VIEW FROM THE HILL - #10; June 9, 2006 A Monthly E-mail Update Highlander Research and Education Center www.highlandercenter.org >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< CONTENTS 1. The Southeast Social Forum; June 16-18, 2006 2. Emergency National Border Tour; June 15-18, 2006 3. Upcoming Youth Gatherings; July 23-30, 2006 4. Interpreting for Social Justice; August 4-6, 2006 5. Training for Youth Activists on Immigration Issues 6. Update on Immigration Reform Legislation 7. HREC Director Gives Keynote at Labor Studies Institute 8. Support Highlander with an Online Contribution >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 1. THE SOUTHEAST SOCIAL FORUM; JUNE 16-18, 2006 Mark your calendars and make plans for Another South is Possible, the Southeast Social Forum, June 16-18 in Durham, North Carolina. The gathering will join communities across Appalachia and the Southeast to build a movement for racial and economic justice. Through workshops, plenaries, conversations and culture, participants will have the opportunity to share, analyze, strategize and build around the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the fight for immigrant rights, and the impact of violence and war at home and abroad. Led by Project South, the Southeast Forum is organized by a coalition of organizations including Highlander. The Southeast Social Forum is one of several regional forums in the U.S. this year in preparation for next year's U.S. Social Forum, an expected 20,000 plus gathering in Atlanta, June 27 - July 1, 2007. For more information on the Southeast Social Forum, see Project South's Web site, www.projectsouth.org. For more information on the U.S. Social Forum in 2007, see www.ussf2007.org. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 2. EMERGENCY NATIONAL BORDER TOUR; JUNE 15-18, 2006 Mónica Hernández, Coordinator of Highlander's Pueblos de Latinoamérica Program, will be part of a national community delegation that will visit the U.S.-Mexico border in an "Emergency National Border Justice & Solidarity Community Tour," June 15-18, 2006 in Tucson, Arizona. The tour is being organized by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights with the Coalición de Derechos Humanos (Coalition for Human Rights) in Arizona. The tour will provide an opportunity for participants to: - understand more deeply the volatile situation on the border; - express solidarity with border communities who bear the brunt of increased militarization of the border and rising anti- immigrant attacks from groups like the Minutemen; - understand how border security affects communities all across the country, not just those on the border; - contribute to a much needed national dialogue among immigrant communities and organizing and advocacy groups to develop shared alternative solutions to the current crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border; - provide tools to address the critical border issues among different sectors and constituents while strengthening ties with those groups and constituents. Whatever the outcome of the current congressional debate on immigration, border militarization and immigration law enforcement have long histories and are being qualitatively and quantitatively increased. The result is widespread human rights violations against individuals and communities who have no avenues of redress. Highlander applauds NNIRR and Coalición de Derechos Humanos for their leadership on this tour and look forward to sharing more with you about it. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 3. UPCOMING YOUTH GATHERINGS; July 23-30, 2006 On July 23-30, Highlander will convene back-to-back gatherings on youth and intergenerational organizing. The week will begin with an evaluation of Highlander's work with young people, followed by two separate but connected sessions: "Calling the Moment: The State of Youth Organizing in the Southeast" and a Grassroots Think Tank on intergenerational organizing. All three gatherings will build on the work of the Young and the Restless, Highlander's seven-year youth leadership development program. "Calling the Moment" will bring together youth activists from around the region to share ideas and experiences and to assess the state of leadership, support, and infrastructure for youth organizing in the region. Participants will also help our staff develop a strategic plan for continued support for youth organizing. The Grassroots Think Tank on intergenerational organizing will bring together an intergenerational group of activists from different cultural, racial, sexual identity, and class backgrounds to explore cross-generational organizing tensions, clarify what we need from each other as organizers in common struggle from different generations, and answer the question: "What is needed at this time to move forward in our work together?" Participants in the gathering will also help develop a regional strategy for intergenerational multi-issue work and will help Highlander develop a strategic plan to support this effort. Planning teams composed of Highlander staff members and activists from around the region are currently developing agendas and invitation lists for both gatherings. We look forward to telling you more about them in upcoming issues of View from the Hill. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 4. INTERPRETING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE; AUGUST 4-6, 2006 Highlander's Multilingual Capacity Building Program is offering a training workshop for social justice interpreters on August 4-6, 2006. The workshop is intended for bilingual social justice activists who want to learn more about interpreting and translating in a social justice context to empower immigrant communities and build alliances across communities. Topics covered in the workshop will include the ethics of interpretation, interpretation modes, the use of interpreting equipment, the impact of language barriers in social justice movement building, and how to create a multilingual space. Participants will also do hands-on interpreting throughout the workshop. There is no charge for the workshop, and Highlander will provide room and board. We also have limited scholarships to assist with travel expenses. Child-care will be available. For more information and an application, visit our Web site: www.highlandercenter.org. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 5. TRAINING FOR YOUTH ACTIVISTS ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES On May 5-7, Highlander staff member Paulina Hernández, coordinator of our Young and the Restless program, helped facilitate a regional training workshop in Nashville on immigration reform issues for youth activists from around the South. Over 150 young people from immigrant and allied communities attended the training workshop, which was sponsored by the Center for Community Change, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and Highlander. The goals of the training included broadening youth activists' understanding of immigration issues, encouraging them to become involved in the growing immigrant rights movement, and helping them gain skills to advance their work in local communities. A particular focus was on building coalitions to overcome divisions between immigrants, African Americans, and white people. To achieve these goals, the training included background information on immigration issues, skills-building exercises, and other activities. A group picture from the training can be found on our Web site at www.highlandercenter.org/photo-gallery.asp. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 6. UPDATE ON IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION On May 25th, the Senate passed S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, by a vote of 62 to 36. While the bill provides legalization avenues for some undocumented immigrants, many immigrant rights advocates believe that the legalization program would be unworkable and would leave out millions of immigrants. Moreover, although the Senate bill's enforcement provisions are not as harsh as HR 4437, the House of Representatives bill that was passed in December, progressive immigrant rights organizations oppose the Senate bill because these provisions include making unlawful presence a misdemeanor, limiting due process for immigrants who have court cases, and building at least 370 miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border. A joint conference committee will try to reconcile the House and Senate bills. Many immigrant rights activists believe that in this election year, Congress is unlikely to pass any immigration bill until after November, if at all, because with both sides of the issue exerting pressure the political risks are too high. Highlander is continuing to monitor the status of immigration reform legislation and is staying in touch with other immigrant rights activists on this issue. For more information about the Senate bill and the response to it by immigrant rights organizations and ally groups such as the AFL-CIO and the American Friends Service Committee, see Highlander's Web page on immigration issues: www.highlandercenter.org/r-immigration.asp. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 7. HREC DIRECTOR GIVES KEYNOTE AT LABOR STUDIES INSTITUTE On May 18th, Highlander Director Pam McMichael gave the keynote address at an annual dinner for the Rhode Island Institute for Research and Labor Studies in Providence, Rhode Island. Entitled "Learning to Act: Bridging the Legacy and Promise of Labor and Popular Education," the keynote connected Highlander's history and methodology around labor education and the Citizenship Schools to current applications of popular education in labor, workforce literacy and adult education. Four hundred people attended the annual event, which raises funds for the Institute's programs. These include labor education, English as second language classes, GED classes, computer skills training, and job search assistance. The Institute also operates a workers' rights hotline and community television program called Labor Vision. To read Pam's address, visit Highlander's Web site: www.highlandercenter.org/n-learning-to-act.asp. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 8. SUPPORT HIGHLANDER WITH AN ONLINE CONTRIBUTION Your support is crucial to Highlander's work for justice and equality, and we wanted to remind you that you can make an online contribution to Highlander through our Web site. Just go to www.highlandercenter.org and click on the "Donate Now" button. You can also mail a donation to us at the address below. All contributions are tax-deductible. Thanks for your interest in and support for Highlander. Together, we can make a better world. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< To unsubscribe from this e-mail list, or to add someone new, send an e-mail to hrec@highlandercenter.org. Past issues of View from the Hill are available online at www.highlandercenter.org/n-view.asp. To make an online contribution to Highlander, go to our Web site: www.highlandercenter.org, and click on the "Donate Now" button. Highlander Research and Education Center 1959 Highlander Way New Market, TN 37820 Phone: (865)-933-3443 Fax: (865) 933-3424 www.highlandercenter.org