and she lived in the same house. As Naheed had recently had a baby, her truck driver husband, Anser Mehmood, told them to arrest him instead. The federal officials took him away, allegedly saying he would be home in three or four days, Naheed claimed. More than three months later, Mehmood, who has lived in the United States for ten years, has still not returned home. Naheed insisted that she does not even know the charges against him. She did, however, admit that the family had overstayed its visasan offense for which people were not actively apprehended before Sept.11, according to Neil Weinrib, a New York-based immigration attorney. He added that after Sept. 11, some people were being detained without charges. After the terror attacks last year, the US government cracked down on immigrants, detaining those it believed potential terrorists or linked to terrorists. A passing suspicion, however, is often all it takes to hold an immigrant. Civil rights activists have argued that judgments are frequently based on racial profiling, adding that there is no public information about the detainees. Of the total number of detainees, DRUM estimates that over 500 are of Pakistani origin. At the Union Square subway station, protesters held up placards that said, Were all Immigrants, End Detentions Now and Dont Deport My Daddy. At the following news conference, DRUM Director Monami Maulik said most detainees were being held for immigration violations like overstaying their visas, which would have been ignored prior to Sept. 11. DRUM has called for the release of all detainees being held for immigration breaches. The group, whose workers have been periodically visiting the detainees, has asked for a complete list of those held and demanded that the detainees have full access to legal information and representation. Activists at the rally said many detainees were without legal counsel. We need lawyers to do pro bono and low-cost work for the INS detainees, said MacDonald Scott, a legal worker with the National Lawyers Guild. The INS is not compelled to ensure legal assistance for detainees, according to Weinrib. Kerry Gill, INS spokesperson of the Newark, NJ branch, however, told News India Times, When people come into our custody, we provide lists of free legal service providers. From Union Square the protesters went to Passaic County Jail in New Jersey, which has the largest number detainees. About 250 are currently in the Passaic County Jail and about half of them are Muslim, said Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale outside the facility, where security had been beefed up in anticipation of the protest. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-02-02 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 61 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 NY Protest against detention of immigrants. 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. On Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday, Desis Rising Up and Moving, the Coalition for the Human Rights 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. 2002-02-02 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 Haiti; masculine or feminine? VTMBH Article: Author Françis Saint-Hubert, MD VTMBH Article: Publication Haiti en Marche VTMBH Article: Original Language French VTMBH Article: Translator David Ronis VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb Haitians have always thought of their country as a kind of foster mother, and thus derived the gender of the name Haiti. However, French reference books insist on defining Haiti as masculine, imposing arbitrary decisions from colonial times on Haitians. That our approach is more emotional than rational does not diminish its importance or validity. Nor should it demand less of your respect. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body To the Editors of Le Petit Robert de Noms Propres (The Petit Robert Dictionary of Proper Nouns) The Robert Dictionaries 107, Avenue Parmentier 75001 Paris France Dear Sirs: French reference works in general, and your dictionaries in particular, indicate that Haiti is of the masculine gender. First, this is surprising to a Haitian and, upon reflection, it is profoundly intriguing. We write Haiti chérie (feminine) and we sing Oh! Ma belle Haiti (feminine). As far back as I can see, we have always referred to our country in the feminine form, as you do to your country. For us, doubtless more so than in France, the thought process is clear: sentiment prevails over grammatical rules. Haitians have always thought of their country as a kind of foster mother, and thus derived the gender of the name Haiti, which they adopted from the Indians. That our approach is more emotional than rational diminishes neither the importance nor validity of the conclusion. Nor should it demand less of your respect. In order to illustrate this, Ive chosen the following examples from our literature: Antoine Dupré, <i>Hymn to Liberty,</i> date unknown, reported by Hérard Dusmesle in <i>Travels in the North of Haiti,</i> 1824 Haiti, <b> ma chérie,</b> Receive my last farewell Which the love of country Sets our forefathers aflame. (Pompilus, Pradel, <i>Pages from Haitian Literature,</i> State Printing Office, 1951, p.24) Paul Lochard, <i>Our Forefathers,</i> 1878 But you, my Haiti, <b>my mother!</b> O my country, Guard the memories of our wounded fathers!… And the defeated slave made steady And ancient Haiti restored proud and free. (Gouraige, Ghislain, <i>Best Haitian Romantic Poetry,</i> Port-au-Prince, La Phalange Publishing, 1982, p.49) Massillon Coicou, <i>Haiti,</i> 1892 Disappointed, informed, <b>she</b> (Haiti) is the lonely foundation; And, as if to cradle <b>her</b> ills that nothing could make fall asleep, Flowers fill <b>her</b> with their exquisite scent Rivaling love with golden stars. --------------------------- In vain, <b>she</b> invokes the glory of <b>her</b> forefathers To weaken their executioners; in vain <b>she</b> tells them <b>Her</b> mission is to help the black race Emerge from the shadows, humble Haiti. (Ibid, Gouraige, p. 90) Louis-Joseph Janvier, <i>The Haitian republic and its servants,</i> 1883 … I thank you, noble France, for allowing me to take up my pen today in defense of my country under attack… by those who will not believe that one can take away neither the sun nor the sublime French revolution nor Haiti, <b>daughter</b> of one and <b>goddaughter</b> of the other. (Ibid, Gouraige, p. 47) The above examples leave no doubt that for Haitians, Haiti is a feminine noun. It is also appropriate to ask, Sirs, why the great French language references around the world do not acknowledge this widespread usage and even contradict it so decisively. To clarify, there isnt one rule for determining the gender of country names. Outside of the obvious cases (although we say La Côte dIvoire we also say Le Costa Rica), there is no logical explanation for the difference between Le Dahomey and La Guinée. One rule, laid down by the great Belgian grammarian Maurice Grevisse, states that, in general, names of towns (and countries by extension) are masculine when they end in a syllable without a silent e. Nevertheless, Grevisse stresses that this rule has many exceptions. In the case of Haiti, its etymology determines neither its spelling nor gender, leaving its history and usage to be spoken for by Haitians themselves. Apparently, French references have chosen to scorn this criteria and instead impose arbitrary decisions from colonial times on Haitians, as well as the rest of the world. For the colonists, the road wasnt as straight. They changed the name of the island, first to Hispaniola and later to Saint Domingue (for reasons altogether foreign to the natives, but what did it mattertheir days were numbered). Without the events of the Jan. 1, 1804, the word Haiti would only have been an historical curiosity, certainly a graceful nickname, but one only of sentimental interest (like Quisqueya for the Dominican Republic). On that day, the slaves declared their independence from France. They restored the old Indian name to their country, which they instinctively feminized, retaining the French spelling. Thus they expressed their spontaneous sentiments towards their new country, which they saw as mother/provider, without the burden of grammatical considerations, which they probably otherwise ignored. The French opposed this decision on two levels. Although France eventually recognized Haitis independence in 1826, in return for indemnity (they continued to call it Saint Domingue until then), the name kept its masculine form dictated by French spelling rules. They were not going to bend, even a little bit, the great principles of the language of Voltaire in order to accommodate the naive wishes of a group of Negroes who wanted to be independent. As surprising as this may seem today, this same position, espoused by those who write dictionaries, still prevails. Sirs, I cannot help but see the monumental lack of respect towards Haitians and a total contempt for their feelings for their country. This particular usage is not a state secret, judging from the many examples, and it is hard to imagine that in 200 years no French lexicographer has noticed it. It certainly has not escaped the notice of curates, bishops, diplomats and French university professors who have lived in Haiti and written about our literature, our history and our morals. Thinking hard about this, one realizes that the persistence to keep Haiti masculine more resembles a haughty rejection than an inadvertent action. In colonizing our land, you seem to have denied us our own right to determine the gender of the name of our country. Yet, you recognize the same right among your fellow citizens with regard to their own towns (as well as other peoples). The French language acknowledges Le Mexique and Le Mozambique alongside La Belgique and La Jamaique. In reality, and you doubtless know this, similar exceptions, like well-known irregular verbs, rather enrich a language and bring a human element to a grammatical process, which otherwise would only be a mechanical application of rules. In the age of the computer, it is delightful for Haitians to note that, in letting their hearts speak for 200 years, their ancestors have perhaps contributed a little to the humanization of the language of their masters. In order for this symbol to be of value, with all due respect to your editors, please remember that our dear Haiti is a mother, whom, for better or worse, we are bound to love, but certainly one that even the greatest reference works of the French language must respect for who she is. Yours truly, Françis Saint-Hubert, MD 5 Marie Court Elmont, NY 11003 Email address: Magdhala Francillon@yahoo.com VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-20 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 73 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 Haiti; masculine or feminine? 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. Haitians have always thought of their country as a kind of foster mother, and thus derived the gende 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. 2002-11-20 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 3 VTMBH Article: Title Communal violence is said to have hurt economy of Gujarat VTMBH Article: Author Hasmukh Barot VTMBH Article: Publication Desi Talk VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Gujarat state Congress Party President Shankersinh Vaghela has urged nonresident Indians, especially those from Gujurat, to help violence-ravaged Gujarat. Vaghela is on a weeks tour of the United States to highlight the conditions in Gujarat and invite investment to the state. Recently addressing a gathering of about 500 at the Royal Alberts Palace in Fords, New Jersey, the former state chief minister said, I request all the ladies and gentlemen of Indian origin, and especially those who hail from Gujarat, not to desist from investing in Gujarat. Our state is in dire straits at present. Violence has broken the backbone of its economy. And I hope people here understand this fact. Vaghela said the carnage at Godhra, where 58 died in the torching of a train, the retaliatory riots that followed, the terror attack on the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, and the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, all had a lot in common. These incidents have their origins in fascist ideology, he said. Being an Indian and from the state of Gujarat, you must have empathized with your compatriots when thousands were butchered and burned alive at the altar of communalism in Gujarat, he added. There might be an argument about why we (Congress) did not condemn the Godhra carnage and why we castigated the violence thereafter. I state that the Congress condemns every incident of violence equally. I was deeply pained when I heard about the Godhra carnage and my grief had no bounds as I heard the horrid tales of violence thereafter, he said. Gujarat was in the grip of communal violence earlier this year following the torching of a train and the killing of 58 passengers, mostly volunteers of hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), at Godhra. The retaliatory violence that went on for some three months claimed the lives of at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. Vaghela said if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal link Islam with terrorism, then the post-Godhra violence, too, was nothing less than terrorism. Vaghela contended that the caretaker BJP government in Gujarat was responsible for Gujarats financial woes. Today, foreign investors will think twice about considering Gujarat for their investments, Vaghela said. The delegation led by Vaghela includes All India Congress Committee General Secretary Naresh Raval, former Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Narhari Amin, Girish Dani, Vipul Chowdhary, Himanshu Vyas and Suresh Patel. Before the event, organized by Overseas Friends of Gujarat, delegation members stood in silence to pay homage to those killed in the communal violence in Gujarat. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-01 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 87 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 Communal violence is said to have hurt economy of Gujarat 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. 2002-11-01 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 17 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Authorities express surprise at the numbers of Pakistanis calling the INS on each other VTMBH Article: Author M. R. Farrukh VTMBH Article: Publication Pakistan Post VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb Like hundreds of those arrested, Ahmed Imtiaz was found to have no links with the atrocity of September 11th. He recently found out why he was arrested: taking advantage of the post-September 11th atmosphere, a former friend told the authorities that Imtiaz was engaged in suspicious activities. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Ahmed Imtiaz is one those hundreds of thousands of people who come to the United States dreaming about a happy and prosperous life. Before September 11th, irrespective of his legal status, he was spending a quiet life earning an honorable living for his household. Two months after September 11th, he was picked up from his home in New Jersey. His apartment was raided by the FBI, the INS and a squad of special forces. At around 2:30 a.m. his wife, three kids and himself were awakened by a continuous ringing of the door bell. When he got out and saw the officials he panicked. He had previously never encountered a police officer at his door. The sight of the officers of three agencies belonging to the most powerful country in the world on his doorstep completely unnerved him. The officers took him to his bedroom and searched his home for two hours. He swore upon his innocence, pleaded with them. They arrested him. Like hundreds of those arrested Imtiaz was found to have no links with the atrocity of September 11th. Freed of terrorism charges he was transferred from FBI detention to the INS center. There are people in the INS center detained for seven months now, without charges, because the law allows that. Imtiaz found himself charged under immigration law. He was found to be in violation of a deportation order from five years ago. Hundreds of thousands of people, under deportation orders, continue to live in this country and make a living. Some deportation cases last four years. I know of several which have been resolved in favor of the individual. Some manage to achieve legal status through the process. Imtiaz was breaking the law by living in the country but it was not a crime severe enough for imprisonment for five months. Three months into his confinement he was allowed to see his family and friends, and a lawyer! Imtiaz is now facing deportation. He has only a few more days in this county. He has recently found out why he was arrested. A few years ago an argument with a friend over a trivial matter became an open sore between them. They stopped talking and Imtiaz forgot about the matter over time. Taking advantage of the post- September 11th atmosphere, the former friend told the authorities that Imtiaz was engaged in suspicious activities. The authorities were on a war footing and acted so. Mrs. Imtiaz has said that she and her family are not devastated by the fact that the family is moving to Pakistan. They have a home there and are reconciled to making do with less. They are shocked by this unconscionable act. Senators and FBI officials commented on the fact that it is people within the Pakistani communities who are telling on each other and that is leading to many arrests. A few days ago a high ranking official of the FBI said in a conversation, at the end of a reception organized by Muslim groups in his honor, that they dont know who is who in the communities, so in many cases they often act on allegations people make against each other. The world has changed for Pakistanis and other Muslims living in the US after September 11th. If we do not act on our conscience, as Muslims are enjoined to do, then what has happened to Imtiaz may happen ever closer to home. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-17 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 150 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 Authorities express surprise at the numbers of Pakistanis calling the INS on each other 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. Like hundreds of those arrested, Ahmed Imtiaz was found to have no links with the atrocity of Septem 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. 2002-04-17 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 Widespread approval for canonization of indigenous Mexican Juan Diego VTMBH Article: Author José Llanes VTMBH Article: Publication Hoy VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator Jonathan Charnay VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Yesterday, thousands of Mexicans in the Big Apple celebrated the canonization of the indigenous Juan Diego by the Pope in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Mexicans in New York watched the ceremony on various TV channels. They gathered to watch in front of electronics store windows, restaurants and community associations. With my heart filled with joy and delight, I proclaim Juan Diego a saint, said Pope Jean Paul II at about 12:30 p.m. His words are not likely to be forgotten by the many Mexicans devoted to their faith. I had never seen a sanctification before, but Im happy it was the one of Juan Diego, said Prudencio Albear, a waiter at La Luna restaurant in Manhattan, as he hurried through the noon crowd. The long awaited sanctification of Juan Diego, also known as the eagle that speaks chosen by the virgin of Guadalupe, took place in Mexico, a country made up of 53 ethnic groups, the majority of which are Mayan. These groups make up10 percent of the countrys population. The Pope has called Latin America the greatest reserve of Catholics in the world. What happened today in Mexico seems marvelous to me. Actually I dont know how many saints Mexico had before but none of them were indigenous people, said an emotional Moramay Guzmán, originally from Puebla, who sat with her three children at the community organization Asociación Tepeyac. The Mexican Marisol Carreto, for her part, said that even though the canonization of Juan Diego has been polemic, its fair because he was the one chosen by the Virgin of Guadalupe. The tremendous canonization of the indigenous Juan Diego, carried out by a weakened and sickly Pope, also made a big impression on Mexican children. Iván Hernández is a seven-year-old Mexican boy with golden brown skin and a friendly expression. He is eager to talk about Juan Diego. Asked about what he would wish for from the new saint, he said, I would ask Juan Diego to help me find my family when Im lost. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-31 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 45 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 Widespread approval for canonization of indigenous Mexican Juan Diego 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. 2002-07-31 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 36 VTMBH Article: Article Order 10 VTMBH Article: Title Ties with other ethnic groups should be strengthened VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Korea Times New York VTMBH Article: Original Language Korean VTMBH Article: Translator Jeongwoo Han VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb Through the first generations diligent effort, the Korean-American community developed quickly and established economic security. Now, when we think of the second generations future, we must not stick to our own culture, but instead strive to understand other ethnic peoplesincluding Hispanicsand try to unite with them. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body How we Korean Americans Participate Appropriately in the Social Sphere in the U.S., the Immigrants Country was the topic of a seminar called Practicing Right Living sponsored by the New Jersey Womens Service Center. The participants in this seminar unanimously agreed that enhancing their understanding of other ethnic groups and encouraging cooperation with them is the most important thing for the Korean-American community. I believe that this conclusion is quite an appropriate policy; one that is arrived at after observing ourselves and the world around us. Up until now, we Koreans attempted to settle down to an immigrants life within the boundaries of the Korean community, and as a result of this, we have achieved economic security. Based upon this economic achievement, Koreans have stuck together to seek their rights and further their interests, and tried to develop their political and social status in American society. Through the first generations diligent effort, the Korean community developed in a short period of time. However, their struggle for establishment in the United States focused on making the Korean community through Korean-only businesses. However, if we seek to live well only among ourselves in America, the land of immigrants, can our goals be reached? If Koreans ignore other ethnic groups, we will not live well in this land. Furthermore, Koreans must not forget that we are minority in a foreign country. We must realize that America is not a place where Koreans can survive on the communitys strength alone. Koreans care only about their own affairs, and it is necessary to recall several incidents when Koreans have suffered during ethnic struggles due to such ethnocentrism in this country. If Koreans want to resolve these problems and lay down their roots in America, we must not stick to our own culture, but instead strive to understand other ethnic peoples and try to unite with them. To do so, Koreans must learn the English language and the cultures of other ethnic groups as well. Especially, as a cultural citizens, remembering to abide by social norms and the law is most important. Also, by participating in the local and regional community, the large Korean community in America should contribute to these communities in proportion to our numbers. In this sense, the opinions expressed at the Practicing Right Living seminar give the proper direction for the Korean community. Now when we think of the second generation's future, we have to overcome the inclination to stick within the Korean culture and attempt to understand other ethnic groups, including Hispanics. We should remember that only by cooperating with other ethnic groups can we live together and better America. As the era of the second generation of Korean immigrants draws near, the Korean American associations must step forward first to establish cooperation and understanding with other ethnic groups. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-09-27 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 79 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 Ties with other ethnic groups should be strengthened 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. Through the first generations diligent effort, the Korean-American community developed quickly and e 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 32 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title Coyotes deceive Ecuadorian immigrants in New York VTMBH Article: Author Daniel Solórzano Salazar VTMBH Article: Publication Ecuador News VTMBH Article: Original Language Spanish VTMBH Article: Translator Hannah Emmerich VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Many of the people I see are being persecuted. The new immigrant, desperate to be reunited with his family, is easy prey for a coyote, said Freddy Sánchez, commissioner of la Defensoría del Pueblo (Peoples Defense), an office set up by the Ecuadorian Congress to aid Ecuadorians in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Hes working on two such cases affecting more than 100 Ecuadorians currently. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Freddy Sánchez León, 56, hails from Seguro in Guayaquil, Ecuador. For the hundreds of Ecuadorian immigrants who knock at his door, Sánchez is their last hope. Sánchez, who is the commissioner of la Defensoría del Pueblo (Peoples Defense), an office set up by the Ecuadorian Congress to aid Ecuadorians in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sánchez, who is based in New York, said that more than one million Ecuadorians currently live in the tri-state area. Of those, the majority are illegal immigrants who have been smuggled into the country by coyotes, or human traffickers. Many complain of the coyotes deceit and faulty practice by coyotes to Sánchez. Sixty percent of Sánchezs cases come to him from the Ecuadorian Consul, which is unable to handle the steady influx of complaints. Many of the people I see are being persecuted. The new immigrant, desperate to be reunited with his family, is easy prey for a coyote, who charges $4,000 to $8,000 for his services, explained Sánchez. Part of his job is to compile evidence to sue coyotes in court. At the moment, Sánchez is working on two such cases affecting more than 100 Ecuadorians. His biggest case is against a coyote in Connecticut who led more than 60 Ecuadorians to believe that they would become naturalized when they arrived in the United States. A second case is being brought against Adela Holzer of Spain, for deceiving and smuggling 32 immigrants. Holzer has been in jail for the past year and is awaiting trial. Sánchez is also leading an investigation into an Ecuadorian coyote who helped smuggle 12 of his countrymen. In addition to problems with coyotes, people also turn to Sánchez for help when they require medical attention but have no health insurance. In these cases, all Sánchez can do is put those in need in contact with a variety of social service organizations. In New York alone, there are about 384 Ecuadorians imprisoned for various crimes. Of them, 130 are in contact with Sánchez. They call me to ask if I can intercede on their behalf so they can be repatriated as soon as possible, said Sánchez. He also advised Jorge Laso Logroño, who was detained in April for smuggling cocaine. Laso accepted a plea bargain under Sánchezs counsel. Sánchez maintains that the Peoples Defender office sees to it that the human rights of all Ecuadorians, be they victims or perpetrators of crime, are defended. Currently Sánchezs office is working on the case of Ecuadorian Emiliano Yánez, who has suffered from amnesia since being hit on the head last year. After twenty years of service to the Ecuadorian community of New York, Sánchez can imagine himself on a beach in Acapulco, visiting the Eiffel Tower, or walking through the hallways of the Prado Museum, though life has not taken him down these paths. Thirty-three years ago, Sánchez came to the United States for a two week vacation. He did not intend to stay, but decided to try his luck and accepted a job fixing bicycles. Sánchez was quickly successful, and decided to stay in New York. He studied English and industrial electricity at a trade school. He later went on to study at Queensboro Community College, and finally received a degree in mechanical engineering from Queens College. Sánchez then worked at various businesses until establishing Universal Industrial Services, a repair and service shop for industrial machinery, 18 years ago. He also founded several pro-Ecuadorian groups. Just as he was about to retire, Sánchez received a call from Public Defender Claudio Mueckay, who invited him to be the Commissioner of the Public Defender in New York. He accepted. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-08-19 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 145 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 Coyotes deceive Ecuadorian immigrants in New York 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. Many of the people I see are being persecuted. The new immigrant, desperate to be reunited with his 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. 2002-08-19 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 12 VTMBH Article: Article Order VTMBH Article: Title Allow turbans, beards in office, Sikhs tell NYPD VTMBH Article: Author Sujeet Rajan VTMBH Article: Publication Indian Express (North American Edition) VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb He insisted on retaining his turban and beard for religious reasons. And for that, 25-year-old Amric Singh Rathour, a rookie Sikh cop, had to pay with his job last year. Now, the Sikh Coalition is petitioning Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his reinstatement. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body He insisted on retaining his turban and beard for religious reasons. And for that, 25-year-old Amric Singh Rathour, a rookie Sikh cop had to pay with his job last year. Now, the Sikh Coalition, a group of about 50 national Sikh organizations, has collected over 5,100 signatures in a petition, to be delivered to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and to the New York Police Department (NYPD), for Rathours reinstatement. The Sikh community has been trying to overcome the trauma of an identity crisis ever since the September 11th attacks. Mistaken for Muslims and followers of Osama bin Laden, Sikhs were the victims of numerous attacks in the immediate aftermath. Perhaps bound together by such racial violence, community members have now rallied behind Rathour, who was fired last July. Born in New York, Rathour was selected as a probationary traffic enforcement agent early last year. He cleared all the formalities and attended the swearing-in ceremony on June 18. In the two months of training that followed, Rathour maintained a patka, a short turban, to which NYPD officers did not raise any objections. However, Rathours request to the department to be allowed to wear a turban and keep a beard was denied. He was told that he would have to wear the official police cap over his turban and could not grow a beard which exceeded one millimeter. When he refused to comply with these stipulations, Rathour was fired. In its petition (www.petitiononline.com/SikhNYPD/petition.html), the Sikh coalition has criticized the no turban policy adopted by the NYPD, in contrast to police forces in other major cities of the world. The petition says that Sikh officers have been allowed to wear the turban and keep a beard in places like Canada, England and Hong Kong. Sikh members have also expressed their distress at the fact that Rathour was mistaken for a member of the Muslim faith. His (Amrics) letter of termination cited a provision of the NYPD dress code, requiring all police officers to wear police caps on their heads, as the reason for his termination. To add insult to injury, the NYPD not only terminated Amric for refusing to take off his religiously mandated turban, but out of ignorance offered him an opportunity to comply with the mandates of Islam rather than Sikhism. This lack of knowledge is very disturbing, says the petition. Last July, during a hearing with the Police Departments Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Rathour was told by an official that his beard would have to be trimmed to one millimeter in length and his turban would have to be small and fit underneath the uniform hat, according to a transcript of the meeting obtained by the Times Ledger, which reported the story. The one millimeter rule was advocated in the force after a recommendation by a Muslim religious leader, Imam Pasha. Needless to say, the same rules should not apply to Sikhs, said a spokesperson of the coalition. It is not only a case of misunderstanding the Sikh faith, but also a violation of civil rights to practice ones religion. The Sikh coalition has decided to file a lawsuit against the NYPD if Rathour is not reinstated. They have hired a New Jersey lawyer, Ravinder Bhalla, for the case. However, the spokesperson said the priority was to get the job back and put the Sikh faith and its tenets in proper light. We want America to know who Sikhs are, he said. This is part of a much bigger fight. The fight by minority communities here to practice the regulations and requirements of their religion is not a new one. In 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Sikh officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, successfully challenged in court his departments refusal to allow him to wear his turban as part of his uniform. More recently, in 1999, two Muslim police officers who wanted to keep their beards forced the issue in Newark, New Jersey. The case was decided in the Supreme Court, which upheld a lower courts ruling that a ban on beards would violate the officers freedom of religion. In its ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said that if medical exceptions allowed beards, then it was not proper to deny a request based on religious grounds. Medical exemptions are the only exceptions granted by the NYPD for facial hair beyond one millimeter. Rathours case could also revive the case of Jasjit Singh Jaggi, whose request to wear his turban on duty was denied. Jaggi complied with the rules of the force and wears a New York Police Department cap over his turban. This latest case occurs at a time when President George W. Bush has made several highly publicized appearances with Sikh and Muslim leaders at the White House. He has condemned the atrocities against Sikhs and has denounced discrimination against them for keeping their long beards and turbans. The Sikh community has hired a publicity firm in New Jersey to make mainstream America more aware of the religion. However, not all police departments in the country have similar rules. According to news reports, Sheriff Leroy Baca, head of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, encouraged Sikhs to join his department in a recent public meeting, saying there would not be a problem with turbans. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-03-22 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v12n3.doc VTMBH Article: Hit Count 193 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 Allow turbans, beards in office, Sikhs tell NYPD 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. He insisted on retaining his turban and beard for religious reasons. And for that, 25-year-old Amric 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. 2002-03-22 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 34 VTMBH Article: Article Order 4 VTMBH Article: Title Few minorities registering for firefighter test VTMBH Article: Author Mark Daly VTMBH Article: Publication The Chief-Leader VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb As an unprecedented three-month recruiting drive for the next firefighter exam enters its final weeks, the Fire Department appears to be signing up minority applicants and women at a slower rate. The response so far is drawing criticism from advocates for greater diversity in the ranks, such as Fire Captain Paul Washington, the president of the Vulcan Society for black firefighters. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body As an unprecedented three-month recruiting drive for the next firefighter exam enters its final weeks, the Fire Department appears to be signing up minority applicants and women at a slower rate than its previous campaign. Out of the 4,793 applications turned in so far, 75 percent are from white candidates. Hispanic, black and Asian applicants make up 21 percent of the total, as compared to 25 percent at the end of the citys 1999 recruiting drive, which was its most successful effort to diversify in decades. Three percent of this years applicants are women, which is below the 3.9 percent rate of 1999. <b>Not despairing yet</b> Deputy Fire Commissioner Douglas White, who took charge of the recruiting effort in April, said it was unfair to judge the campaign on early returns. Most people tend to file for the test at the last minute, he said. The response so far is drawing criticism from advocates for greater diversity in the ranks, such as Fire Captain Paul Washington, the president of the Vulcan Society for black firefighters. Its a disaster, said Mr. Washington. They didnt put forth a serious effort and now theyre making excuses. In June, when this years $5.5 million recruiting drive began, Mayor Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta promised it would be geared to attracting minority candidates in order to bring greater diversity to the ranks. More than 93 percent of the citys 11,000 firefighters are white, making them the least diverse uniformed force in the city. There are 28 women on the force. In the past three months, the departments recruiters have created a database of more than 1,000 women and 6,000 minority candidates who have expressed an interest in the job, said Mr. White. He was hopeful the department would succeed in getting applications from most of them. The truth of the matter is, nobody knows what it takes, he added. Weve never had a campaign thats more than four or five weeks long. Everyone whos already applied are the most committed people. The citys plan for a last-minute push for applicants didnt impress Mr. Washington. Speaking of the potential applicants in the recruiting units database, he said, If they havent yet applied, what makes you think theyre going to apply? To base your hopes on that, thats not very smart. <b>Ignored Ideas</b> The Vulcan Society leader complained that the FDNY ignored the groups suggestions for the drive, such as following the Police Departments lead and creating a fleet of highly visible recruiting vans; visiting other cities to see how they had succeeded in attracting minority candidates; and assigning seven black firefighters to work on full-time recruiting. Mr. White said $1.83 million of the departments recruiting budget is going to personnel costs, including $200,000 for overtime. The FDNYs recruiting office has a Captain in charge, a civilian director and two firefighters who work as full-time recruiters. Another dozen firefighters are sent to the recruiting unit as a light-duty assignment when they are injured or unable to work in the firehouse. <b>Unwilling conscripts?</b> The setup means most of the recruiters arent fully committed to the job, Mr. Washington charged. The light-duty firefighters, he said, are forced into this. They come and go. There are degrees of commitment in these things, Mr. White acknowledged. Thats why at the most important events, you have the more committed people. The recruiting staff is supported by a media campaign that includes 700 advertisements on billboards, bus stops and in subway stations. The ads feature a multiracial group of firefighters in rumpled bunker gear. The recruiting units database shows it is reaching the departments intended audience, Mr. White said. As of Aug. 21, the database had 9,881 names, including 1,927 womennearly one-fifth of the total. When the contacts were asked to report their race, 39.3 percent said they were black, 22.6 percent said Hispanic, 17.3 percent said white and 2 percent said they were Asian. Recruiters went to mail an application to every person in the database in time for them to apply, Mr. White said. <b>Tougher Than for NYPD</b> Mr. White, who was the citys personnel commissioner under Mayor David Dinkins, said the Fire Department faces more hurdles recruiting than other uniformed agencies, such as the Police Department. The historically low attrition rate in the Fire Department, and the requirement that each candidate compete in a physical test before being considered for the job, means that candidates may have to wait up to four years to be hired, he said. Also, the Police Department began offering its police officer test for free last year, while firefighter applicants must still pay a $35 fee by money order. The form you fill out [for the database] is only two lines shorter than the application form. If we were offering this test for free, I would have 9,881 people already saying they will be taking it, Mr. White said. <b>Tapping Movies, Military</b> The deadline to apply for the firefighter test is Sept. 30. The FDNY will finish its recruiting drive by getting its message out on several new fronts, Mr. White said. This month, 20 movie theaters in the city will display a recruiting ad as part of their pre-movie slideshow on 144 screens. In addition, a recruiting ad will run in Military Times, a newspaper with a national circulation of 340,000 and an estimated readership of one million. The Vulcan Society is participating in the recruiting campaign by sponsoring information sessions at Vulcan Hall in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and by fielding its own volunteer recruiters. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-09-13 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 91 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 Few minorities registering for firefighter test 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. As an unprecedented three-month recruiting drive for the next firefighter exam enters its final week 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. 2002-09-13 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 29 VTMBH Article: Article Order 5 VTMBH Article: Title Co-op City buses pass Harlem by VTMBH Article: Author Yusef Salaam VTMBH Article: Publication Amsterdam News VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Residents of Co-op City in the Bronx charge New York Bus Service with racism because the company refuses to stop on Harlems 125th Street en route to Manhattan. NYBS owners say the stop would effectively remove the express from its commuter express service. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Residents of Co-op City in the Bronx are charging New York Bus Service with racism because the companys management refuses to make a stop on Harlems 125th Street en route from Co-op City to downtown Manhattan. John Hill, a resident of Co-op City, said that the community has, for years, petitioned New York Bus Service management to include 125th Street and Fifth Avenue on its daily route. Many of us up here at Co-op City have relatives in Harlem that we visit, and many of us shop there, Hill said. Hill, who lost his job as a food service worker at the World Trade Center after the September 11th attacks, noted, New York Bus Service management is being very unreasonable. After all, a single stop in Harlem would be the one-and-only stop after the bus leaves Co-op City and goes to 86th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Hill said that currently, Co-op City residents have to take a bus to a subway train to get to Harlem. City Councilman Larry Seabrooks (D-Bronx), a resident of Co-op City, said, I intend to speak to the MTA commissioner about the matter. He added, It makes absolutely no sense for New York Bus Service not to stop in Harlem. He emphasized that Harlem is not some isolated place in the wilderness. Harlem is a major cultural center. Former President Bill Clinton has an office on 125th Street. Theres a Starbucks, the Magic Johnson Theater, the Apollo and the Amsterdam News, Seabrooks said. New York Bus Service President Jim OReilly said that the company values its Co-op City commuters, but adding a type of shuttle servicein this case, to Harlemwould effectively remove the express from our commuter express service. He also related, We have addressed this issue many times, explaining to members of the community that by combining a commuter express with a shuttle, NYBS would lose all its needed routing flexibility, thus adding to commuter travel and cost. OReilly concluded, The focus of NYBS is to exclusively provide commuter express service. Hill pointed out, Liberty Line services the Riverdale section of the Bronx, which is mostly Jewish, yet Liberty Line stops in Harlem. He bristled, Something is wrong with the management at the New York Bus Service, and I believe it is racism. Liberty Line spokeswoman Sabina Perez said that Liberty Line does stop in Harlem. There was a time when we did not stop in Harlem. We started stopping in Harlem after then-Mayor David Dinkins petitioned us to stop there. She pointed out, While we do stop in Harlem on 125th Street and Fifth Avenue, we only pick up passengers there; it is not a stop for people to get off, because we do not want to infringe on the MTAs business. Hill said, There are enough Black people up here in Co-op City to make a stop in Harlem viable for New York Bus Service. Seabrooks said that he would support community initiatives to force management of the company to be more conciliatory, including direct action. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-31 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 96 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 Co-op City buses pass Harlem by 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. Residents of Co-op City in the Bronx charge New York Bus Service with racism because the company ref 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. 2002-07-31 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 36 VTMBH Article: Article Order 6 VTMBH Article: Title Following the U.S. example, several countries detain and deport Pakistanis VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Pakistan Post VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Rehan Ansari VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body . Pakistan Post. 2 October 2002. Translated from Urdu by Rehan Ansari. Oman, Saudi Arabia, Muscat and United Arab Emirates deported 2000 Pakistanis. Upon their arrival in Pakistan, all were interviewed by FBI agents and released without further charges. Oman and Muscat deported 1,100 Pakistanis living there without legal status. Combined with those deported from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, the figure climbs to almost 2000 Pakistanis sent back to Pakistan from the Arabian peninsula. Almost all of these Pakistanis made their way to the various states of the Arabian peninsula with the help of agents who charge them between $200 to $500 each. They are smuggled across the arid Baluchistan region of Pakistan, and then by sea. Most of the people deported have been in detention for many months in these various countries. For the purposes of deportation Pakistani consulates issued "Emergency Passports," to the deportees, who were then put on boats to Karachi. Overwhelming anecdotal evidence indicates that most of those deported from the Arabian peninsula left voluntarily, as is the case in the United States as well. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks VTMBH Article: Date 2002-10-02 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 72 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 Following the U.S. example, several countries detain and deport Pakistanis 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. 2002-10-02 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 41 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Black voter apathy eroding black political and economic power VTMBH Article: Author Walter Smith VTMBH Article: Publication New York Beacon VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section elec02 VTMBH Article: Blurb Weve come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and died too young to not take advantage of the battles weve won. As the Black media, we need to do a better job of educating our community on the importance of voting. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body H. Carl McCall, the gubernatorial candidate with an impressive resume, years of public service experience, and the only Black ever elected to statewide office in New York was solidly trounced by his Republican opponent, incumbent Governor George Pataki, garnering a mere 33 percent of the vote. There has been a sense among some Blacks that the National Democratic Party abandoned Mr. McCall, especially after the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win. It was a failure, Lila Rosenblum, 71, a lifelong Democrat, said of Mr. McCalls race. It was like a silent campaign. After reading the morning papers and listening to the electronic media comments, one would be led to believe it was all McCalls fault. Not so, and I can cite several reasons why. The obvious reason for the loss is Black voter apathy. Nationally registered Black voter turnout in primary elections is less than 10 percent and in general elections less than 20 percent. If Jews didnt vote there would be no Jewish elected officials. If Italians didnt vote there would be no Italian elected officials. If the Irish didnt vote there would be no Irish elected officials. If there were no Black communities, there would be no Black elected officials. In districts that are predominantly Black, candidates are often elected by a mere handful of votes. Be that as it may, that initial election gives rise to the opportunity to move on to citywide and statewide elections. However, at this level the strategy for getting elected has to change. For Black candidates, it is the Black registered voter that holds the key to election success. New York City is a Democratic stronghold and usually Democrats win citywide elections. Not always, but usually. However, whenever the Democratic nominee is from the Black or Latino community, the Democrats suddenly vote Republican. The Black vote has to be a priority for the Black candidate if success is expected. This past election was one of the most expensive ever in New York States history, yet Black media got less than a pittance of the $181 million spent. Candidates in national and or statewide elections must prove they can win before they can expect to receive financial support from various sources. Some blame the Democratic Party for its lack of support for McCall. However, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win. A record of a mere 10 percent turnout of Black voters in primaries and less than 20 percent turnout in general elections, speaks to a weakness in any Black political candidate for city, state or national election. Recognizing this during the McCall candidacy, a set of public service ads was designed to prick the conscience of apathetic Black voters, and Black newspapers were requested to run them as a public service. Some did and some simply refused. One publisher became irate over the suggestion and, citing his 40 years in the business, said, I dont run anything for free. Carlton Goodlett, publisher emeritus of the Sun Reporter in San Francisco, said that a Black publishers duty is to be a servant of the people. Publishers should serve the people by keeping them informed, and defending them from false characterizations, and most importantly, by giving unselfish support to those who aspire to political office to make the case for Blacks in the political halls of this nation. It is our duty as publishers to encourage our readership to get involved in the political process by whatever means necessary. Our newspapers are scrutinized daily by those looking to send messages to our community. If we are not speaking directly to the community, we cannot be of service to those who wish to reach them. Whether or not the McCall loss could have been averted remains to be answered. Media coverage is the key to any candidates success. Two or three of New York Citys Black publishers were diligent in their efforts to get out the vote, but the collective Black media was apathetic. News articles about the candidates are not sufficient to get out the vote. Black publishers must constantly educate their readership on the importance of voting. Most of all, the Black press should not allow the Black community to forget the last 50 years of struggle for the right to vote and the privilege to run for political office. Weve come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and died too young to not take advantage of the battles weve won. The continued success of our Black elected officials depends on the participation of the registered Black voter. If we expect to win city, state and national elections, we must increase Black voter participation far beyond 19 percent. The importance of the Black vote is dwindling with each election. The Black vote has traditionally been dedicated to the Democratic Party and for the most part remains so. However, the Republican Party focus is on a new source of votes, the Latino vote. They are converting old Latino Democrats and recruiting new Latino Republicans. These voters are not apathetic; they are committed. Soon they will be the swing voter of choice. Their news meda, both print and electronic, will get the lions share of the political and commercial advertising and the Black press will continue to shrink in prestige and viability. Its just a matter of time before Democrats will focus on the Latino voter and economically abandon the Blacks. The McCall candidacy was a rare opportunity for Black Media to make a difference but we failed to act. For that reason our readership, the registered voters we supposedly influence, continued to do what theyve been doing, (19 percent turnout) and we as the Black community continued to get what weve been getting: defeat at the polls. Lets do it differently next time! VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-06 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 60 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 Black voter apathy eroding black political and economic power 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. Weve come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and die 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. 2002-11-06 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 8 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Welfare Reform and Immigrants VTMBH Article: Author Arkady Kagan VTMBH Article: Publication Russian Forward VTMBH Article: Original Language Russian VTMBH Article: Translator Liz Vladeck VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb More than 100 activists, defending of the interests of welfare recipients, arrived in Washington in early February. Congress must revisit the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act by September. Some legislators were supportive…and some told them to learn English. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body The law that Democratic President Bill Clinton signed under pressure from the Republican Congress on August 22, 1996, was elegantly named Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Before Clinton signed it, the Democrats focused on incentives to hire welfare clients and thorough assistance for families moving to paid employment. In particular, they insisted the government pay for transportation, childcare, Medicaid, and some food stamps for the first five years after moving off welfare. In addition, Democrats wanted to increase professional development programs, job placement, and free English language classes. For their part, Republicans proposed punitive sanctions against those receiving social benefits, including five-year time limits on welfare benefits, a prohibition on benefit increases to single mothers who give birth to another child, and the discontinuation of federal programs (Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps, Medicaid) to legal immigrants. Both parties came out for the introduction of welfare work requirements from 30 to 35 hours a week, with minor exceptions. On September 30, 2002, the U.S. Congress must pass a new welfare law. I recall that, in 1996, only the titanic efforts of Congressional Democrats, the National Immigration Forum, the American Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union, and the efforts of other immigrant organizations in many states made it possible to amend the Personal Responsibility Act. But even now, legal immigrants who arrived in the United States after August 22, 1996 dont have the right to Social Security, the federal food stamps program, Medicaid or Medicare. Even refugeesgranted an exception for the period of the first seven years after their arrivalare in danger. On August 22, 2003, refugees could lose their SSI and Medicaid if they have not become American citizens. (Those who arrived before then are still eligible.) In early February, more than 100 activists from 32 welfare rights and immigrant organizations from 25 states brought together by GROWLGrassroots Organizing for Welfare Leadershiparrived in Washington to lobby Congress. Activists, defenders of the interests of welfare recipients want their voices to be heard in state capitols, in the Capitol in Washington, and in the White House. GROWL invited the Independent Press AssociationNew York, of which the newspaper Forward is a member, to take part. And so your correspondent, who was the only Russian-speaker, found himself in the group of GROWL delegates charged with submitting new amendments to the law on welfare reform. The majority of GROWL activists are Latinos and African-Americans. However, many questions discussed in the course of meetings with legislators and surfaced in the briefing to Congress directly affect the vital interests of our community. Could we really be indifferent to whether limits will be revoked on federal social programs for older, non-U.S. citizens? Do we really think there are only a small number of Russian-speaking immigrants who receive welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid? Do we really have no need for free English classes? And could anyone really disagree with GROWLs assertion that many poor people dont know their rights, and are not informed about the assistance available? Language discrimination in welfare offices does not only affect those who have left Asia or Latin America. Hence, I lament the virtual breakdown of the powerful international organizations of our immigrants the American Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union, which was the primary initiator of the 1997 march on Washington. But lets return to GROWL and welfare reform. Representatives submitted four bills which would make radical amendments. They were introduced by Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Nadia Velasquez (D-N.Y.), Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii), and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.). The most radical bill is brought by Velasquez. Her Welfare Recipients Lifeline Act of 2002 would end the five-year limit for some, and eliminate all restrictions on federal social programs for immigrants. In the Senate, an analogous bill was submitted for consideration by Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) and Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.). In the Senate, where the Democrats have a majority, the idea of defending indigent legal immigrants is relatively popular. But in the Republican-majority House, such amendments are seen as misguided generosity during a very expensive war. The White House and Republican leaders support a decrease in financial assistance with welfare to states, and for the continuation of the five-year limit on welfare, with a further two-year limits on SSI, Medicaid, food stamps and Medicare for non-U.S. citizens who arrived in the country after August 22, 1996. The legislators moods were easy to read as their aides met with GROWL delegates. For example, at Sen. Hillary Clintons (D-N.Y.) office, guests were promised all kinds of assistance. The GROWL delegation encountered full understanding and sympathy in the offices of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Jane Schakowsky (D-Ill.). In Rep. Lamar Smiths (R-Texas) office, Spanish-speaking GROWL activists were advised to learn English better. The GROWL briefing was attended by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and the aides of six Republican representatives, among them Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.), chairman of the important human resources subcommittee. Kucinich, representing the liberal-progressive wing in the House, supported GROWLs proposal and called on Congress to take up the issue of welfare reform. It is the responsibility of Congress to provide working, low-income people with health insurance and free child care, he said, in combination with education for welfare recipients (that includes courses in professional development, GED, ESL, studies in Business School, etc.). Similar measures have a much greater effect in the struggle with poverty than limits on the time one can receive welfare, or sanctions against legal immigrants. As long as Congress and the White House are managed through millions in donations and electoral funds by the Enrons, the tobacco companies and the Microsofts, said Conyers, there will be nothing to say about genuine welfare reform. Instead, millions that should be invested in education, health insurance, and help for the unemployed will be given away by the government in the form of enormous tax advantages for big corporations, he declared. Laura Barrera, a delegate from the Los Angeles Coalition for the Defense of the Rights of Immigrants, offered an example of the inhumanity poor immigrants often face. She told the story of Spanish-speaking immigrant Marisela Ron. She and her husband worked, but their jobs did not provide health care. Because of welfare reform, Medicaid wasnt available to them. When their older daughter Atali needed medical care, the family barely managed to find a charity fund to pay the $5,000 for an MRI and other tests. When Ron herself urgently needed medical care in the fourth month of her pregnancy, the hospital was in no hurry to stop her blood loss, and as a result, she lost her baby. No one knows how the fight over the rights of the indigent in this time of economic recession and the war on terrorism will turn out. We hope that the efforts of rights and immigrant organizations, articles in newspapers, and mass protests will bear fruit. We must not deprive older legal immigrants of the means to survive because they do not know English. We must not deprive good, successful students of the opportunity to study. And we must not use the desire to fight bin Laden as an excuse not to fight poverty. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-02-21 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 76 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 Welfare Reform and Immigrants 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. More than 100 activists, defending of the interests of welfare recipients, arrived in Washington 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. 2002-02-21 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 19 VTMBH Article: Article Order 4 VTMBH Article: Title Literacy center provides key to whole new world VTMBH Article: Author Hannan Adely VTMBH Article: Publication Norwood News VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Kenidia Gomez, a Bronx mother of five, was nearly illiterate when she signed up at the Center for Reading and Writing (CRW) at the Fordham Library a year ago. Of all the hurdles that come with that handicap, the most difficult was in her home. "It was very hard because my kids would say, 'Read me a story' and I would say I couldn't," she said. "Now, I can read them a story at night." VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Kenidia Gomez, a Bronx mother of five, was nearly illiterate when she signed up at the Center for Reading and Writing (CRW) at the Fordham Library a year ago. Of all the hurdles that come with that handicap, the most difficult was in her home. "It was very hard because my kids would say, 'Read me a story' and I would say I couldn't," she said. "Now, I can read them a story at night." For Bakmo Ceesay, who emigrated from West Gambia in 1997, the hardest part came when he tried to apply for work. "When I came here, my reading was very poor," he said. "When I wanted to fill out a job application, someone else had to do it for me." Now, both Gomez and Ceesay are improving their reading and writing skills twice a week at the CRW at the Fordham Library, 2556 Bainbridge Ave. With 25 tutors and 200 students, and many more adults who use the CRW's literacy software, the center is the largest of nine in the New York Public Library system. CRW students range in age and backgrounds; all have a fifth grade reading level or below. Students come to the center for different reasons. Some are immigrants who know only conversational English, others left school because they had to work and support their families, and some have learning disabilities that were not addressed. Other students said they "did not pay attention in school until it was too late." During a recent Thursday afternoon class, CRW students sat in small groups with a tutor, working on an assignment about the Bronx. They wrote about their neighborhoods, about the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden. The students quietly focused on their work, as their tutors went around helping them one-by-one. When they're not in the classroom, students often spend free time using library computers to practice literacy and spelling skills, surfing the Internet, and writing e-mail. The CRW students also have Internet workshops, celebrate themes like Poetry Month or Women's History Month, and take field trips. "Our goal is to really make independent readers so they can write grocery lists, fill out forms, and read the newspaper," said Barbara Martinez, the program's site director. Martinez says one of the biggest benefits of learning to read is the confidence that students gain. Pride was on display everywhere in the Thursday class, as the students showed off their essays and poems. Many of their writings are compiled into a paper journal and an on-line journal. Nora Katz, a 45-year-old mother with a learning disability, is proud that she can read books for the first time ever. She even has a favorite book now, "My Name is Mary." All the students have a strong appreciation for their tutors, and even had a thank-you reception for them on April 25. "They don't get paid," Gomez said. "They do it out of the kindness of their heart." The program is year-round, and groups meet some mornings, afternoons and evenings and on Saturdays. Currently, there is a waiting list of around 50 people. Under Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget, the New York Public Library could be cut by between 15 and 22 percent. It would mean that five of eight Centers for Reading and Writing would close, including one in the Bronx. As the borough's main branch, Fordham's CRW would remain open, but would likely be in even greater demand due to the cuts. Students at the Fordham CRW wrote over 100 letters to the mayor asking him not to implement the library cuts. "They wrote about the value of this program and how much they've gained and asked where they would go without it," Martinez said. For the students, participating in the literacy program means working toward independence. According to the National Institute for Literacy, more than 20 percent of adults in New York City read at or below a fifth-grade level. These adults have a high rate of unemployment and poverty, and many rely on public assistance. The students have each set their own goals. Some want to move on to pre-GED or GED classes. Others want to get a job, or a better job. Some students have their sights set on reading the newspaper or reading notices from their children's teachers. Martinez said the biggest reward comes when students attain their goals. She got a call from a former student about a year ago, who thanked her and said she had just graduated from Mercy College. Martinez also said she was recently moved to tears when a student who couldn't write his name a few months ago read her a paragraph out loud. "Success comes in big and small," Martinez said. "True success comes when a person couldn't do something before and now can do it well." <i>Editor's Note: The Center for Reading and Writing holds literacy classes some mornings, afternoons and evenings and on Saturdays. For more information, call (718) 579-4222.</i> VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-05-22 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 75 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 Literacy center provides key to whole new world 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. Kenidia Gomez, a Bronx mother of five, was nearly illiterate when she signed up at the Center for Re 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. 2002-05-22 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 2 VTMBH Article: Title Asian organizations fight against discrimination: Costume maker recalls Kung Fu mask 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 Asian organizations accused San Diego-based costume maker Disguise, Inc., of discrimination because of their Kung Fu-style mask, which the company put on the market this September in time for Halloween. After protests, Disguise apologized and recalled the masks. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Asian organizations accused San Diego-based costume maker Disguise, Inc., of discrimination because their Kung Fu-style mask, which Disguise, Inc. put on the market this September in time for Halloween. The mask was sold with a set of Kung Fu clothes, and depicted a bucktoothed, slant-eyed Kung Fu figure, with a Chinese character on its headband that read defeated. It was named Kung Fool and was sold for $25 to $34 at Walmart, Party City and Target stores nationwide. Strong reaction from Asian organizations and the media prompted Disguise to issue a recall and promised to buy back those masks already sold to customers. The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and the National Asian Students Alliance all published statements criticizing Disguise for racism against Asians. They said that the mask perpetuates racism and dehumanizes the entire community. In a protest statement, Christine Chen, executive director of the OCA, said, Disguise claims they produce high quality, innovative products. What they do is far from what they say. Asian American customers are not interested in this product at all. Asian Americans have $250 billion consuming power. To single out this community isnt wise even from a commercial perspective. Spokesman Chris Wahl issued a formal apology on behalf of Disguise Inc., which is one of the nations leading costume manufacturers. The company said its original intention was to present the Kung Fu figure humorously, and didnt mean to offend any racial group. But the Asian community was pissed off. Internet users posted notes in protest on BBS and the issue was widely discussed in chat rooms. The Asian news website yellowworld.org also organized a sign-to-protest campaign. Elber Oh, founder of yellowworld.org said, Asian Americans dont want to be the plaything of Halloween. An Asian Internet user, who posted a note on BBS, said that he was very hurt when he saw the mask. I was shocked. The mask brought back the bitter memory of when I was called alien at school. Decades have passed, and society is still biased [against Asians]. Fortunately, the Asian community is not as it was. We are strong enough to fight back, he said. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-10-18 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 139 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 Asian organizations fight against discrimination: Costume maker recalls Kung Fu mask 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. Asian organizations accused San Diego-based costume maker Disguise, Inc., of discrimination because 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. 2002-10-18 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 24 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title Multi-ethnic America VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Nowy Dziennik / Polish Daily News VTMBH Article: Original Language Polish VTMBH Article: Translator Lukas Bulka VTMBH Article: Section edits VTMBH Article: Blurb New census figures show immigrant communities in America on the rise; many minority groups live in closed communities maintaining their native languages, cultures and heritages. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Visa system reform in the United States may drastically change the make-up of American society. Transforming America into a country of immigrants (26 million, not including the five million undocumented) could be successfully halted, but only for a short while. The largest ever number of immigrants settled in the United States in the last ten years. The U.S. Census noted a 30 percent increase of immigrants over the ten year period. Two years ago, foreign-born U.S. residents constituted 9.7 percent of the nation. The lowest number noted was in 1970, when immigrants accounted for only 4.7 percent. The second significant factor indicating serious changes in American society, is the growth of the Hispanic community, which amounts to more than a half of all immigrants. Asians are second, with 27 percent and only 17 percent of all immigrants are European. There is a notable racial-ethnic shift. The United States is more and more international and the white population originating from Europe is becoming a minority. The third factor relates to naturalization. The percentage of foreigners residing in the United States who become U.S. citizens is decreasing. Only 35 percent of immigrants obtain an American passport, whereas in 1970, 64 percent did. Asians expressed the strongest interest in US citizenship, immigrants from Europe remain at the same interest level as in 1970, and Latin American immigrants are the most reluctant to be naturalized (only 22 percent of Mexicans were naturalized in 1990). There are a number of reasons to explain this phenomenon, such as tighter restrictions on applying for naturalization, or the INS indolence. The main reason probably relates to the ongoing transformation into a multi-cultural society. The knowledge of English, values and history of the United States are less important. The emphasis is now on creating a mosaic of individual cultures, languages and traditions which have equal rights. It has become easier than ever to live in the United States in closed communities that are no longer considered ethnic ghettos buton the contraryare supported as minority groups developing their own language, culture and heritage. Newcomers in general settle in a few selected states. The largest number go to California (8.1 million), New York (3.6 million), Florida (2.4 million), Texas (2.2 million), New Jersey (1.2 million) and Illinois (1.1. million). The data released by U.S. Census once again defeats the myth of immigrants being a burden on American taxpayers. 92 percent of immigrants aged 25 to 54 work (more or less the same number among native-born Americans). Unemployment figures show 6.9 percent of immigrants who have no jobs compared to 5.4 percent among Americans. At the same time, immigrants are poorer: As many as 21 percent live under the poverty line, while just 12.9 percent among Americans qualify as poor. This number includes mainly uneducated or even illiterate masses from Latin America. These people do the most unskilled jobs. The United States lives off immigrants. Without this mass of foreigners, the United States could not prosper. It is impossible to stop the influx of immigrants. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-06-12 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 522 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 Multi-ethnic America 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. New census figures show immigrant communities in America on the rise; many minority groups live in c 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. 2002-06-12