That Moment When Immigration Reform was "Trending" in the United States

by Kirklyn Escondo, Director of Community Building New York, NY - On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 18 Million Rising organized a "Twitter town hall" to engage the Asian American Pacific Islander community in a virtual dialogue regarding the highly contended immigration reform bill. Approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee just last week, the bill will require 60 out of 100 votes to pass the Senate, at which point it will surely be debated to shreds at the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

"We're excited to bring together organizers, policy experts, media figures, and the community, who are all part of #18MillionHearts," began 18 Million Rising (@18millionrising). Within minutes, the town hall prompted dozens of Tweets per minute, the hashtag "#18MillionHearts" Trending in San Francisco and Los Angeles and then nationally halfway through the discussion. The complex bill, which left the hands of the SJC with amendments that ranged from reunifying Filipino WWII veterans and their children to making DREAMers eligible for Federal Student Aid, was simultaneously praised and bashed by Twitter users across the nation. The dialogue featured comments by guest "panelists" that included Ai-Jen Poo of the National Domestic Worker’s Alliance, Gregory Cendana of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Margaret Huang of the Rights Working Group, Pramila Jayapal of the Center for Community Change, Saket Soni of the National Guestworker Alliance and Richard Lui, MSNBC correspondent, who answered a series of questions laid out by the folks of 18 Million Rising.

Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) of Hawaii, member of the SJC, even dropped in and reiterated her support for the AAPI community - prompting a flurry of comments such as, "We are very proud of & thankful for the amazing leadership of our champion, Sen. @maziehirono during #SJC proceedings!" by Mee Moua (@mee_moua) of the Asian American Justice Center, and "Imagine if there were more people like @maziehirono on #SJC & in Congress. Bill would look a lot different," from Gregory Cendana (@gregorycendana).

Arguably well-deserved praise, since Senator Hirono was responsible for the amendment calling for the reunification of Filipino WWII veterans and their families, along with other amendments that brought attention to specific needs of certain minority groups.

The town hall revealed the community's poignant concerns with the proposed bill, straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak - participants in the dialogue collectively bemoaned the bill's departure from a family-based immigration system to merit-based visa acquisition. "Merit-based #CIR de-prioritizes women and domestic workers who make all other work possible," commented a representative from the Asian American Legal Defense Fund (@AALDEF). Labor organizer Ai-Jen Poo (@aijenpoo) agreed. "Women often work in jobs w/o proof of employment. Need to make sure they're eligible for path to citizenship," she Tweeted. "Many mothers have been deported in recent years & must be able to reunite w/their children & families."

"Good god please consider too how merit-based reform reinforces the model minority myth," added Twitter user Suey Park (@suey_park).

Another concern raised was the bill's exclusion of same sex or LGBTQ binational couples in family immigration. In fact, the LGBTQ community seemed to have been overlooked by the immigration bill entirely. "From #18MillionHearts feed, it seems like a LOT of folks are very concerned abt #LGBT inclusion in #cir13," a representative from 18 Million Rising Tweeted.

Other issues discussed included possible risks posed by increased border security and enforcement. "GOP says need more border security but US already spends $18 billion/year on immigration & border enforcement," commented Margaret Huang (@RWG_Margaret).

Comments on healthcare and due process seemed to have been few and far between.

At the tail end of the town hall, 18 Million Rising asked, "What can we do TOGETHER to pass fair & just immigration reform?" Recommendations included uniting all minority communities under one banner. "Alliance build with Latino, African, African American & LGBTQ communities - this is an American issue!" suggested Twitter user Bicoastal Bitchin (@BicoastalBitchn). "And to include Irish, Latino, and AAPI voices in forums, panels to exhibit a chorus," Richard Lui (@RichardLui) added. He also advised the AAPI community to exercise their electoral rights and promote civic engagement, citing the record turnout of Asian American voters for the 2012 presidential election.

I would encourage many more of these Twitter town halls, where community members can express their thoughts and connect with and learn from the grassroots advocates who are essentially experts in their fields (e.g., now I know Ai-Jen Poo's Twitter handle, yay). It does away with the need for a physical venue and the inevitable scheduling conflicts that affect turnout (you don't have to leave your house! Or put on pants!). In this way, we can initiate a live dialogue that has the potential to become truly global. It lets viewers participate in a discussion across time zones, and allows for a certain anonymity that may just appeal to those who may fear putting a face (or even a real name) to their hard-hitting questions regarding immigration. It utilizes social media to engage the masses by bringing popular attention to important issues in "invisible" communities. Let's exhibit a chorus, and make sure our voices are heard and our concerns "Trending" nationally, globally, and within our communities themselves. And isn't that how the young'uns get their news nowadays, via Twitter Trends?

Sigh. If only we can avoid all the trolling, like this lovely piece of wisdom: "#18millionhearts for One Direction !!!! For 5 Seconds of Summer !!!! For Little Mix !!!! Ed Sheeran !!!!"

#Stopit.

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My Family's War-Time Story

Note from the editor: As we begin this week by reflecting on the sacrifices made by Americans during times of war, we wanted to share this personal story, shared with us by contributor, Jennifer Delos Santos. May we not forget the sacrifices made around the world during fearful times, and may we all work towards a more accepting and peaceful tomorrow. Passing down war-time stories across generations.

Each person has his or her own family history. Whether it includes a divorce, a milestone, or even death, each is unique, yet relatable to someone else’s. Part of my family history involves my grandparents during World War II. Honestly, if it were not for my eighth grade history project, I would have never known the details of what my grandparents encountered. While I was learning about WWII back in eighth grade, my social studies teacher enforced the memorization of the beginning of President Roosevelt’s speech. "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan."My grandparents experienced more than one infamous day, especially my grandfather, or as my family call him, “Tata.” If he were still alive, I would have thanked him for what he did.  I can admit that he is a source of inspiration. I’m not sure if I can do what he did if faced with a similar situation. My grandmother, “Ima,” was there the whole time too and the war justifies how brave they both were. As I learned from my mother, the Japanese were killing all of the men, but not the women.  Why? I am not sure. On top of being poor, my grandparents had to confront the Japanese. But before they reached the nipa hut of my grandparents, Tata planned ahead. He dressed up as one of the women and wore a dress along with a bandana on his head while holding a baby in his arms. I am not sure if the baby was one of my older aunts or uncles or someone else’s baby, but what matters is that he was not killed. The disguise saved his life and the Japanese only pierced the ceiling of the nipa hut with bayonets to ensure that no one was hiding. This incident was long before my mother was born and I always think about how crucial this event was. Without their sacrifice, my mother wouldn’t be here nor would I. After the war subsided, one of my older aunts traveled to the U.S. and settled in New York. She then petitioned my grandparents and other members of my family, eventually leading to the petitioning of my mother as well. Therefore, more importantly, because my grandfather survived, he was able to live in the U.S. and become a U.S. citizen.Everyone has an interesting story to be told. This is one of mine. I’m sure that I will be passing this story down to my family and beyond. It is something that my family can be proud of and proves how an act of bravery can be significant. Tata made a difference in my family by surviving the Japanese. If he hadn’t survived, I wouldn’t be here writing about it.

Emerging Leader: Amanda Andrei

Age: 24 Hometown: Woodbridge, VA Current Residence: Ashburn, VA College of William and Mary, 2010 Anthropology and Math minor

Meet Amanda Andrei, an Artificial Intelligence Engineer at MITRE Corporation.* Essentially, she does everything from building computer models to working on organizational change management with various government agencies in the Washington D.C. area.

Andrei, a multifaceted Fil-Am, is also well-versed in the realm of creative and performing arts, which has been quite influential in her life. Since high school, she’s been involved in acting, directing, making props and assistant producing. In her senior year of undergrad, she took a playwrighting class and wrote the award-winning play Every Night I Die, which is set in rural southern Philippines during the 1930s. It has had staged readings in Arlington, VA at Little Theatre on the Run, and has been performed at the 2011 Capital Fringe Festival and the College of William and Mary.

“It’s important in life, being able to tell a story,” Andrei reflects. “Theater is very fulfilling. I love creating for the sake of creating and touching the human soul. Theater is the most effervescent of the arts, so you never get the same show twice; it’s never the same [and only] there for that moment, so it’s really precious.”

When thinking about her identity, Andrei takes both her Pilipino and Romanian heritage into account. She writes for Asian Fortune, a newspaper based in DC. In college, Andrei yearned to learn more about the Philippines. She explored her connection to her roots while participating with the Fil-Am organizations at UVA and William and Mary, being actively involved in FIND, and while studying abroad at Ateneo de Manila University.

Andrei would like to see the Fil-Am and Pilipino community cultivate the arts.

“I’ve taken writing classes, and there have been times where I have questioned my identity in the writing of my pieces because I didn’t know if anyone understood, [and have thought to myself] ‘Should I be less brown?’”

While working with the Smithsonian and the Organization of Chinese Americans, she learned the importance of education, arts, culture and outreach. She envisions this for the Fil-Am community in the DC area, particularly with the establishment of a safe space or program where Asian Americans and others can be trained in performance and writing.

“We need more of those voices and perspectives. It doesn’t always have to be about the Philippines; I’d rather have someone tell a good story,” notes Andrei.

Andrei offers the following advice to fellow Fil-Ams and Pilipinos.

"Don’t be afraid to spend money on your heath,” adds Andrei. “I pay for [and use] a monthly pass to the yoga studio, have acupuncture done and eat healthy."

"If you’re still in college, take some technical courses, such as math, computer science, or GIS. You may not like it, but to survive in today’s world, you should have that component,” Andrei advises. For those studying just hard sciences, don’t be afraid to get a minor in something else. “You need to have an interesting combination. Mix it up!” notes Andrei.

“Carve out your own space. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. No one I know really has it all; if they do, they’re really lucky. If everyone’s telling you what you have to do and what you have to be, remember to be true to yourself. Be practical, but still allow yourself to dream. Be open to the universe."

Photo credit: Dan Tran

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*About The MITRE Corporation The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with principal locations in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va. To learn more, visit www.mitre.org.

#PIHealth: A Call to Action for Improving Health in the Philippines

Note from the editor: Today's story is a guest post by Kathleen Cabangon. A major issue that the Philippines faces is health and healthcare. Around one-quarter of families in the Philippines live below the poverty threshold, reflecting broad social inequity and other social challenges. Cities are becoming more crowded and polluted due to increased migration from rural areas; cost of living has increased due to inflation making food more expensive; and access to clean water supplies is more uncertain compared to a generation ago. Despite the Philippines’ economic and political progress in the new millennia, inequity in the public health sector exacerbate challenges in morbidity and mortality and put at risk the well-being and lives of many Filipinos.

Acknowledging the growing concerns in health, the Philippine government is expected to provide universal health care for its citizens by 2016. An article published earlier this year by the World Bank, “Achieving Universal Health Care in the Philippines,” described the current state of the health care system:

“While the Philippines has made considerable progress in the health sector over the previous decades, several important challenges remain. Poor households’ health outcomes were three to four times worse than middle class families’ and the poor lacked proper financial protection from debt accrued from out-of-pocket health expenses. To alleviate poverty, the government prioritized enrolling poor households in the national health insurance program and ensuring they had adequate access to quality health services and financial protection.”

My interest in health issues began while I was an intern at Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK). ARK developed an amazing feeding program: just $15/day feeds one child for an entire year. This program was backed up by statistical data which showed the shift. With this, I began to draw the conclusion that without proper access to food or health care, success was virtually impossible. For example, imagine all the times you were sick and unable to work. Being ill essentially put a “stop” on your ability to produce and be active. There is a direct correlation between productivity and one’s state of health. We can further push that idea to say that for some in the Philippines, the notion of productivity becomes an obstacle because they do not have the necessary health care to remain healthy. So why? Why should we care? Personally, I feel an inherent need to give back in any way that I can to the Filipino community and one way I fulfill that need is by writing this blog post. My role is to give a voice to the people who are voiceless and to expose the hardships Filipinos face, day in and day out. It is a shame that even for a nation with infinite potential like the United States, that inequities such as poverty and access to health are still unsettled issues for the country. Public hospital facilities should be beyond what they are now and should mirror the city’s aims towards growth. The prices of medicines in the Philippines are among the highest in the world—certainly too high in relation to household incomes of most Filipinos. Given the high prices, most medicines are beyond the paying capacity of most Filipinos. Thus, the state of health in the Philippines calls for attention from the government, but most importantly from its citizens, where citizen awareness of the issues is the primary catalyst for change.

Tell us your thoughts on these issues via Twitter using our hashtag, #PIHealth. And follow @unipronow and @uni_issues for daily updates on issues like these.