are you an immigrant and don't know it?

Courtesy of TBTNEWS COMMENTARY Immigrants Are Black Too Contributing Correspondent: Bryan Echols This past weekend I was able to facilitate a forum between African immigrants/refugee leaders and "native born" (us) leaders to discuss racial justice and among other things immigration. Did you know that there are currently some 400, 000 Black people facing deportation? Most of these individuals come from various countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. These people are our neighbors, business owners, hair braiders, cabdrivers, teachers, professors, computer engineers and good family people who strive to build strong black families and communities. Like most people, you may not think of these individuals when it comes to the push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) and that is not by accident. When the "Gang of 8" drafted legislation for CIR they only had our brothers and sisters south of the border in mind. When you ask most individuals, "What face is the first face that you see when it comes to an immigrant?" Most will answer "Mexicans." When the "G8" drafted legislation around CIR, it was done on behalf of corporate benefits. As you know, there are many manufacturing and agricultural corporations who exploit people of color from south of our borders. This is done because they know their workers will often work under sub-standard work conditions, minimum wages and often will not organize against their employers. Some employers admit to paying these individuals under the table and sometimes not even at all. Employers may even threaten to call immigration, which is often a tactic used if an employee becomes to assertive for their basic human rights. But when it comes to African immigrants and Black immigrants, the education levels and the desire to organize are literally night and day. African immigrants are the highest educated immigrant population according to the United States Census Bureau statics and demographics. These individuals often come on student visas. Now that the bill has moved to the Senate floor for debates, here are a few components that need to be addressed in order to satisfy Black immigrants and their native-born allies. According to the United African Organization in Chicago, these components are: Inclusion of the Diversity Visa Program, which makes 50,000 diversity visas available annually from a random selection among entries of individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. It came as a real shock that the "Gang of 8" eliminated this small but highly significant program for African and Caribbean immigrants. In 2011, more than 100,000 Africans became legal permanent residents and some 24,000 benefited from this program. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) - a status that is given to nationals who come from countries in current turmoil or conflict and because of that, they cannot return home. Nationals from Mali are a good example. We call for permanent residency for all Haitians, Sudanese, South Sudanese, Somalis and other TPS holders to be included in the final CIR bill. Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) - certain Liberians were provided 18 months after September 30, 2007 by President Bush to offer these individuals work authorization and it was recently extended by President Obama. We call for immediate permanent residency for DED holders to be included in a final CIR bill. According to Policy Link, America will be a majority people of color by the year 2040 and this is potentially one of the reasons that we are closing our borders to people of color. Our Congressman Bobby Rush along with the Congressional Black Caucus have agreed to stand in solidarity with our Black immigrant population, by not voting for the bill if it does not include diversity visa program. Call Senators Dick Durbin (D), 202-224-2152; Mark Kirk (R), 202-224-2854; Congressmen Bobby Rush, 1st District, 202-225-4372; Danny Davis, 7th District, 202-225-5006; Jan Shakowsky, 9th District, 202-225-211 and Luis Guitierrez, 4th District,202-225-8203. Tell them that the diversity visa lottery and permanent residency for those on temporary protected status (TPS) and deferred enforced departure (DED) are essential and need to be included in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. Peace. Love. Light. (Bryan, consultant, human rights activist and President/CEO, Concerned Black Men Chicago. Reached Echols, atbe.consulting3@gmail.com)

Bruce Eric Montgomery TECH-B-TOLD Obama Unveils Digital Initiative Special Correspondent: Bruce Montgomery President Obama today unveiled a bold, new initiative called ConnectED to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years; calling on the FCC to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools and communities to support this vision. This ambitious initiative does not require Congressional action. “We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” said President Obama. “So today, I’m issuing a new challenge for America – one that families, businesses, school districts and the federal government can rally around together – to connect virtually every student in America’s classrooms to high-speed broadband internet within five years, and equip them with the tools to make the most of it.” Preparing America’s students with the skills they need to get good jobs and compete with countries around the world will rely increasingly on interactive, individualized learning experiences driven by new technology. But today, millions of students lack high-speed broadband access and fewer than 20 percent of educators say their school’s Internet connection meets their teaching needs. ConnectED will bring high-speed Internet within their reach, with a particular benefit for urban and rural communities that have lagged behind in connectivity. In addition to connecting America’s students, ConnectED harnesses the ingenuity of the American private sector get new technologies into students’ hands and support digital learning content. ConnectED will also invests existing federal funds to ensure that every educator in America receives support and training in using education technology tools to improve student learning. (Bruce, founder, producer & host, Technology Access Television attatvshow@yahoo.com or www.TechAccessTV.com)