What's Your 'Story'? And How Will You Be Part of 'History'?

As a history major, and lover of the stories that make history about people, the passing of renowned and often controversial professor and author Howard Zinn was saddening. I still remember the first time I ever read a part of his A People's History of the United States in my 11th grade U.S. History class. I also believe that it was around the time that we read from his book that I finally realized that history was really all about the STORY.

Zinn's writings call for people to learn from the stories of those who came before, both famous and obscure. Truly - we can learn as much about what it means to exercise our rights in a democracy from the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson as when we read the words of girls working in the factories of New York and Boston under unthinkable conditions, or the accounts of Native Americans who were forced from their homes.

As one of Zinn's most recent projects, The People Speak notes, democracy is not a spectator sport. And while this may sound idealistic in a time of war, a bad economy, and a strained-to-the-breaking-point health care system; I hope that in the absence of Zinn's voice, we never forget the potential power that we hold as a people full of unique and equally important stories. What's your 'story' and how will you use your experiences to bring about action? Go ahead - write a new part of 'history.'

In peace and hope,

~Rachael

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In State of the Union, President Cites Need to Fix Broken Immigration System

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama focused on the economy, job creation, financial regulatory reform, and health care reform. He called for an end to hyper-partisanship in Congress and, toward the end of his speech, identified domestic priorities including the need to "continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system." FCNL continues to work with Congress to advance immigration reform legislation.

The president also spoke more broadly of the need to value diversity. He stated, "Abroad, America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution, the notion that we're all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law, you should be protected by it, if you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no different than anyone else." We hope that President Obama carries forward this commitment by resisting the temptation to resort to racial profiling in the name of national security.

In one of the last lines of the speech, he said: "I never suggested that change would be easy or that I could do it alone. Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is." As we've worked on immigration reform over the past year, we've tried to counter impassioned, hateful rhetoric with civil dialogue and quiet witness. We saw that in our Breaking Bread and Barriers potlucks in the fall, and now we're asking you to join us again this February by organizing prayer vigils in your community.

These prayer vigils, in solidarity with our country's immigrants, send a clear message to Congress that we remain committed to immigration reform. In order to fix the broken system and restore dignity and rights for all, we need to stand together. Take a look at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's prayer vigil organizing guide to start planning yours today.

*Cross-posted on FCNL's immigration blog, Immigration: It's Our Community."

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What I've Been Reading on the Metro: Outcasts United

If you've ever been to DC and ridden the Metro, you've likely noticed that especially during rush hour, the trains are packed with people of all different backgrounds, many speaking languages other than English, and many not speaking at all as they are engrossed in whatever is playing through their headphones. There are also the occasional people that seem to be talking out loud (and very loudly) to themselves until you realize - oh no, their talking on their phone/Bluetooth… something I have yet to get used to.

Over the past few days, what you would see me doing on the Metro however is intently reading a wonderful new book, Outcasts United, by Warren St. John. For some reason these Metro rides seem to be the only time that I find to read and yet I often get so involved in the book that after about fifteen minutes I look up and realize that I've nearly missed my stop! This book was give to me for Christmas (thanks Dad!) and it chronicles the story of a Jordanian woman Luma Mufleh who comes to the U.S. as a college student and eventually ends up as the coach of the Fugees, a soccer team of refugee boys in a small town in Georgia that had become the resettlement site for refugees from scores of the world's most war torn nations - Liberia to Iraq, Afghanistan to Sudan.

Though I have yet to finish the book (not because I don't want to, because my Metro ride's too short!) this book is not just about a woman who chose to work, for very little, to help these young boys find a home in America. It's also the story of each of these boys and their families, how and why they came to this country and the difficulties they faced once they had 'achieved the dream' of making it to America. In addition, the author also gives a great amount of concise background information about the conflicts that helped to push these families to become refugees. Finally, the authors also addresses the issues of a changing definition of place in a small southern town on the outskirts of Atlanta, GA and in some ways, the United States as a whole.

Having worked with refugees and immigrants in Greensboro, NC while in college, I greatly appreciate the humanity of these stories and the recognition that each of these "characters" is dealing with the changes in their own lives and the world around them in unique ways. As praise for the book suggests, Outcasts United is, "Brilliant … A heartwarming tale about the transformations that occur when our disparate lives connect." -Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone.

In my opinion, it's not only a great read, but also reminds us about both the complications that immigrant and refugee populations can present to our 'world as we know it' as well as the cross-cultural connections that such circumstances provide, whether we expected them or not.

In peace,

~Rachael

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Israel Attempts to Purge International Presence from Palestinian Territories

It started with the Czech girl whose flat in Ramallah was invaded at night by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) even though they technically shouldn't be in Palestinian territory. She was summarily deported, for her affiliation with the International Solidarity Movement and overstaying her visa. Then a couple of Americans trying to go on a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation trip around Israel and the West Bank were denied entry at the Tel Aviv airport and deported back home. Most recently, my friend Faith who has been working with the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem was detained and deported when trying to get a tourist visa (the only real way for most people to get access to the Palestinian Territories). Her boyfriend Jared, the English editor for Ma'an News, a Palestinian news agency, was detained for over a week inside the airport while seeking a legal hearing before he was eventually deported yesterday.

The news this week has been especially grim. Israel has stopped giving work visas to groups who work in the Palestinian territories, such as Oxfam and the Quakers, which will severely restrict the ability of international staff to conduct relief/development/peace/capacity-building projects in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. There has been an additional crackdown on activists and protesters inside Israel. This coordinated effort by Israel to get rid of the irritating internationals who question the politics and policies of occupation either by raising humanitarian concerns, social or political awareness, or religious consciousness is not new but it is alarming.

It is impossible to get into the Palestinian territories without Israeli permission. If restrictions on foreign organizations and individuals continue to rapidly increase, with no outcry from Americans, then we could see the day when the Palestinian territories are completely inaccessible. Perhaps this is what the Israeli government intends but it is deplorable and must be stopped. Without the freedom for press, aid groups, human rights organizations, and development agencies to operate in the occupied territories, conditions will undoubtedly deteriorate and further jeopardize the chances for any resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

***

P.S. Two interesting Op-Eds on Jared Malsin's detention/deportation and what it means for democracy and freedom of speech in the Jerusalem Post and by Americans for Peace Now.

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Happy Anniversary, Guantanamo: Obama's Task Force Stands in the Way of Justice

Exactly one year ago, President Obama signed an executive order to close the illegal detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. In his own words, the closure of Guantanamo would be "consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice."

This time last year, the air was full of the promise of hope and the excitement of a new age -- an opportunity for the U.S. government to definitively reject torture and restore its commitment to human rights for all.

Where are we now?

President Obama's goal was to have Guantanamo closed by January 22, 2010. This day has arrived, and Guantanamo remains open. It is our hope that President Obama will take advantage of the State of the Union as a tremendous opportunity to renew his commitment to closing Guantanamo in a way that respects human rights.

FCNL, along with a wide array of human rights organizations, has been urging the Obama administration to choose one of two paths for each of the remaining detainees:

(1) Release detainees to their home countries or resettle them in new countries if they would be tortured or persecuted if returned home.

(2) Put detainees on trial using federal courts to determine whether they should continue to be detained.

Back in 2009 when President Obama signed the executive order, he created a task force to figure out just what to do with the remaining detainees. Today, the New York Times reports that the task force has reached its conclusions, and they're not nearly as good as we would have hoped.

Here's the breakdown, according to the task force: Just under 200 detainees are still held at Guantanamo. 110 of those detainees should be released or resettled. 40 of them should be prosecuted. And what about the remaining 50? The task force says that they are too difficult to prosecute yet too dangerous to release.

At FCNL, we still maintain that the Obama administration should either prosecute or release the detainees. If there is a good reason to continue to detain an individual, then officials should be able to prove it before a court. If not, then that individual should be released.

In order for the United States to move forward, we need transparency. The task force's findings come as a disappointment because they stand in the way of justice for all.

The people of the United States deserve to live in a country that rejects torture and grants everyone a fair day in court. During the State of the Union, President Obama should renew the administration's commitment to closing Guantanamo in a way that respects human rights.

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FCNL Hosts Briefing on Native American Affairs

Last Friday, the Native American program here at FCNL hosted a briefing for our interfaith colleagues on the hill. Our first speaker was Amber Ebarb from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). She gave us an overview of the federal budget as it relates to Indians, particularly Indian health care. One thing she emphasized was the incredible fluctuation in funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Indian Health Services (IHS). She really brought home the point that it is extremely difficult to provide adequate services when these bodies have no idea what their funding will be like from year to year.

We also heard from Cindy Darcy and Jose Aguto from NCAI. Cindy gave us the history of the IHCIA as well as its current status in Congress. Her talk had an optimistic tone, noting that this Congress has been good about remembering tribes when considering state and local levels of government. The Senate HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) in particular has been very good about remembering tribal programs and the IHS.

From Jose Aguto we heard the happy news that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) is working on a new Indian energy bill. As I learned at the hearing held by the SCIA in October, Indian country faces unique barriers to energy development, but has great potential for sustainable energy production. As Jose pointed out at our briefing, tribal wind potential can supply 40% of US energy, and solar potential could supply 4 or 5 times the total US energy use.

John Harte, Policy Director for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, came to speak about the Tribal Law and Order Act. He used powerful language in speaking out for the need for an overhaul in the public safety and justice system in Indian Country, calling the lack of funding "systematic."

To learn more about any of these issues, visit our website, NCAI's website, or the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs' website.

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Sisters from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in Haiti

My mom just sent me this link earlier today. This is a link to a six-minute long clip on the Today Show. Reporters interview two American girls who were in Haiti on Tuesday when the quake hit. Christa, the focus of the clip, has connections to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and Alaska Yearly Meeting. Her sister Julian (who served on PYM's nominating committee, and handles the database for the yearly meeting) was also in Haiti on Tuesday but is not in the clip.



http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/34875910#34875910
Similar to other news broadcasts of the disaster, there are some disturbing images, but the actual interview with Christa is slightly more up lifting. She reminds us how lucky we are for the access to medical care that we have in the United States.

My heart goes out to her family and friends. I have to admit that I have not been able to read anything, watch anything, listen to anything and really have a conversation about the current situation in Haiti without tearing up. Not only am I overwhelmed by the fact that thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of people are now suffering due to a the recent disaster but I'm reminded of the couple hundred years of suffering that the Haitian people have had to endure due to abject poverty, political instability, and a long history of feeling the affects of global inequality.

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Trip to New Mexico for Native American Program

I recently had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico, to visit a Navajo community there. I went with the goals of meeting people, getting a sense of what life is like in a rural Native American community, and collecting some stories that might help inform my work at FCNL, and motivate congresspeople to act on the bills we support. I spent most of my time with the Torreon Chapter of the Navajo Nation. While there I stayed with Pat Kutzner, a released Friend of Baltimore Yearly Meeting, who has been working with Torreon for over a decade. Below are some excerpts from my reflections on the week.

1/4/10: [I went to a meeting with some people from the senior center, the head start program, and a man named Leonard.] I was not given an introduction to this meeting, which was clearly the continuation of a previous conversation or conversations. As best as I could tell it was about concerns over sharing space while the senior center is rebuilt/restored after fire. (The chapter house was set on fire (they’re pretty certain it was arson) about a week before I got there. Some of the chapter officials had offices in there, and it also housed the senior center. The senior center is using the head start building, including their kitchen, for the time being).

It seemed like Leonard’s role was to mediate between the senior center (Joe’s day job is to run the senior center) and the head start people. A number of times he said something to the effect of, “If you guys can work it out between you, that’s great.” Joe asked him to “be on my side” a few times, but kind of with a twinkle in his eye. There was a lot of teasing during the meeting, particularly between the two men (who were the main people talking). At the beginning of the meeting Leonard was asking Joe why they hadn’t gotten the chapter house cleaned up yet. You wanted to take a longer holiday, didn’t you? You didn’t want to clean up because you were taking a longer holiday. He said this with a straight face, and Joe started defending himself, but Leonard turned to me and grinned or winked or something, to indicate that he was just giving Joe a hard time. Joe said, “We tease each other a lot.”

[I also met with Kialo, who works at the Torreon Day School.] It’s really hard to get business leases in the Navajo Nation. They have to go to Window Rock and there are lots of requirements. It all bottlenecks in one office. It is also really hard to get approval for home site leases; even if you have all your papers in order and meet all the requirements it is still a 3-4 year process. There is no guarantee that you will have plumbing or electricity. Kialo and his wife aren’t on the grid – they can see the main power line from their house, but to get a line to their house (which is wired and ready) would cost $30,000.

1/6/10: [This is from a phone conversation with Dr. McKinley, the psychologist for the day school. She is not from Torreon.] She thinks that socioeconomic status is the cause of most of the problems. They are not “Indian problems,” they are problems caused by being very poor and very isolated. The biggest problems she sees are substance abuse, isolation, and domestic abuse – these are all perpetuated by a failed justice system. When she’s gone to court for a student, she sees so many cases thrown out because police didn’t deliver the summons. Most cases don’t even make it to trial. It’s not just that there aren’t enough police, but that the justice system is not employed. Part of that may be a backlash against what is considered a white system – they (Navajo) see the justice system as having been imposed on them. People know that they can literally get away with murder, and they take advantage of that.

1/7/10: [The next day I drove to Crownpoint, 1 1/2 hours away, to visit the Navajo Technical College there. I spoke with Dr. Becenti, Dean of Outreach and Engagement.] Regarding the Tribal Law & Order Act: Having more access to criminal databases would be really good, as would more training. The area is currently lacking in basic databases and systems. The level of training of police is very low. Often if someone is pulled over for speeding or is arrested, nothing comes of it because the officers don’t write up reports. Dr. Becenti says this is often because they can’t read or write well enough to write up an intelligible report. Education is a really big problem. He has tried to start a class on police report writing at the college for the nearby police station, but they have so far declined the offer.

1/9/10: [On my last full day in Torreon, I went to Chaco Canyon with Leo Charley, who is very involved in the community and very knowledgeable.] Today I went with Leo Charley toChaco Canyon, which used to have all these villages of the ancestors of the Pueblo. Now it’s this big amazing canyon with lots of super cool ruins. He told me names for lots of things in Navajo – for Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Bonito (one of the ruins), rabbit, sister, and brother. Also he told me the word for American Indian. I don’t remember the word, but he explained all of the parts of it to me – it means “a seed that becomes a living thing and comes up out of the ground and walks around.”

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My First Earthquake

As I read the articles and look at the pictures of the devastation and destruction following the massive earthquake in Haiti, I have memories of the first earthquake I experienced. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake was nowhere near as damaging or devastating as the earthquake in Haiti, but I remember how scared and vulnerable I felt in the immediate aftermath.

In January 1994, when the earthquake struck, I was 6 (a month away from turning 7) and in First Grade. The earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning on what was supposed to have been a one day holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King Day but instead turned into an extended winter break.

Even though the earthquake was a magnitude 6.6, I actually slept through the event; my parents had to come wake me and pull me out of bed. All of my bookcases had fallen over, and there was just piles of stuff all over the floor of my room. In our kitchen, many of our cups and mugs had fallen out of the cupboards and broke and the refrigerator door had opened, spilling food and juice on the floor. Pictures on our walls fell down and the TV in my parents' room fell face-first onto the floor (This was a miracle TV, though. Not only did the TV not shatter, but it continued to work beautifully for another 10 years.)

I know from looking at the pictures of Port-au-Prince, Haiti that my family was really lucky. My house didn't collapse, and the most serious structural damage was that our chimney fell off. But when I was sitting in the doorway of my bathroom, in the dark, with my parents feeling all of the aftershocks, I felt so scared. And it took a long time for that feeling to go away; for a long time afterwards, I was constantly terrified that there would be another big earthquake, and it would be the one to knock my house down or kill someone I cared about.

I was very fortunate when the Northridge earthquake struck, but the people who have been affected in Haiti really need our help. Earthquakes are scary business. I chose to donate to Doctor's Without Borders (MSF), but there are many worthy organizations who are also helping in the aftermath. I hope everyone can find an organization to support.

-Lacey

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Devastation in Haiti- Two Ways You Can Help!

Yesterday there was an absolutely devastating earthquake in Haiti that has killed thousands of people and left much of the capital in rubble. It is a tragedy that any country would have such a devastating disaster, but this is even worse in Haiti because of the abject poverty of the country. It is already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

What can we do to help?

1. Donate to organizations that are providing humanitarian relief. FCNL partners, the American Friends Service Committee and Outreach International, will be providing emergency relief in this crisis.

2. Encourage President Obama and Congress to act swiftly and designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status, which would halt deportations and permit Haitians already in the United States to live and work here as Haiti responds to this devastating earthquake. Granting TPS would allow the Haitian government to invest its limited resources into rebuilding damaged infrastructure and offering emergency relief to its suffering people.

Let's work together to help Haitians in their time of tremendous suffering!

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Holiday Break=More time to talk about FCNL

I'm finally back in D.C. after spending the holidays at home in Los Angeles (finally arriving home two days later then I had originally planned). I was so happy to be in L.A.: able to slip on my sandles, soak in the beautiful weather, and visit my family and friends.

A lot of what I did at home, however, was talk about FCNL. I wasn't acting in any official capacity; I wasn't visiting constituents. I was talking to family and friends about FCNL, because they had so many questions about the organization and the work of FCNL.

Most (probably all) of my friends and family hadn't heard of FCNL until I got my internship here (although almost all of them had seen a WINA bumper sticker), and it wasn't really until after I started working here that I felt I could adequately explain the type of work we do here and answer all of their questions.

I was really happy to be able to inform people about FCNL and our work. Talking about FCNL made me feel really happy about working here and really proud of the work we do here. I was glad to be able to introduce FCNL to a new group of people. Even though I know that many of them (particularly those who are friends of my parents) aren't destined to become E-news or LAM subscribers, I think it was good for them to learn about FCNL.

In addition to talking a lot about FCNL over my holiday break, I had a wonderful time going to Disneyland, catching up on my movie watching, cooking wonderful food for my family, and celebrating the holidays with close family friends.

I'm looking forward to 2010.

-Lacey

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Take Action: Urge Your Rep. To Support Humane and Fair Immigration Reform

Happy New Year! The turn of the year carries with it a new reason for hope - the chance for Congress to make good on its promise to humanely reform the broken immigration system. With the new year comes new opportunities for us to recommit ourselves to the struggle for justice.

On December 15, Representative Luis Gutierrez (IL) and 91 original cosponsors unveiled the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321), which proposes reforms for the broken immigration system. The bill would promote family unity, bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, and uphold immigrants' human and civil rights.

Now it's your turn to act. Send a message to Congress urging your representative to support humane and fair immigration reform. Together we can make 2010 the year that Congress reforms the broken immigration system that disrupts the lives of so many each day.

Looking for more information? Take a look at FCNL's easy-to-read table outlining our position on the bill, or read our press release and blog post about the press conference announcing the bill. For the full text of the bill, click here. And don't forget to contact one or two friends and ask them to send their own letters of support!

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