Everyone has a journey; everyone has a dream—a loose proverb that holds true, no matter who the individual is. The lengths to which people go to pursue their dreams are immeasurable. QC students recently talked about the journey of immigration that their families went through. NYPIRG project coordinator, Ilayda Polat, spoke at the event. She discussed how her family had immigrated here from Turkey and that while Long Island gave her family an American life, there were still challenges that she had to face. One of the key problems she brought to light was the financial cost of applying for citizenship. Thankfully, in her case, she was able to find…
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QC roundtable discussion on the history of immigration and black history
We’re all immigrants here, as the saying goes. An oft-forgotten fact of history, however, tends to disagree with that saying as not everyone who came to America did so by choice. Some were brought as chattel, while others were indigenous peoples decimated by the so-called “immigrant.” The Immigration Through The Lens of Black History event on Nov. 28th included lunch (courtesy of President Matos) and discussion concerning the ways immigration is complicated by black history. Guests were provided a timeline of immigration laws, along with a timeline of black history in the United States, and used these timelines to understand how American policies affected not only immigrants, but black…
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CERRU informs QC students about the immigration experience
On Monday, October 30th, CERRU held their “Stating the Facts on Immigration & Immigration Writing Workshop,” which were two events put together in an effort to provide clarity on important issues relating to immigration that students might be in the dark about. While some of the issues were centered around what an executive order was, who they affected, and how they affected certain groups of people, there was also information on what DACA was, what it did when it was still in place, and what the subsequent termination of the program meant for millions of people. I never felt as if the information I was given was being shoved down…
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OP-ED: Crucial Conversation Tips with CERRU
As CERRU gears up for our Susheel Kirpalani Innovation Exchange, Trumps First Year: Impressions on Immigration from Across the Political Spectrum on Wednesday, November 15th at 4:30pm, and the launch of our new program, Political Leaps of Faith, it is imperative that we remember how to engage in thoughtful, ethical, and nonviolent communication techniques. We see part of the vitriolic communication across party and ideological lines stemming from a complete distancing from one another, and therefore inability to relate and engage. Below are CERRU’s tips for having emotional, sometimes high stakes, and divisive conversations. These tips are geared towards conversations with people you know and care about and with whom…
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Fear and resistance in undocumented community
Recent deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement took undocumented families by surprise. Because of this, most are afraid to leave their homes. Jeh Johnson, Department of Homeland Security secretary, defended the actions as necessary, while acknowledging problems with it. “I know there are many who loudly condemn our enforcement efforts as far too harsh, while there will be others who say these actions don’t go far enough. I also recognize the reality of the pain that deportations do in fact cause. But, we must enforce the law consistent with our priorities,” he said. There are spaces for undocumented immigrants, including the DREAM Team. Named after the 2010 bill offering a…
