Uniting NC

The questions that move us forward

Kristin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:38:48 +0000

The little town of Mount Olive has been in the news lately, and for the most refreshing of reasons. This rural Wayne County town is getting an international reputation for being welcoming to its newest residents, a fast-growing group of Haitian immigrants who have come to work in the Butterball turkey plant. In January, the News & Observer’s Mandy Locke wrote a story about Mount Olive’s transformation. And last week, the BBC produced an in-depth video about the town’s efforts to integrate its new residents.

It would have been easy for Mount Olive to go the way of so many other small towns, which have reacted to waves of immigrants with fear and anger. Like most immigrants who have flocked to unskilled jobs in rural America, many of the Haitians in Mount Olive are poor, live in overcrowded and rundown housing, don’t speak English and don’t understand the laws or culture of their new homes. They are a population that would have been easy to demonize.

But in Mount Olive, town leaders chose to respond to these newcomers with compassion. Instead of writing the Haitians off as lawless or dangerous, town leaders put themselves in their shoes. What is it like to escape one of Earth’s poorest countries? What is it like to come to a foreign country to work a dirty, bloody and exhausting job and sleep on the floor of a rundown house? Those questions led them to compassionate action. They decided to figure out how they could help their new residents assimilate and thrive. The town manager and a local pastor went door to door, introducing themselves to the Haitians and asking a simple question, “What do you need?” They were offering not charity, but the resources to become productive and law-abiding citizens.

This is the question every town in America needs to be asking of its newest residents. We are a global society now, and it is fruitless to rail against immigration. Today, our neighbors are as likely to come from across the world as from across town. When we accept these demographic shifts, we can start to ask the questions that move us forward. How can we help our new residents learn our culture and laws, find safe places to live, work and worship and be productive members of our communities? How can we build communities that allow everyone to contribute? These are the questions that will make us safer and more prosperous in the 21st century.

Are we living the dream?

Kristin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:46:25 +0000

This week, as you’ve probably heard, The Daily Beast ranked Durham the most “tolerant” city in the United States. Raleigh also made the top 20, coming in at number 18. Of course, this is great news. We want our state to have a reputation as a place where all people are welcome. We want to continue to be known as the most progressive place in the Southeast. This kind of press keeps North Carolina strong. At the same time, these kinds of rankings shouldn’t make those of us who live and work in the Triangle feel that our work is done.

I looked a little more closely at the rankings today, and they are based primarily on simple measures of how diverse the population was in each city, how many hate crimes were reported in 2010 and surveys about attitudes towards same-sex marriage and religious tolerance. It’s wonderful that the Triangle is diverse, has a low rate of hate crimes and progressive attitudes toward people of other faiths and sexual orientations. But these things are not enough to sit back and gloat about. These numbers say nothing about how diverse populations relate to one another. Durham may be the most racially and religiously diverse city in America, but do all these diverse people interact as equals? Do they know each other’s stories? Are they comfortable having their children attend the same schools? They also include no measures of attitudes toward immigrants. Is the Triangle immune from the fear and distrust of immigrants that has become prevalent across North Carolina and the nation?

Just the comments on the Daily Beast article are enough to show that these rankings don’t give the full picture. All of us who live in the Triangle know there is still a long way to go before we can declare victory over intolerance. And for Uniting NC, “tolerance” isn’t good enough. We don’t want North Carolinians to simply tolerate people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. We want them to see a diverse population as a strength, and to see how much we all have in common, even with people who seem foreign. We want to live in a state where a few billboards promoting inclusive communities wouldn’t be seen as controversial news, but rather as innocuous messages that most everyone can agree with. That’s our dream, and we’ll keep fighting for it.

The billboards are here!

Kristin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:16:08 +0000

It’s a great day at Uniting NC. We unveiled the billboards that many of you helped pay for at a press conference in Raleigh. We had lots of media there, and we have been getting calls from reporters around the state. We’re thrilled that so many people are hearing the message that the majority of us in North Carolina value and respect immigrants — and believe they enrich our great state. Thanks to all of you for making this statewide billboard campaign possible, and for believing that we can make a difference.

Below are the remarks I made at the press conference, because I think they sum up what this campaign is all about. At the bottom of this post is the press release that we are sending to news outlets across the state.

I’m Kristin Collins, director of Uniting NC, a non-profit that works to help immigrants and natives see their common humanity — and to make North Carolina a place that sees cultural diversity as a strength.

As we head into the holiday season, the news is mostly bad. The economy is still limping along. Tens of thousands of people are unemployed. State and national politics seem hopelessly polarized.

In times like these, we often react by demonizing immigrants. Look at Alabama, the latest state to pass laws intended to crack down on illegal immigration. They have resulted in children — many of them US citizens —being afraid to go to school, accusations of racial and ethnic profiling by law enforcement, and crops rotting on the vine because of a shortage of workers. A Mercedes Benz executive from Germany, who was visiting a Mercedes plant in Alabama, was thrown in jail because he couldn’t produce a passport during a traffic stop. He had left it in his hotel room. This kind of climate doesn’t just hurt undocumented immigrants; it hurts the entire community.

We don’t want to see North Carolina go down the same path. This holiday season, let’s heed the instructions in all faiths to welcome the stranger and to treat our neighbors with kindness and respect. Our neighbors aren’t who they used to be. Now, they may be people who speak different languages or were born in other countries. We live in a global society, and we have to learn to live together — to see ourselves as allies rather than enemies. We can all help each other through hard times, rather than sinking into blame and scapegoating.

Today, Uniting NC is announcing the start of a statewide billboard campaign intended to create a vision of a united, inclusive North Carolina where all people are given a fair chance, no matter where they were born. Before the end of the year, these two images will be on billboards in Raleigh, Durham, Mebane, Charlotte, Asheville and Goldsboro. They were paid for with donations from more than 250 community members — people from all backgrounds, faiths and walks of life who want to live in a state where a vibrant and growing immigrant population is seen as a strength.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2011

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kristin Collins, Uniting NC Director, 919-791-7976

Faith leaders unveil billboards that put a human face on immigration

Raleigh, NC — Faith leaders and community members came together Tuesday to announce the beginning of a statewide billboard campaign in support of immigrants.

The billboards are part of a grassroots initiative — led by the Raleigh-based nonprofit Uniting NC — to put a human face on immigration and change the negative rhetoric that has poisoned public discourse on the issue.

“We’ve watched states like Alabama and Arizona be torn apart by fear and anger about immigrants,” said Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh. “Here in North Carolina, we have an opportunity to do better than that. In this holiday season, let’s remember that when we talk about immigration, we are talking about human beings who have the same hopes and desires that any of us do.”

Solomon joined Christian and Muslim leaders in publicly supporting the billboard campaign and imploring North Carolinians to “welcome the stranger” this holiday season. Reverend Diane Faires, of St. Paul’s Christian Church in Raleigh, and Fiaz Fareed, outreach coordinator at the Islamic Association of Raleigh, also spoke at Tuesday’s press conference, held at the site of one of the billboards on New Bern Avenue.

The billboards were paid for using a grassroots method called crowdfunding. Uniting NC proposed the project online, and more than 250 people contributed toward the cost of buying billboards in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Mebane and Goldsboro.

Fareed, an immigrant from India, said members of the Muslim community often feel that they are looked at with suspicion or negative stereotypes. That’s why hundreds of members of area mosques contributed toward the billboard campaign.

“I moved here because I wanted to live in a country where all people are treated equally, and where everyone has a chance to work for the American dream,” Fareed said. “Let’s make sure we remain the land of opportunity for all people.”

Faires said her church has been deeply affected by a growing number of refugees, who fled harassment and violence in countries such as Vietnam and Pakistan.
“Many of them have been through horrific experiences, but they are amazingly resilient and courageous. They come here from refugee camps, speaking little English, and before long they are contributing to the community as they join churches, find jobs and enroll in school,” Faires said. “We have been enriched by their presence and the new perspective they offer us.”

Uniting NC is part of a national movement, led by the Atlanta-based group Welcoming America, that works to build understanding between natives and new immigrants. Uniting NC is one of 19 state affiliates working to build communities that provide fertile soil for all people to achieve their potential.

Chris Liu-Beers, chairman of the Uniting NC Board of Directors, said Uniting NC is about culture change, not policy advocacy.

“Our goal is to invite people outside the polarized policy debate on immigration,” Liu-Beers said. “We want to help people see that immigrants are not frightening invaders. They are our neighbors. They are people with stories much like our own, who are trying to make a good life for themselves and their families. The fabric of our state is stronger when we engage with everyone in our communities to see the values that bring us together.”

Kristin Collins, Uniting NC’s director, said the billboards are a tangible sign that many in North Carolina believe in building an inclusive community that values cultural diversity.

“We told people that, if they wanted to see these messages in North Carolina, they had to pitch in — and they responded,” Collins said. “It was so exciting to see that many people don’t buy into the negative rhetoric about immigrants. These billboards showcase the positive, humane voices that are not usually heard in this debate.”

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Uniting NC is a nonprofit that works to make North Carolina a place that respects and values immigrants, by telling immigrant stories and bringing people of diverse backgrounds together in dialogue. We believe that, when people of different backgrounds get to know one another, they realize that we are all human beings who want the same things: safety, happiness and opportunity. Only after we understand our common humanity can we work together to build stronger, safer, more productive communities. See www.unitingnc.org for more information.

The gift of inclusive communities

Kristin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:27:38 +0000

The end of the year is coming up, and Uniting NC is going out strong. In the next week, the billboards you helped support will start going up across North Carolina, and Uniting NC will accept an award for multicultural outreach from AARP North Carolina. The support we have received from our community this year has exceeded our expectations, allowing us to hold dozens of events and create public service announcements that were seen and heard across North Carolina and the nation. Thank you.

Now, we are working to build a strong foundation to continue and expand this work in 2012. That’s why we are announcing an exciting end-of-year fundraising campaign. We have an amazing volunteer who has agreed to match all donations of $50 or more made before the end of this year. He is willing to match up to $5,000 – out of his own pocket! This donor is not a rich benefactor; he is just a regular person who is committed to the work of building communities where all people are respected and included, no matter where they were born. Please donate now and allow him to double your money.

Lastly, we have one more incentive. People who make donations of any size will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Raleigh’s Capri Restaurant. Just get your donation in by the end of December to be included in the drawing.

Please make a tax-deductible gift to ensure that immigrants are respected and welcomed in North Carolina. You can click the Donate button below or send checks to: Uniting NC, P.O. Box 12581, Raleigh, NC 27605.

We are the mainstream

Kristin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:36:17 +0000

Did you know that Uniting NC is part of a national movement? We are one of 19 state affiliates of the umbrella organization Welcoming America. We are a network of groups across the country — from California to Nebraska to Texas to Rhode Island to Alabama — that are working to build communities that respect and welcome immigrants. But I’ll admit that, with us all being so far apart, even I sometimes forget that Uniting NC is not in this alone.

Then, last week I went to Seattle for Welcoming America’s annual conference, and all that changed. At the conference, I saw in the flesh what an exciting and growing movement this is. Just in the past year, the number of state affiliates has grown by nearly 50 percent, from 13 to 19. A diverse array of people have become involved, from state legislators to religious leaders to stand-up comics. National foundations are taking notice of the work. In fact, our unique approach — which focuses on facilitating understanding among longtime residents, rather than just serving new immigrants — is, arguably, the leading edge of the movement to integrate immigrants into American society.

The conference showed me that we are the mainstream. People who believe that, in the United States, every person should have a fair chance to succeed. People who believe that no one should be judged based on their religion, their skin color or their country of origin. People who believe that diversity strengthens and enriches our country. We are the mainstream — and we have the power to put our ideals into action.

We often feel powerless over the big issues that affect our lives and our society. The average person can’t heal our hopelessly polarized political system, solve our country’s economic woes or fix its health care system. But we can work to make our communities places that believe in the dignity of every person. We can come together over dinner and talk over our differences. We can host book discussions and dialogues and multi-cultural potlucks. We can reach out to people who look different from us and learn how their stories mirror our own. We can erect billboards that portray immigrants as human beings. And, little by little, if we keep working at it, we can make things better.

Need ideas about how to make your community more welcoming for newcomers? Go here.

We did it! Thank you from Uniting NC

Kristin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:23:07 +0000

We want to say a big thank you to all of you who made our billboard campaign a success. During the three week fundraising campaign, 259 people chipped in to help us raise $3,500. Those donors included people from across North Carolina and across the country, each giving what they could, from one dollar up to several hundred dollars. It was inspiring and heartening to see so many diverse people coming together to support messages of respect and inclusion for immigrants. It’s just more proof that the voices of anger and fear do not speak for all of us in North Carolina.

We are now working to make a deal with a billboard company. We will do our best to have these messages up before the end of the year. We will keep you updated on our progress, since you are the people who made this project possible. Thank you again for doing your part to support a vision of community that includes all people, no matter where they were born.

A big sign for respect and inclusion

Kristin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:45:45 +0000

Today, Uniting NC is launching a very exciting project.

A few months ago, we released this video:

It gave people the chance to create their own signs with the messages they wanted to see about immigrants in their communities. Now, us “little people” have the chance to create a big sign. A bunch of them, actually.

Today, we are launching a unique three-week fundraising campaign that, if successful, will pay for five billboards in the Triangle, Charlotte and Asheville — and if we raise extra, we’ll add more locations. The billboards will send the message that we believe in inclusive communities that give everyone a chance to reach their potential, no matter where they were born.

We are using a fundraising tool called Loudsauce.com, which allows us to harness the collective power of our community and use advertising space for good. You can go to our Loudsauce page to learn all about this project and to make your pledge in any amount you are able.

We will only get your money when and if we meet our fundraising goal of $3,500. If we don’t meet our goal, you never give a penny.

Those who give at least $100 will have a chance to get their photograph on the billboards, because we want it to be clear that our community came together to support these messages of tolerance and respect.

We’re not just raising money for a billboard. We’re creating a community of people who reject divisive rhetoric and believe in the basic humanity of all people. Please join us in this effort.

Go here to help.

A day for peace

Kristin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:59:53 +0000

This Wednesday is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. Across North Carolina and the world, people will be working to add peace to the world on this day.

Of course, many of us do this work all the time. At Uniting NC, we believe our work to build understanding and empathy between people of all backgrounds and cultures is a crucial step toward building a peaceful community and a peaceful world. When we see others as human beings like ourselves, no matter how foreign they may seem at first glance, we are less inclined to feel threatened or ready to fight.

But this Wednesday, we’re asking you to think about one small extra thing you can do to celebrate peace. The nonprofit Cultural Enrichment Services has come up with a handy list of ways you can participate in this day, and here are a few of their suggestions for peaceful activities:

Write a poem or essay, take a photograph, or create a video that speaks to you about peace. Share it with your friends or post it online.
Watch a peaceful film.
Plant a rock for peace.
Blog about Peace Day.
Host a multi-cultural dinner for peace.
Talk to your children about what makes them feel peaceful.
Create peaceful art: origami doves, pinwheels for peace, or whatever you like. (If it’s made by children, it can be entered in the Peace Pals art exhibition.)

If you don’t have time for any of this, just hug your family, say a kind word to a stranger, do a good deed for a friend. Every little bit of peace and kindness helps.

We would love to hear your ideas for ways that individuals can contribute to a peaceful world.

And finally, a quote from Pema Chodron that gives me courage in my work: “It’s important to remember, when we’re out there non-aggressively working for reform, that, even if our particular issue doesn’t get resolved, we are adding peace to the world.”

Healing the wounds of 9/11

Kristin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:58:06 +0000

Ten years ago, terrorists tore a hole in the New York skyline, killing thousands of innocent Americans and launching the United States into a period of fear and suspicion. Suddenly, people who came from other countries or practiced different religions seemed like a threat. Muslim-Americans felt singled out for anger and discrimination. Jewish-Americans were stung by a new wave of anti-Semitism. And immigrants from around the world faced a far more daunting legal process, along with rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

Many of those divisions and prejudices still linger today, but on the tenth anniversary of the attacks, a diverse group of North Carolinians is coming together to heal old wounds. Muslim, Jewish and Christian volunteers from across Wake County have teamed up to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. They call the interfaith project Abraham Build, and organizers say they hope it will change the lives of the volunteers as much as it does the new homeowners.

“The most effective way to combat bigotry is to build community, and there is no better way to build community than to work together for the common good,” said David LaMotte, of the N.C. Council of Churches.

On Sunday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Abraham Build volunteers are inviting the public to join them in a celebration of healing and reconciliation.

All are welcome to gather at 8: 30 a.m. at the site of the Abraham Build house: 515 Parnell Drive in Raleigh’s Long Acres neighborhood. Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker will speak, along with a Muslim chaplain from Duke University. Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy will offer prayers. And then participants will light candles and walk together to downtown Raleigh.

What better way to spend the anniversary of such a devastating attack than by celebrating the love, understanding and faith that even determined terrorists could not kill.

A distorted reality

Kristin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:07:24 +0000

Guest post from Uniting NC assistant Francisco Chavez.

Most people understand by now that “reality television” is far from realistic. But a new show on the Lifetime network — which trains the camera on a group of people who have roots in former Soviet countries — has stirred controversy over whether these shows promote prejudice and cultural stereotypes.

“Russian Dolls” follows eight first- and second-generation immigrants living in New York’s Brighton Beach. The promotional video portrays marching soldiers and images of Matryoshka dolls; followed by beautiful women and brawls at nightclubs.

The show’s women flounce around in short dresses and wave knives during arguments, and one breaks up with a Latino boyfriend simply because he’s not Russian. The men make vulgar comments about women.

The cast says it’s all meant in the spirit of fun, and some fans with Russian roots say the show is an accurate depiction of one aspect of Russian culture — just like the popular “Jersey Shore” shows only one small slice of the culture of New Jersey.

Others are outraged at the misrepresentation of their culture and offended that the show makes all Russians look like “prostitutes and criminals.”

These immigrants are not the first minority group to be exploited and stereotyped for the sake of “reality” television. The New York times had this take:

Some Russian-Americans may be offended by “Russian Dolls,” and they can get in line behind the Italian-Americans still fuming over “Jersey Shore” or African-Americans appalled by “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Stereotypes are to reality shows what nuclear fusion is to the hydrogen bomb: you simply can’t have one without the other.

For us at Uniting NC, the show is just another reminder of how much work we have to do. With these kinds of extreme images of immigrants being promoted in the media and on TV, we must work even harder to show people the true picture.

Immigrants cannot be shoe-horned into stereotypes. They are not all good or all bad. They are just people, and should be treated as individuals.