Immigration

December 10, 2012

In an 1869 speech in Boston, abolitionist Frederick Douglass challenged most social observers and politicians by advocating the acceptance of Chinese and Japanese immigrants into the United States. He said: There are such things in the world as human rights. They rest upon no conventional...

MomsRising Together

Benjamin Jealous

Immigration

December 10, 2012

I'm reading Junot Diaz's new book and my head is swimming with images of Ana Iris, a Dominican mother of three who hasn't seen her children in seven years. In order to feed them, she's come to New York and works two jobs, one laundering bloody hospital sheets and the other filleting fish. Even...

MomsRising Together

Ellen Bravo

Immigration

December 10, 2012

Maria Bolaños, a Salvadoran woman in Hyattsville, Maryland, called the police out of fear that her partner was going to hurt her. But instead of being protected by the police, she got turned over to immigration. She said, “I feel like I made a mistake calling the police when I was afraid, and worry...

MomsRising Together

Linda Meric

Immigration

December 10, 2012

Since the election the headlines have been all about immigration reform and the urgency for Congress to finally get serious about it. As someone who works on immigration policy, I’ve been excited about the momentum that is building. But more importantly, as an advocate for children and as a...

MomsRising Together

Wendy Cervantes

Immigration

December 10, 2012

I have lived in the United States for 30 years, but I have never forgotten my humble beginnings as an undocumented immigrant. My family and I lived our first years in the US with the fear of being sent back to El Salvador. “La Migra” was a consistent threat in our lives. My personal experience as...

MomsRising Together

Rhina Ramos

Immigration

December 10, 2012

What would you do if you found out your daughter had a life-threatening illness -- and you had no way to pay for the treatment?   Would you pack up everything, cross a border, and move to a new country, if it meant the chance to work and earn enough to save her life?   I’m a mother and I would. In...

MomsRising Together

Shamasunder Reshma

Immigration

December 10, 2012

I wrote this piece for the Harvard Kennedy School newspaper , where I am a mid-career MPA student. Last year I took a break from community organizing after a heartbreaking loss of the DREAM Act in 2010. As I take this year to read and reflect, I can feel myself pulled back into the fight,...

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Marissa Graciosa

Immigration

December 10, 2012

As a lifelong human rights activist, I’ve never been afraid of controversy. But saying that immigrant women are good for our economy—good for our country —isn’t controversial. It’s common sense. Immigrant women are job creators. They are innovators and entrepreneurs who strengthen our national...

MomsRising Together

Mallika Dutt

Immigration Health Care

December 10, 2012

The landmark health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a tremendous starting point for improving the health of communities of color in California and across the country. But to truly achieve lasting progress in the fight against health disparities, we need...

MomsRising Together

Ellen Wu

Immigration

December 10, 2012

“Many people cross to seek riches, a truck, a new house, but mothers need to be with their children out of necessity. I am only crossing to see my daughter again, nothing more.” – Maria President Obama recently announced that immigration reform will be a top priority in his second term. As...

MomsRising Together