“Immigration is not a problem to be solved, it is the sign of a successful nation. New Americans are to be welcomed as neighbors and not to be feared as strangers.”   – Presidential candidate George W. Bush, June 26, 2000

“Immigration makes us a stronger.  It keeps us vibrant.  It keeps us hungry.  It keeps us prosperous.  It is part of what makes this such a dynamic country.  And if we want to keep attracting the best and the brightest that the world has to offer, then we need to do a better job of welcoming them.”   – President Barack Obama, March 25, 2013

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Nelson and his son Lucas, originally from Argentina, harvest collards.

Giving back to their new community, just six days after coming to NC as refugees from Cuba.

This Saturday another amazing group of recent immigrants and longer-time North Carolinians came together to give back to our community. We harvested 1,500 pounds of fresh produce at Goodwill’s farm outside Durham. All that food will be distributed to needy area families by the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina.

Our energetic volunteers included immigrants and refugees from Cuba, Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Iran, all now living in the Raleigh/Durham area, and all eager to help out. A number of the recent refugees found out about our event from Church World Service in Durham, and Activate Good also organized a great group of young volunteers to join in the work.

Adding to our truckload full of greens.

Working to keep warm.

The day started off cold, but we warmed up quickly as most of our crew set to work picking collard greens while others worked in the greenhouse.

As we worked, we learned more about our diverse group — a few of us had lived our whole lives in North Carolina; others were born in Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Iran, but had lived here for many years; and that the newest members of our group had just come as refugees from Cuba and Myanmar only a few days ago. But everyone agreed they were thankful to be here in North Carolina and happy to give back to their community.

For more pictures, check out our Facebook Page.

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Now as 2012 comes to an end, we are hearing a lot about changing demographics in America. Earlier this year, we learned that for the first time in, well, a long time, the majority of people born in the United States aren’t white. And recently, we are again hearing a lot of talk from all sides about doing something to fix our nation’s immigration system.

But the law is not all that matters. One need only look back at big legal changes of the past like Brown v. Board, ending our country’s policy of ‘separate but equal.’ Top-down changes in the law can be necessary, but they can’t accomplish everything we had hoped without changes in the way we work together as people in our individual states, towns, schools and churches.

So as we look toward 2013, we see a lot of work to be done to make our state a place in which all North Carolinians feel welcome and to build stronger, more productive communities. And we look forward to doing it together with you.

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Thanks for sharing your stories with us. Please take a second to share the video with your friends!

These are only a few of the wonderful signs people created. To see more, check out our Facebook page, and be sure to ‘Like’ our page and tag yourself!

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And guess what? We helped fill an entire truck with 12,650 pounds of sweet potatoes — which Inter-Faith Food Shuttle reports is the most that’s ever been gleaned at any single event in the history of the program!

Thanks to everyone who came out! It was a fun and amazingly productive way to spend a Saturday morning — getting to meet neighbors from around the world all while helping provide fresh, healthy food for needy members of our community.

A special thanks also to Locopops for providing a nice treat for our hard-working volunteers. A Locopops break was just what we needed to finish off the job.

We really appreciate it. They were delicious!

For more pics, check out our Facebook page.

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St. Paul’s Christian Church in Raleigh has been a great partner with Uniting NC and is now working with several local Montagnard families to help them reclaim their family names, which they were not allowed to use on their official documents when they immigrated to the U.S. Instead, the Vietnamese government assigned them last names of “A” (for males) or “Y” for females. These one-letter names have led to lots of confusion here in the U.S., and resulted in several last names within each family.  The legal name-change process is complex and expensive, so in order to help raise funds St. Paul’s Christian Church is hosting several upcoming events.

This Friday, Sept. 14 there will be a Coffeehouse at 7pm, held on the church campus at 3331 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh. For a suggested $5 donation, you can enjoy an evening of musical entertainment, desserts and coffee. Also, on September 23 at 5pm, there will be a screening of the documentary film Abandoned Allies , which tells the story of the relationship between the Montagnards and the U.S. Special Forces during the Vietnam War. Reserve your free tickets at www.abandonedalliesspcc.eventbrite.com.  For more information, please contact Rev. Diane Faires at 919-787-1278, x23 or dianefaires@stpauls.net.

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In the two and a half years since, Uniting NC has grown up. We now have two staff members, dozens of loyal volunteers, more than 100 donors and thousands of supporters. We have helped organize more than 50 events, run a successful statewide billboard campaign, produced videos and radio public service announcements, launched a Business Circle and won two statewide awards for our work. I am proud to say that — thanks to the work of a dedicated board and many generous volunteers and donors — we are making a difference, helping people see each other as human beings with similar hopes and fears, rather than as stereotypes or scapegoats.

I have been honored to work alongside so many great people and to do work in which I believe so strongly. To everyone who has helped me along the way, I cannot thank you enough. But now it is time for me to turn this job over to a new leader, someone with fresh energy to take Uniting NC to the next level. I’ll be moving on to another non-profit to pursue my love of writing and storytelling. I hope to use the skills I developed over many years in the news business to help causes that I believe make North Carolina, and the world, a more just, humane and enjoyable place to live.

I am so excited that Dan Rearick will take the director’s spot. He is not only a smart and talented Harvard-educated lawyer, he is also passionate about Uniting NC’s work. He truly believes that we, the regular people of North Carolina, have the power to build safe, prosperous, connected communities that honor the essential worth of everyone who lives in them. Dan was a founding board member of Uniting NC, and I have seen him give hundreds of hours to this organization without complaint. He is unfailingly excited about Uniting NC’s mission, and willing to do the hard work it takes to achieve it. I’ll be on the sidelines cheering him and Uniting NC on. I will always love and support this great organization.

If you want to keep in touch, my personal email address is kristincollins10@gmail.com.

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Volunteer Task Forces: As a result of our volunteer training in May, we formed three task forces that will work over the next several months.

• Schools Outreach: Will work to spread Uniting NC’s message of welcome and respect for immigrants through schools. The group’s first project is to set up language meet-ups between ESL students and native English speakers. If you want to be part of these meetups, or have connections with local schools, contact Uniting NC staffer Francisco Chavez, francisco@unitingnc.org.
• Business Outreach: Will identify businesses that value diversity and ask them to join Uniting NC’s Business Circle. If you want to help us build a network of businesses that support cultural diversity, or do other types of fundraising work, contact Uniting NC Board Member Ali Ghiassi, ali@unitingnc.org.
• Faith Outreach: Will bring together interested faith leaders to talk about ways to make their congregations and their communities more welcoming. If you want to help make this interfaith meeting happen, contact the Rev. Diane Faires, a Uniting NC volunteer and associate minister at St. Paul’s Christian Church, dianefaires@gmail.com.

“NC is Home” Video: Many of you have seen the “Why We Care” video. Now, we’re making the sequel. This one will feature immigrants with signs explaining why they value living in North Carolina. We have hired a photographer, and we need volunteers to:
•    Organize photo shoots with groups of immigrants in places such as schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, churches, synagogues or mosques.
•    Help plan a release party for the video in the fall.
If you can help with either of these jobs, please email Uniting NC Director Kristin Collins, kristin@unitingnc.org.

Uniting NC State University: We have hired three wonderful interns to lead a Uniting NC initiative on campus this fall. They’re still figuring out what events and projects they will focus on, but one thing is sure: They need student volunteers. If you are a NC State student who wants to participate in an initiative to make the campus more welcoming for all people, contact Francisco Chavez, francisco@unitingnc.org.

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Beautiful weather, colorful costumes and intriguing Latin rhythms were all on display Saturday, May 19, at the Ritmo Latino festival in downtown Cary.

Between Zumba lessons and sampling the tasty Latin dishes, Uniting NC volunteers and board members took the opportunity to talk with individuals one-on-one about the group’s welcoming mission and hear inspiring family immigration stories from several guests.

With more than a dozen nonprofit organizations represented, we also did some cross-pollinating, finding threads that can be woven together in support of each other’s efforts.

The Ritmo Latino (or Latin Rhythm) festival has taken place in Cary for the past several years, but was moved from August to May this year to avoid the heat of late summer. The decision was rewarded with a perfect 78-degree day and throngs of enthusiastic people with ties to countries around the world.

Woven into the festive atmosphere was evidence that North Carolina and the Triangle is an amazingly diverse community — no longer confined to a single or exclusive cultural box.  And that is certainly algo para celebrar!

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What do you see when you think about diversity? That’s the question that Charlotte artist Edwin Gil is asking children around the state. Several hundred students across North Carolina are participating in his Painting 4 Diversity project, which asks them to create art that conveys their vision of diversity. Edwin is a Colombian immigrant who uses his art to bridge cultural divides in our increasingly diverse society. Last year, he created the Flag of Hope, which some of you participated in.

Uniting NC partnered up with Gil again this year to find Painting 4 Diversity participants in Raleigh, and we decided to take an even broader view than usual of “diversity.” That’s why we invited students at the Gov. Morehead School for the Blind to participate in the art contest. These visually impaired students come from across the state to study, and they represent a broad array of races and backgrounds.

Earlier this week, Edwin traveled to Raleigh so the students could personally present their art to him. On May 5, their art projects will be displayed and judged among hundreds of other entries at an exhibition in Charlotte. But the real prize was watching the excited students show off their artwork to Edwin and his team. It was a special moment where we all learned a little more about what diversity and inclusion really mean.

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