Remarkable UNC Chapel Hill first year student and activist Wooten Gough will be missing finals this year. Gough has arranged with his professors to leave school early — in order to go for a very long walk.
After meeting Trail of Dreams walkers and immigration reform activists Juan Rodriguez, Carlos Roa, Felipe Matos and Gaby Pacheco during their passage through North Carolina, Gough was inspired to join them.
A member of Reform Immigration for American and the Coalition for College Access, Gough passionately believes that all students deserve access to higher education, regardless of their documentation status.
“In class, I see these empty chairs around me where my friends could be here who are undocumented,” says Gough, “Why would I stop [pushing for reform]?”
“I can no longer wait around to see what might happen, but instead stand up and fight for what is right! Each step on the Trail of Dreams is for a real person, a real face, a real life, and above all, each step is for the dreams of a student. This is not just a Latino issue, this movement is for anyone who has ever been told they cannot accomplish something, for anyone who has a dream.”
Gough will join the dreamwalkers on their journey from Miami to Washington, D.C. for the final leg of their trip starting in Richmond, Virginia. Check out his blog. He needs to raise $1000 to pay for food and accomodations along the way. To help him, donate here.
Check out the Daily Tar Heel’s video profile of Gough, or
SCSJ’s Statement of Support for Trail of Dreams for more information.
Voice of Vietnamese Americans (VVA) was established in Virginia in 2009 to empower Vietnamese Americans "by promoting civic engagement through community organizing and capacity building." VVA is now turning its attention to the 2010 Census.
VVA is hoping to build a network of individuals and organizations through participation in the census that can be leveraged into a longer-lasting coalition for change and community empowerment. In line with the Southern Echo model and viewing the 2010 Census as just one of many tools in the civic engagement process, VVA is working toward the greater goal of building grassroots power and mobilization.
The organization's broad targeted public is Vietnamese Americans who do not speak English; this group includes senior citizens living in group homes and new-comers living in apartments and rental properties. All of these groups are historically hard to count. By working with community and religious leaders, as well as students and Census Bureau partnership specialists, VVA aims to raise awareness through strategic communications and individual outreach.
For VVA, the census is not just a one-time event but is a movement connected to broader social justice goals.
The best way to hold law enforcement accountable is to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!
SCSJ's Anita Earls participated in a police accountability workshop in Williamston, North Carolina on Saturday, April 10. Representatives from the National NAACP Criminal Justice Program presented information about the NAACP’s national Rapid Report System, a user-friendly, online reporting tool for witnesses or victims of police misconduct. The innovative RRS form allows residents to send instant texts, emails, or video reports of police abuse to the Association via cell phone.
If you experience or witness an incident involving police misconduct of any nature, report it from your mobile phone or on this web form e. Keeping records of law enforcement misconduct is critical for pursuing reform. Report any misconduct you witness and Know Your Rights!
Associated Neighborhood Development (AND) is an organization based in New Orleans, LA, established to address the affordable housing needs of New Orleans residents. Currently they are focusing on pairing new advocates with those who are more experienced to get the word out about the 2010 Census.
In collaboration with the Hoffman Triangle Neighborhood Association (HTNA), the groups are working to advocate for services that many New Orleans neighborhoods are still not able to offer in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. AND is hoping to reach affected communities with informational materials on what an accurate count in New Orleans would mean for the issues the area is facing as it continues to rebuild. Since many residents are displaced, it is crucial that everyone in this area be counted in order to obtain the resources the New Orleans community really needs.
AND will pair one youth canvasser who has been educated about the census with a more experienced volunteer from HTNA. By creating this diverse team, AND wants to couple youthful energy with experienced knowledge to reach a wider range of residents. AND hopes that this unique pairing will help to spread awareness about the benefits of participating in the 2010 Census to all members of the New Orleans community.
We were sad to see the dreamwalkers go. Trail of Dreams is one of the most inspiring ongoing nonviolent action movements. When the dreamers came upon a secret detention facility for undocumented immigrants in Cary, instead of engaging in destructive or angry behavior, they continued their work putting a human face to the 65,000 undocumented students who graduate high school every year but are denied college access because of their immigration status.
In this video, the dreamers spoke with the head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at the facility and gave him a poster with a picture of the Statue of Liberty and the words "No Human Being is Illegal."
The Florida Immigrant Coalition 2010 Census could help provide the means necessary to helping this community thrive. The organization has recruited more than 60 emerging community leaders to spread the word about the census in a way that is meaningful to the communities it serves.
For more information about FLIC's census work, check out this
On January 1, 2010, Juan, Carlos, Felipe and Gaby embarked on a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. These students are facing much more than sore feet; three of them are undocumented, and they risk deportation and detention in order to share their story and raise awareness about the need for just immigration reform.
Trail of Dreams is a journey of hope for the 12 million undocumented migrants in the United States who live in constant fear, and especially for the students who dream of higher education but are barred from attending college or accessing financial aid because of their citizenship status.
Felipe is among the top 20 community college students in America. He wants to be a teacher and has been accepted to top universities but cannot enroll because he is ineligible for financial aid. Gaby has three education degrees and plans to use music therapy as a teaching tool for autistic children and adults. Brought to the U.S. at age 2, Carlos wanted to join the military but could not because of his immigration status. He is now studying architecture at Miami Dade College. Juan became a U.S. resident last year with the help of his stepmother and wants to earn a sociology degree from the University of Chicago.
These four stellar students exemplify why we must pass the DREAM Act.
65,000 students graduate high school every year, but are denied college access because of our broken and unjust immigration system. These students include Valedictorians, class presidents, and community leaders. Yet they are refused the opportunity to further their education and give back to America — the country they see as their home.
Juan, Carlos, Felipe and Gaby are walking from Chapel Hill to Durham today. We applaud their courage and conviction. They are more than a symbol of hope — they are leaders in a movement for change. Join them.
For more information, check out our Statement of Support, our Press Release, and this column in the Daily Tar Heel.
Sant La, the Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami, FL, was established in December 2000 to help stabilize and empower Florida's Haitian community by providing it with the resources necessary to help it thrive. Ten years later, Sant La is working for an accurate census count for the same reasons.
Obstacles to being counted in the Haitian community include reaching low-income areas often isolated by language barriers and a mistrust of government agencies due to fears associated with immigration status. In addition, a lack of familiarity with American institutions and low literacy rates further discourage members of the community from participating in the census.
To combat these problems, Sant La is using its trusted position within the Florida Haitian community and a variety of media outlets to spread awareness of the 2010 Census and integrate it into their existing programs. Through weekly television programs, radio ads and print media publications, Sant La will use this major media campaign to reach everyone in the Haitian community. In the process, the organization hopes to educate its constituents about the benefits of an accurate count and build a trust that will help to empower the Haitian community.
The National Coalition for Burned Churches and Community and Empowerment was formed in 1997 in response to the church-burning crisis of 1996, when churches all over the South were destroyed by arsonists. Now this group of allies based in Georgia but spread all over the South is coming together for another cause: an accurate count in the 2010 Census.
In keeping with their mission and targeting historically underrepresented populations in communities affected by arson, the organization has many obstacles to overcome. They have found that there is very little interaction between these faith communities and government, making community members reluctant to participate and provide any information in the census. Even recovery aid is often not enough incentive in overcoming these inhibitions.
Being accurately counted and represented in the 2010 Census can mean fair political representation, strengthening a community voice that has historically gone unheard.
With a membership of more than 250 individuals and 15,000 parishioners, the National Coalition for Burned Churches plans to use their extensive network to reach as many people as possible in raising awareness of the 2010 Census. Building trusting relationships between groups affiliated with the census and faith communities is the best way to combat skepticism and encourage participation. The group will work with church leaders to ensure that every member of every congregation is counted, building a network of individuals that can be used for years to come after this census.
Today, the Wake County School Board will be holding the final vote on its plan to dismantle Wake County’s economic diversity policy and resegregate schools in the county.
They will be conduct this vote without full observation and participation by interested Wake County citizens. Concerned parents who showed up to the Board’s administration building before 9 AM were told that unless they stayed the entire day (the meeting doesn’t begin until 3 PM), they would have to surrender their tickets and lose their chance to attend the meeting. This was NOT ticketing policy described in this morning’s News and Observer.
Parents who had to pick children up at noon were thus excluded from attending this vitally important meeting. They left the building, frustrated, disgusted, and without tickets to the meeting.
The Wake County School Board is behaving in way that violates North Carolina’s Open Meeting Law. These secretive, excluding tactics are further inflaming tensions and dividing our community.
Linked here is a letter sent by a coalition of North Carolina attorneys outlining violations of the Open Meetings Law and urging the Board to reconsider its procedural changes for today's meetings.
On March 20, approximately 120 residents, public officials and advocates participated in the Environmental Justice Summit in the historically black First Baptist Church in New Hill.
The summit discussed the struggle of the New Hill Community Association (NHCA) against the placement of a sewage wastewater treatment plant in their community in the larger context of environmental racism and injustice.
The plant would benefit Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Morrisville, but would not benefit New Hill residents, who do not have a sewage system. Residents argue selection of the site was reverse-engineered, failed to include requisite public input, and has one of the largest human impacts of any of the sites considered. The plant would be located in the middle of town, next to the historic district and low-income housing for people of color.
The summit was co-sponsored by NHCA, SCSJ, and the NC Environmental Justice Network. Attendees engaged in community dialogue, learned about the latest developments, and participated in a press conference. In addition, attendees engaged in a question and answer session after a panel discussion with President of the New Hill Community Association Paul Barth, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network Gary Grant, UNC-Chapel Hill Professor of Epidemiology Dr. Steve Wing, a leader in the Rogers-Eubanks community's environmental justice struggle Reverend Robert Campbell, and the SCSJ staff attorney representing New Hill Chris Brook.
Check out this video created by SCSJ and shown at the summit:
Some new advocates are seeking to spread awareness about the importance of participating in the 2010 Census. Though they have never before been counted, that will soon change for these North Carolina residents.
The Eastern North Carolina Complete Count Committee is now working to make sure that these historically undercounted communities are accurately represented in the
Remarkable UNC Chapel Hill first year student and activist Wooten Gough will be missing finals this year. Gough has arranged with his professors to leave school early — in order to go for a very long walk.
After meeting Trail of Dreams walkers and immigration reform activists Juan Rodriguez, Carlos Roa, Felipe Matos and Gaby Pacheco during their passage through North Carolina, Gough was inspired to join them.
A member of Reform Immigration for American and the Coalition for College Access, Gough passionately believes that all students deserve access to higher education, regardless of their documentation status.
“In class, I see these empty chairs around me where my friends could be here who are undocumented,” says Gough, “Why would I stop [pushing for reform]?”
“I can no longer wait around to see what might happen, but instead stand up and fight for what is right! Each step on the Trail of Dreams is for a real person, a real face, a real life, and above all, each step is for the dreams of a student. This is not just a Latino issue, this movement is for anyone who has ever been told they cannot accomplish something, for anyone who has a dream.”
Gough will join the dreamwalkers on their journey from Miami to Washington, D.C. for the final leg of their trip starting in Richmond, Virginia. Check out his blog. He needs to raise $1000 to pay for food and accomodations along the way. To help him, donate here.
Check out the Daily Tar Heel’s video profile of Gough, or
SCSJ’s Statement of Support for Trail of Dreams for more information.
The best way to hold law enforcement accountable is to 
Associated Neighborhood Development (AND) is an organization based in New Orleans, LA, established to address the affordable housing needs of New Orleans residents. Currently they are focusing on pairing new advocates with those who are more experienced to get the word out about the 2010 Census.
In collaboration with the 
The Florida Immigrant Coalition 
On January 1, 2010, Juan, Carlos, Felipe and Gaby embarked on a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. These students are facing much more than sore feet; three of them are undocumented, and they risk deportation and detention in order to share their story and raise awareness about the need for just immigration reform.
The 
