Comment on Comments

Some of you noticed that we turned off comments on this blog for a while. This was due to the hateful personal attacks that were posted by anonymous commenters. The Coalition has decided to moderate comments and apply a policy of blocking comments that include profanity, personals attacks, and inappropriate material not contributing to dialogue and an exchange of ideas. We are also not allowing any more "anonymous" commenters. If you have something useful to say and are willing to stand by your ideas, please, feel free to comment.

Farmworker Food Fund

These are children of immigrant farmworkers at a recent community meeting in Springfield . Their parents work in the fields to put food on our tables during the summer, and their families go hungry in the winter for lack of work.

The Pioneer Valley Project and Blessed Sacrament Church are again collecting donations to purchase food at the Food Bank of Western Mass. to give out to farmworkers and their families living in Springfield. On November 17th, 65 individuals and families each received:

• masa harina (for making tortillas)
• lettuce, potatoes, bananas and oranges
• pork chops, chick peas, rice, milk and chocolate

Your donation will help us to continue to give food to these families once a month until March 2008. If you’d like to contribute please make your donation to:

Immigrant Food Project, c/o Pioneer Valley Project
235 Eastern Avenue, Springfield MA 01108
For more info, contact Maria Cuerda at 413-686-9033.

Thanks!

Waking Up to Life Without Immigrants

Last month Oklahoma passed legislation barring services for undocumented immigrants funded at tax-payer expense. The statute, which also requires employers to verify immigration status and work eligibility, penalizes businesses for knowingly employing workers without papers. The legislation worked; many immigrants (both documented and not) have left the state, and those that have chosen to remain are too afraid to go outside their homes.

And like Riverside, New Jersey, the state of Oklahoma is quickly realizing how big a mistake it has made. Contrary to what Dobbs and Tancredo insist, the immigrant population is an integral part of our economies. Immigrants work, pay taxes, buy cars, buy houses. Without their labor and economic presence, costs of houses and groceries go up and local businesses close.

Hopefully the people of Oklahoma will correct this legislation and serve as yet another example of the consequences of scapegoating the most vulnerable members of our communities.

The Militarization of the Border

A video of Sunday's attack by Border Agents on a peaceful week long protest at the Calexico/Mexicali fence section.

Stop Your Racism Video