Jane Addams was America’s first social worker. She founded Hull House, which can be compared to a modern day community center. Through Hull House she provided needed services and cultural events to the immigrant working class in her Chicago neighborhood. Through this website, I want to reach out to any stigmatized population, including refugees, religious and ethnic groups, those identifying as LGBTQ, and the physically and mentally disabled.
Showing posts with label Refugees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Refugees. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2021
Friday, March 5, 2021
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Trump is Coming for their Pencils!
I noticed an article from the New York Times on Friday, January 31st. I was about to teach my US citizenship class to Somali refugees. As I read it, my heart broke. When my translator came in, I gave him my phone and asked him to translate for the class. I was shaking.
The refugees I teach come from E. Africa, which includes Somalia, part of the original Muslim ban, and Tanzania under this new ban. There is no justification for this. It’s discrimination because of race and religion. Saudi Arabians flew those planes into the towers and pentagon. My students are from impoverished African countries, some torn apart by civil war. They have spent a decade, sometimes two, in UN camps. It is common for the camps themselves to come under fire. Before being allowed to come here, my students were pre-cleared in their home countries for settlement in the US. This makes them refugees, entitled to a green card, and not asylum seekers, although both carry a legal status to be in the United States.
My students speak a dialect, Mawa. It is spoken and not written. When they come here and learn English, they may be writing for the first time.
I asked them whether they wanted to talk about the article or learn the lesson. As they saw, I am going through the civics questions of the test faster to get them citizenship faster. Still, many are far away from attaining it.
I assured them when I began teaching that nothing would happen to them because they were green card holders and allowed to be in the United States. Today, February 23, I saw another article about further limiting the benefits they can receive here. Now I can only say I hope it won’t get worse, but they should be prepared.
The refugees I teach come from E. Africa, which includes Somalia, part of the original Muslim ban, and Tanzania under this new ban. There is no justification for this. It’s discrimination because of race and religion. Saudi Arabians flew those planes into the towers and pentagon. My students are from impoverished African countries, some torn apart by civil war. They have spent a decade, sometimes two, in UN camps. It is common for the camps themselves to come under fire. Before being allowed to come here, my students were pre-cleared in their home countries for settlement in the US. This makes them refugees, entitled to a green card, and not asylum seekers, although both carry a legal status to be in the United States.
My students speak a dialect, Mawa. It is spoken and not written. When they come here and learn English, they may be writing for the first time.
I asked them whether they wanted to talk about the article or learn the lesson. As they saw, I am going through the civics questions of the test faster to get them citizenship faster. Still, many are far away from attaining it.
I assured them when I began teaching that nothing would happen to them because they were green card holders and allowed to be in the United States. Today, February 23, I saw another article about further limiting the benefits they can receive here. Now I can only say I hope it won’t get worse, but they should be prepared.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Harmful myths trail those seeking a better life here
As published in the Buffalo News
Immigration is a hot topic now. Not only is it important to understand the various policies, knowing someone’s story is a window into the myths being perpetrated. Through teaching a class to prepare green card holders to pass their U.S. citizenship test, I understand the struggles of immigrants.
Immigration is not solely about illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. The first thing to understand is that many are crossing our borders legally. For example, some are asylum-seekers. They can claim asylum status at a border checkpoint or even when they are in the country undocumented. This is in accordance with United States law and U.N. policies.
Once here, asylum-seekers have due process and equal protection rights under our Constitution. They are entitled to an asylum hearing. Generally, political refugees – those facing persecution in their home countries – are allowed to stay. Economic refugees – those in this country simply to earn more money – are generally deported.
One problem is how long the hearing process takes. Alternatives to detention, such as ankle bracelets, were common during the Obama administration. This ensured that asylum-seekers showed up for their hearing dates and were more than 90% effective. By prosecuting them for the offense of entering illegally and immediately detaining them, the Trump administration has caused the crisis at the border. Families are separated because children cannot be detained as long as adults and facilities are overcrowded.
The immigrants I teach have been pre-cleared in their home country before coming here. They are considered refugees, not asylum-seekers, and can obtain a green card. Still, there is more to their immigration stories. Often coming from war-torn nations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, they may be in refugee camps for years before being allowed to come here. The camps themselves can come under fire.
It is a myth that Muslim immigrants are terrorists. Most come as a family unit. Another myth is they overuse social services. While they can receive money to come here, their ability to receive government resources is restricted over time.
Imagine coming here from an African nation speaking only Swahili. Imagine having to learn a new alphabet after knowing only Arabic, which has different characters from English and is read right to left. Imagine seeing a supermarket for the first time and having to learn how to shop.
I am fortunate to teach an immigrant community here in Buffalo. I’ve also created a website, www.JanesPlace.org, where you can learn more about stigma against refugees, religious groups and the disabled.
Helaine Sanders teaches refugees to pass their U.S. citizenship test. She co-chairs the Town of Amherst Committee in Disabilities.
Immigration is a hot topic now. Not only is it important to understand the various policies, knowing someone’s story is a window into the myths being perpetrated. Through teaching a class to prepare green card holders to pass their U.S. citizenship test, I understand the struggles of immigrants.
Immigration is not solely about illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. The first thing to understand is that many are crossing our borders legally. For example, some are asylum-seekers. They can claim asylum status at a border checkpoint or even when they are in the country undocumented. This is in accordance with United States law and U.N. policies.
Once here, asylum-seekers have due process and equal protection rights under our Constitution. They are entitled to an asylum hearing. Generally, political refugees – those facing persecution in their home countries – are allowed to stay. Economic refugees – those in this country simply to earn more money – are generally deported.
One problem is how long the hearing process takes. Alternatives to detention, such as ankle bracelets, were common during the Obama administration. This ensured that asylum-seekers showed up for their hearing dates and were more than 90% effective. By prosecuting them for the offense of entering illegally and immediately detaining them, the Trump administration has caused the crisis at the border. Families are separated because children cannot be detained as long as adults and facilities are overcrowded.
The immigrants I teach have been pre-cleared in their home country before coming here. They are considered refugees, not asylum-seekers, and can obtain a green card. Still, there is more to their immigration stories. Often coming from war-torn nations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, they may be in refugee camps for years before being allowed to come here. The camps themselves can come under fire.
It is a myth that Muslim immigrants are terrorists. Most come as a family unit. Another myth is they overuse social services. While they can receive money to come here, their ability to receive government resources is restricted over time.
Imagine coming here from an African nation speaking only Swahili. Imagine having to learn a new alphabet after knowing only Arabic, which has different characters from English and is read right to left. Imagine seeing a supermarket for the first time and having to learn how to shop.
I am fortunate to teach an immigrant community here in Buffalo. I’ve also created a website, www.JanesPlace.org, where you can learn more about stigma against refugees, religious groups and the disabled.
Helaine Sanders teaches refugees to pass their U.S. citizenship test. She co-chairs the Town of Amherst Committee in Disabilities.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Immigration Myths
Immigration is a hot topic now. Not only is it important to
understand the various policies, knowing someone’s story is a window into the
myths being perpetrated. As someone with a JD, I know the relevant terminology.
Also, through teaching a class to prepare green card holders to pass their US citizenship
test, I understand their struggles.
Knowing the significant terms of the immigration debate, I
can increase other people’s understanding. Immigration is not solely about illegal
immigrants crossing our Southern border. The first thing to understand is that
many are crossing our borders legally. For example, some are asylum seekers.
They can claim asylum status at a border checkpoint or even when they are in
the country illegally. This is in accordance with US and UN law. Once here, asylum
seekers have due process and equal protection rights under our Constitution.
They are entitled to an asylum hearing. Generally, political refugees — those
facing persecution in their home countries — are allowed to stay. Economic
refugees — those in this country simply to earn more money — are generally deported.
One problem is how long the hearing process takes. Alternatives
to detention (ATDs), such as ankle bracelets, were common during the Obama administration.
This ensured that asylum seekers showed up for their hearing dates and were
over 90% effective. By prosecuting them for the offense of entering illegally and
immediately detaining them, the Trump administration has caused the crisis at
the border. Families are separated because children cannot be detained as long
as adults and facilities are overcrowded.
The immigrants I teach have been pre-cleared in their home
country before coming here. They are considered refugees, not asylum seekers, and
can obtain a green card. Still, there is more to their immigration stories. Often
coming from war torn nations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle-East, they may be
in refugee camps for years before being allowed to come here. The camps
themselves can come under fire.
It is a myth that Muslim immigrants are terrorists. Most
come as a family unit. They are assimilated once here.
Another myth is they overuse social services. While they can
receive money to come here, their ability to receive government resources is
restricted over time.
Imagine coming here from Somalia only speaking Swahili.
Imagine having to learn a new alphabet after knowing only Arabic, which has
different characters from English and is read right to left. Imagine seeing a
supermarket for the first time and having to learn how to shop.
I am fortunate to teach an immigrant community here in
Buffalo where I’ve learned their struggles. I’ve also created a website, www.JanesPlace.org, where you can learn
more about stigma, not only against refugees, but among religious and cultural
groups and due to disability.
Helaine Sanders holds an MSW and JD. She is the co-chair of
the Town of Amherst Disability Committee and Secretary of its Community
Diversity Commission. She has volunteered in the Williamsvile School District
on matters relating to curriculum and special education.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
It's Time to Call Them What They Are: Concentration Camps
It's time to call the camps on our Southern border what they are: concentration camps. If six children have died in DHS custody can we call them death camps? Jews, myself included, are reluctant to use words that evoke the holocaust when the comparison is of lesser significance. On the other hand, we remain vigilant in using the words "never again." I believe the word "never" is slowly being ripped of its meaning as the conditions along our Southern border worsen.
I've read several articles today about what was occurring there. But, it was one word that a friend of mine used that made me sure the comparison was apt. It was the word "cattle."
Specifically she said, "To be honest, when I first heard that 900 were being kept in a space meant for 125, my first thought was of the cattle cars the Nazis used. No, these poor people are not being sent to a certain death, but their treatment, like cattle, is just as dehumanizing and inhumane. No civil country should be treating anyone like this. Ever. We are no better than the regimes we deplore. There are always alternatives."
She had just read a Washington Post opinion article entitled, "Never Again means nothing if Holocaust analogies are always off limits." I similarly read an article from the New York Times about the anti-refugee movement in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Muslim Ban that Trump tried to enact before the second week of his Administration may have faded in our memories. Still, we need to recall both or "never again" will have no meaning.
Co-author, Wendy Kalman, https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/wendy-kalman/
I've read several articles today about what was occurring there. But, it was one word that a friend of mine used that made me sure the comparison was apt. It was the word "cattle."
Specifically she said, "To be honest, when I first heard that 900 were being kept in a space meant for 125, my first thought was of the cattle cars the Nazis used. No, these poor people are not being sent to a certain death, but their treatment, like cattle, is just as dehumanizing and inhumane. No civil country should be treating anyone like this. Ever. We are no better than the regimes we deplore. There are always alternatives."
She had just read a Washington Post opinion article entitled, "Never Again means nothing if Holocaust analogies are always off limits." I similarly read an article from the New York Times about the anti-refugee movement in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Muslim Ban that Trump tried to enact before the second week of his Administration may have faded in our memories. Still, we need to recall both or "never again" will have no meaning.
Co-author, Wendy Kalman, https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/wendy-kalman/
Thursday, May 30, 2019
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