The Illinois DREAM Act has the power to make a real difference in the lives of undocumented young people throughout Illinois
and moves the immigration debate forward.

ACT NOW!!

Speak up for accurate information, access to education and a voice for all undocumented youth! There are too many stories of young people being caught in a broken immigration system.

The Illinois DREAM Act (SB 2185) is scheduled to be voted on in the Illinois Senate on Wednesday, May 3rd, and this is your opportunity to right a wrong.

Click here to get your legislator’s contact information and take a few minutes to call or email your legislator and make sure that she or he is supporting Illinois DREAM Act (SB 2185). Every little bit counts!

South Asians for Immigration Reform

Children of our undocumented community grow up in the U.S, and become like other “American kids.” But they cannot work or pursue their dreams because they don’t have legal status. Every year, roughly 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school, but many don’t apply for college. HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THIS ?

Some of the SAPACers got to meet Prerna Lal in D.C. last month when she received the Changemakers award from South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT). Prerna is a Co-Founder and Online Coordinator of DreamActivist , a online immigrant youth community  that has mobilized thousands to action. Last month, Prerna received notice to appear in court for removal proceedings and could face deportation to her native Fiji despite having parents who are legal permanent residents. Prerna is an example of how our immigration system is broken.

What is the Illinois DREAM Act? Here are the 3 things you need to know about the proposed bill!

ACCURATE INFORMATION: DREAM youth too often get incorrect information from high school counselors and college admissions officers regarding their college options. This bill will encourage these counselors and officers receive regular training regarding educational opportunities for immigrant youths. Having accurate information would give DREAM youths the hope they need to continue their educations and help reduce the rates of high school dropouts.

ACCESS TO EDUCATION: Many qualified DREAM students do not have the financial resources to pursue college.  The Illinois DREAM Act would establish a privately-funded Illinois DREAM Fund, administered by a volunteer state commission, to make scholarships available to undocumented students at no cost to taxpayers. The bill would also open up college savings programs and prepaid tuition programs to all Illinois residents, so that the families of DREAM students will be better able to pay for tuition. Not one penny comes from tax dollars.

A VOICE: In addition to administering and fundraising for the Illinois DREAM Fund, an Illinois DREAM Commission could monitor implementation of other parts of this law and research the needs of DREAM youth as they make their way through college.

MAKE THE CALL, PEOPLE, &

HELP ILLINOIS

DREAM BIG!!!

BEING BROWN IS NOT A CRIME!

Four of our fierce members–Rabya, Aparna, Chirayu, and Shilpa–drove from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to represent SAPAC at the SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together) annual South Asian Summit this weekend.

Follow along and join the conversation as they tweet their findings and activities from the conference! @sapacchicago #SouthAsianSummit

Once it became known that the suspect in the Tuscon shootings appears to be a white American, and that one of the victims is a Democrat who supports President Obama’s immigration and health care reform plans, conservatives began the process of simultaneously defending and distancing themselves from Jared Loughner.  They urged us not to jump to conclusions prematurely, having shown no such restraint when Muslim suspects were named in Portland or New York bombing plots.

The other day Sarah Palin took to Facebook to defend herself against charges of inflaming violence, saying, “Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own… it is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”  Except when Muslims are involved, she complains, “Are we not allowed to even debate the role that radical Islam plays in inciting this violence?”

I suspect this represents more than mere politicking, but rather a genuine belief that some individuals are beyond accountability, while others guilty simply by association.

Guest blogger Sung Yeon Choi-Morrow is the Community Organizer at Asian American Institute. Born in Korea and raised in India, she now enjoys working with various Asian American communities in Chicago.

You want a voice? Vote!

The other day while I was sipping a hot masala tea at a sweet shop on Devon I overheard a conversation about voting. What surprised me was not the content of the conversation but the fact that I still remembered enough Hindi from my childhood in India to understand what they were saying! Unfortunately the content of the conversation was far too familiar.

“Are you voting next week?”

“Oh, it’s election again? No, what’s the point?”

“Yeah, I know, it doesn’t make much of a difference, whether you vote or not.”

“That’s what I mean. Brother, your time is better spent somewhere else.”

Haven’t we all heard this conversation, or even participated in this conversation at some point?

The truth is, it may seem that it doesn’t matter, but it does.  I’d like to introduce to you the “Cockroach Effect” (sorry for the nasty visual here).  When you discover one little cockroach in the cabinet underneath your sink, you probably freak out for a second but then find Raid or a paper towel or something and just kill it. Unless you have an exceptional fear of roaches, you’ll probably forget about the incident and not think much about it.

But let’s say you opened up your cabinet under your kitchen sink and you saw hundreds if not thousands of roaches crawling around! The first thing I’d think is, “Yikes, I should’ve written down that phone number from the Orkin commercial!” And then I’d frantically Google “Orkin” and get a terminator out to my house.

In some ways politics works the same way. Yes, if one Indian American living on Devon decided to vote, no one may notice. Not the elected officials, not the candidates running, not the media, NO ONE. But if ALL the Asian Americans living in the 50^th Ward voted and had a historic turnout for November 2^nd, people would notice.

We need to work to create the Cockroach Effect! We need everyone to vote and get others out to vote.

If Asian Americans want to have a voice, get recognition, and bring resources to our community, we must vote, and get our people out to vote!

Please consider volunteering with the Asian American Institute for this weekend and Election Day in the 50^th Ward to make history by turning out the highest number of Asian American voters for a midterm election!

Please email Brandon@aaichicago.org for more information or call him at 773.271.0899 x200.

Commit to vote!

Here’s the latest edition of my election guide that I put together for friends and family who may have questions about registering to vote, where to vote, how to pick judges, etc. There are no biased opinions here—just facts about where you can find more information about your ballot and how to vote in this election. Please feel free to share this with others—especially the ones you have a sneaking suspicion may be too shy to ask these questions! And please share with us any great resources you’ve found.

Thanks! Now get out and VOTE!

• What are we voting for in IL?
• Do I have to declare a political party preference?
• What will my ballot look like? Where do I go to vote?
• What time are the polls open?
• Can I still register to vote?
• What is early voting and where/when can I do it?
• In-person absentee voting
• Absentee voting by mail
• How do I know which judges to vote for?
• What kind of voting equipment will I use?
• What if I show up and they tell me I can’t vote?
• Know Your Rights
• Have more questions?

What are we voting for in IL?

In the November 2, 2010 General Election, Cook County, IL voters will cast ballots that include:

• U.S. Senator
• U.S. Representatives
• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• State Comptroller
• State Treasurer
• State Senators (some)
• State Representatives
• Cook County Board President
• Cook County Commissioners
• Cook County Assessor
• Cook County Clerk
• Cook County Treasurer
• Cook County Sheriff
• Cook County Board of Review Commissioner (1st district)
• Appellate and Circuit Court Judges
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners (some)
• Regional Superintendent of Schools
• Various statewide, countywide and local referenda questions

If you live in another IL county, use the links provided below to find out which offices will appear on your ballot.

Do I have to declare a political party preference?

No. Your ballot will include all parties’ candidates for each office.

What will my ballot look like? Where do I go to vote?

Remember that you can print out your ballot, mark it up with your voting preferences, and take it into the voting booth with you. You do not have to vote on memory alone!

In suburban Cook County, you can see your exact ballot and polling place at the Cook County Clerk’s website.

In Chicago, go to ChicagoElections.com.

In other parts of IL, go to the IL State Board of Elections.

If you want to see what referenda might appear on your ballot, the IL State Board of Elections provides a handy Referenda Search. (It’s a bit clunky, so you’re better off just looking at your exact ballot using the links above.)

What time are the polls open?

Polls are open from 6am to 7pm every Election Day.

Can I still register to vote?

Yes. If you missed the standard October 5 voter registration deadline, IL offers a “Grace Period.” Through Tuesday, October 26, you may register to vote, update your address or file your name change.

Things to remember about Grace Period Registration & Voting:

• During the grace period, you must register in person—and then immediately vote during that same visit.
• Bring two forms of ID. Neither needs to be a photo ID, but one must include your current address. Acceptable forms of ID include: Illinois driver’s license, Illinois state ID, Employee or student ID, credit card, social security card, birth certificate, utility bill in your name, mail postmarked to you, valid U.S. passport, lease or rental contract
• Grace Period registrants vote on touch-screen machines immediately after registering.
• Grace period registrants are not eligible to vote at the polls on Election Day.

Cook County Locations for Grace Period Registration & Voting

• Chicago Election Board
  69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor
  Hours: Mon-Sat, 9 am-5 pm / Sun 9 am-3 pm
• Chicago State University
  9501 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
  Cordell Reed Student Union Bldg., 2nd Floor Cyber Café
  Hours: Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm
• University of Illinois at Chicago
  750 S. Halsted St.
  Student Center East, Lower Level
  Hours: Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm
• Northeastern Illinois University
  5500 N. St. Louis Ave.
  Building B – Room 153
  Hours: Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm
• North suburbs - Skokie
  5600 W. Old Orchard Road, Room 149
  Skokie, IL 60077
  Call: (847) 470-7233
  Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Northwest suburbs - Rolling Meadows
  2121 Euclid Ave., Room 238
  Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
  Call: (847) 818-2850
  Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• West suburbs - Maywood
  1311 Maybrook Square, Room 109
  Maywood, IL 60153
  Call: (708) 865-6010
  Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• South suburbs - Markham
  16501 S. Kedzie
  Markham, IL 60426
  Call: (708) 232-4150
  Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Southwest suburbs - Bridgeview
  10220 S. 76th Ave.
  Bridgeview, IL 60455
  Call: (708) 974-6150
  Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For grace period info in other parts of IL, visit the State Board of Elections website.

What is early voting and where/when can I do it?

Illinois voters have the option of voting before November 2. Early voting is open October 12-28, 2010. You do not need to provide an excuse or reason why you cannot make it to the polls on Election Day. You need only to fill out an application at the Early Voting site.

Things to remember about Early Voting:

• Bring a photo ID: a current driver’s license, state-issued ID card, or another government-issued ID with a photograph.
• Early Voting is conducted on touch-screen machines.
• After casting ballots in Early Voting, voters may not return to amend, change or undo a ballot for any reason. Ballots cast in Early Voting are final.

Chicago Early Voting Locations

Suburban Cook County Early Voting Locations

Early Voting Locations for Rest of Illinois

Most sites are open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm.

In-person absentee voting

Any voter needing or wishing to vote by absentee in the final four days prior to the election may vote an in-person absentee ballot.

For the Nov. 2, 2010 General Election, in-person absentee voting will be conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at each of the Cook County Clerk’s six office locations. The hours are as follows for all locations:

• Friday, October 29–9am to 5pm
• Saturday, October 30–9am to noon
• Sunday, October 31–9am to noon
• Monday, November 1–9am to 5pm

Absentee voting by mail

Absentee voting by mail is a convenient way to cast your ballot if you are unable to get to your polling place on Election Day or to cast your ballot during Early Voting at a designated Early Voting site.

Any registered voter may apply for an absentee ballot. It is no longer necessary to provide a reason.

To obtain an absentee application, registered Cook County voters can:

• Download and print the application, or
• Call the County Clerk’s office at (312) 603-0946 or 312-269-7967 to request that they mail you an application, or
• Pick one up at any of the Clerk’s six office locations.

The last day to apply for a mail-in absentee ballot is five days before the election.

For more information:

Chicago

Suburban Cook County

Rest of Illinois

How do I know which judges to vote for?

Voting for judges is important. It’s a big part of your ballot, but it doesn’t take a lot of extra work to figure out which ones to support.

In Cook County, go to VoteForJudges.org. Read through the home page and then go to the Evaluations page to get your guide. (The charts are toward the bottom of the page.)

I use this guide to help me pick judges every time I vote. I print out the PDF version, highlight the judges I will vote for, and take that with me into the voting booth.

In the rest of IL, check the Illinois State Bar Association’s evaluations. The ISBA is only one of the bar associations included in the VoteForJudges Cook County guide, but it’s the only current statewide guide I’ve been able to find. Please share others you know of!

What kind of voting equipment will I use?

You may choose to use a paper ballot or an electronic touch-screen machine. Instructions should be posted at your polling place; you can also ask an election judge for assistance.

What if I show up and they tell me I can’t vote?

If you believe you are registered to vote and are at the correct polling place, ask for a “provisional ballot.” The election judges must provide you with at least a provisional ballot. They cannot turn you away. If they deny you the right to vote, call your County Clerk’s office. (Take the phone number with you to your polling place just in case.)

Don’t be shy about this. You know from previous elections that people tamper with elections. You have every right to cast your ballot without interference or intimidation. And you have every right to tell your election authority to come out to your polling place if anyone gives you trouble.

There are more rules and regulations about provisional voting that you should read. Please visit the following for more info:

Chicago – Here and here (Read the provisional ballot sections on both pages)

Suburban Cook County (info also applies to Chicago residents)

Rest of Illinois [PDF]

Know Your Rights

This is your Voter Bill of Rights. Read it – it’s important.

Voter Bill of Rights

1. Cast your ballot in a non-disruptive atmosphere free of interference.
2. Vote if you’re in line by 7pm.
3. Vote by provisional ballot if your registration is not found.
4. Vote a full ballot at your old polling place if you have moved within 30 days of the election.
5. Request voting assistance, if needed.
6. Bring newspaper endorsements or sample ballots into the voting booth.
7. Protect the secrecy of your ballot.
8. Receive a new ballot if you make a mistake or change your mind.
9. Review your ballot to ensure it’s complete and correct.
10. Have your ballot counted fairly and impartially.

Have more questions?

Lastly, if you have any questions at all about this year’s elections, ASK ME in the comments section. Even if you don’t live in IL, I can help you find the answers to your questions. I would be very happy to help you.

Tuesday, October 5 is the Illinois deadline to register to vote or update your voter information for the November 2 General Election!

Chicago Voter Registration Info

Suburban Cook County Voter Registration Info (outside Chicago)

Illinois Voter Registration Info (all other areas outside Cook County)

Seats up for grabs in this election include

• Senator
• Representatives
• Governor
• Lt. Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• Comptroller
• Treasurer
• State Representatives
• Cook County Board President
• A slew of judges
• And a whole lot more.

It’s an important election, so make sure you’re registered!

If you have any questions about voter registration anywhere in the U.S., please email us at info@sapac.org. We’re happy to help and will respond ASAP.

SAPAC will be sharing more election information in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to our website.

This month, another Southern state moved toward electing a governor of South Asian descent.  A runoff is scheduled for the Republican nominee for the South Carolina governorship, but it is likely that Nikki Haley will become the second South Asian American governor, making Haley and her fellow Republican Bobby Jindal the highest-ranking elected South Asians in the U.S. government.

The similarities in the biographies of these groundbreaking individuals have been widely noted, including here, here, and here. Both were born in the U.S. in the early 1970s to recent Indian immigrants. Both converted to Christianity.  Both have impeccable conservative credentials and names that are easily pronounceable to most Americans. Both have been hailed as the future of the GOP, and both are assumed to have an eye on the presidency.

Jindal’s election in 2007 was mystifying for many reasons. After all, this is a state that reported a total Asian population of 1% in the 2000 census and that usually elects Democratic governors…and where former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke earned 44% of the vote for governorship just 17 years prior to Jindal’s election.

Having chalked Jindal’s victory up to a fluke, I was shocked when Nikki Haley nearly won an outright majority of votes in the Republican gubernatorial primary earlier this month. South Carolina also reported around a 1% total Asian population in the last census (comparatively, California had 13%), and Haley was the target of a racial epithet from her own Republican colleague during the race.

In addition to the racial makeup of these states, studies show that South Asians largely affiliate with Democrats. So from a statistical standpoint, Jindal and Haley’s success stories don’t make sense. Data regarding Haley’s election are still forthcoming, but exit polls and shifting demographics in Louisiana provide some insight into Jindal’s victory:

• There was a significant decrease in voter turnout in the 2007 Louisiana election, with the most marked drop noted in the heavily Democratic New Orleans area after the Katrina exodus. Low voter turnout, especially by African Americans, shifted several parishes that have historically been Democratic strongholds to Republican hands. 2000 census data indicate Louisiana consists of 65% whites and 33% blacks, and exit polls reported a turnout of 51% of white voters and 35% of black voters.

• Exit polls also indicate that Jindal received 63% of the white vote and 10% of the black vote. His nearest competitor was a Democrat (Louisiana does not have party primaries), who won 14% of the white vote and 36% of the black vote (this was the extent of the vote breakdown available). Essentially, Jindal carried every parish in the state except New Orleans, even very conservative northern/eastern parishes that supported David Duke. In contrast, Barack Obama carried just 14% of the white vote in Louisiana in 2008.

That Jindal had much more success with white voters in Louisiana than Obama is not that surprising, given how conservative this voting bloc has historically been. And both he and Haley only speak of their ethnicity in the context of the added credibility their second-generation status gives them as fiscal conservatives, a great tactic in states where the Tea Party is flourishing. They may also benefit from the “model minority” perception of Asians in these states with high degrees of racial polarization.

I think there are many layers to this complex situation, only a couple of which I alluded to here.  As different as my politics may be from these two, I can’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction when the Louisiana of David Duke and the South Carolina of Strom Thurmond move toward electing South Asian governors. A record-high six South Asians nationwide (all Democrats) are running for Congress this year—a notable shift for South Asians from fundraising and campaigning to candidacy.

There are numerous organizations, Asian and otherwise, that consider comprehensive immigration reform to be of utmost importance.  Very legitimate issues such as family reunification, protections for immigrant labor, and straightforward pathways to legal status drive their advocacy.

On a more macro level, it’s much less clear (in my mind at least) what the goals of immigration reform should be.  That is, what does the ideal immigration policy look like? Totally open borders? Quotas based on labor skills? No immigration at all?

The reality of whatever policy or policies we choose is that they have direct effects on the function of our economy and, perhaps a major consideration, our ability to finance basic social services including education, health care, and welfare.

Recent trends in the labor skills of immigrants indicate an increasing concentration in low-skilled manual labor and thus low pay.  Moreover, those with low levels of skill tend to utilize a significantly greater share of public assistance than they pay in taxes, creating a net fiscal burden.  Particularly in states with high levels of immigration (not even accounting for undocumented workers) such as California, New York, and Illinois, the strain on the budget for social services is not insignificant.

The point is not to suggest that we should have an immigration policy that disqualifies people based on their earning potential–but we also cannot expect to have a functioning social safety net and make it available to anyone around the world that wants it.

Thoughts?

I’m an American citizen. I was born here and, despite occasional instances of racism, I’ve felt secure and confident doing anything I please. Living in Japan for a year was a bit of a sociological experiment. I’d recommend it to any of my fellow citizens who have never “walked a mile in someone else’s shoes.” I was essentially on a skilled guest worker visa in one of the safest, developed, and most polite countries in the world with universal healthcare. But I still got stopped in the street by a young punk of a cop and had my purse searched. I still got stopped every time I boarded the airplane for a second pat-down, while my husband breezed by. Um, and they all thought I was good at math. Joke’s on them!

My point is that although I’m not an immigrant in this country, my parents were. And I’ve had my own brief immigrant experience. So I’m certainly interested in hearing what the issues are and how I can help.
I participated in an immigration townhall, hosted by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), at the Indo-American Center last Wednesday along with 80 community members (and some fellow SAPACers) and wanted to share some thoughts from the event…

1. Those of you who don’t think there’s a significant undocumented community of South Asians in the U.S. right now might want to check this out (PDF).
2. There were men, women, young and old who attended the townhall–signifying that this issue matters to everyone.
3. The discussion was grounded in the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights–a list of rights that everyone is entitled to, including the right to education, the freedom from torture and slavery, the right to work in humane conditions, and the right to move across national borders freely. (It’s super-short and has been translated into a bunch of languages. Check it out here.)
4. We saw 3 short video clips of people who were affected by the current immigration system: a single mom who hasn’t seen her daughter in years because she hasn’t been allowed a visitor’s visa; a highly educated wife who isn’t allowed to work because of her H-4 visa; and a group of H2-B guest workers who were recruited to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, but were exploited and abused instead.
5. What I got from seeing the videos and hearing people’s stories from the audience was that the current system doesn’t protect the most vulnerable. It doesn’t protect women and men who are being abused by their spouses. It doesn’t protect people who want to work but aren’t allowed, and are then forced into a dangerous and exploitive cash-based market. It doesn’t protect those who are trafficked into this country.

Too often South Asian citizens are silent about this topic. And I’m including myself! We get our golden ticket and then it ceases to be a problem for us. But if we’ve read our history, we should know that nobody’s status is secure. African American citizens were denied equality and justice for a century after slavery was banned. Japanese American citizens were interned during WWII. Their property and liberty were taken away. And for the last decade after 9/11, citizens have been detained and harassed. It’s time we engage in this debate and speak up for those who can’t.

SAPAC is co-sponsoring this town hall in the 50th Ward, our Devon Ave. neighborhood–a port of entry for so many South Asian immigrants and refugees.

One Community United: A Town Hall for the South Asian Community on Immigration and Human Rights

Join community members for an interactive town hall to discuss immigration reform and human rights in the South Asian community. With immigration reform proposals being circulated in Congress, an opportunity to speak out about our community’s experiences and identify ways to take action together is both urgent and important.

When: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 6:30 PM

Where: Indo-American Center
6328 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659

Why:

• Discuss immigration and human rights
• Exchange ideas and information
• Hear from local and national organizations
• Get involved and make change

Refreshments will be served!

RSVP by May 24 by emailing info@saalt.org or calling 301-270-1855.

The One Community United Town Hall is coordinated by SAALT and Chicago members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO):

• Apna Ghar
• Indo-American Center
• South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI)
• South Asian Progressive Action Collective (SAPAC)
• The Hamdard Center

The Town Hall is also co-sponsored by:

• Albany Park Neighborhood Council
• Asian American Institute
• Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAAAELII)
• Community Builders Chicago (CBC)
• Indo American Coalition for Immigration (IACI)
• North American Association of Indian IT Professionals (NAAIIP)

One Community United is a campaign on immigrant and civil rights coordinated by the NCSO. The campaign seeks to promote community dialogue and elevate the call for humane immigration laws and strong civil rights protections. For more information on the NCSO and the campaign, please contact SAALT at info@saalt.org or visit us at www.saalt.org.