Why immigration matters.

As an American who follows the news fairly well, I'd like to think I know a lot about the lives of immigrants. I've watched the May Day marchers in Grant Park. I've seen the footage of the Los Angeles police brutalizing demonstrators in their city. I've followed the agonizing gridlock in Washington, D.C., that has crippled efforts to create a rational, fair national immigration policy.

What I've missed, along with so many others, is an understanding of how the challenges they face might affect me and my own community.

In this year's Chicago Matters: Beyond Borders series, we're teaming up with our partners at WTTW 11, Chicago Public Radio and the Chicago Public Library to illustrate the impact this population has on our region as a whole. This series, made possible by The Chicago Community Trust, aims to shed light on the many ways this national trend shapes life for all of us.

In our May/June issue, for instance, Reporter Kimbriell Kelly explored shifts in our global economy that have pitted immigrant and African-American workers against one another. It seems that the disappearance of manufacturing and other jobs is more of a factor in black unemployment than the arrival of immigrants.

Yet when I try to highlight the policy changes needed to stem the poverty in so many black neighborhoods, many in my community prefer to maintain that if we were just more like "them," everything would be fine. Others hold to the belief that they'd have better jobs without immigrants. Whatever the case, our own community's efforts to increase training for more plentiful, highly skilled jobs stalls, and an economy hurting both groups continues unchecked.

In this issue, we revisit another area that cuts across race and class: disability. Reporter Jeff Kelly Lowenstein's work illustrates the lack of accountability among employers when it comes to workers debilitated on the job. In this case, they happen to be immigrants. While injuries don't discriminate, it seems that for this population, issues of citizenship, language and culture all exacerbate an already difficult battle, with workers often unaware of their rights under the law or intimidated out of seeking justice.

Again, it's an issue that should unite immigrants, African Americans and anyone else who cares about justice. Without jobs, we can't make the personal investment our communities sorely need to stay healthy. Without an enforcement of workers' legal protections, we remain at the mercy of employers whose concern rests with the bottom line.

And in an era where pensions are scarce and costs of everything from gas to homes have skyrocketed, all of us should pay more attention to how we may--or may not--be protected as workers if the unthinkable happened.

A number of local organizations see the uniting power of these issues. Groups like the TARGET Area Development Corp., Instituto del Progreso Latino and the Monsignor John J. Egan Urban Center of DePaul University, among others, have begun on-the-ground efforts to bring our communities together.

Other organizations, such as the Chicago Workers' Collaborative and Interfaith Worker Justice are pushing our state leaders to move on two-year-old recommendations to track worker injuries and provide outreach to Latino workers about their rights.

The point is, progress on these issues--and so many others--can lift all boats. The sooner we see that, the sooner we'll shift our tactics from finger-pointing to making change.

Forums

Join Community Renewal staff and other activists at one of several immigration forums in Chicago. For details, contact Yvonne Nieves at 312-673-3871 or [e-mail].

African Americans, Immigrants and Employment

6-7:30 p.m. July 18

Mujeres Latinas en Accion

2124 W. 21st Place

Immigrants and Disability

6-7:30 p.m. August 23

Access Living

115 W. Chicago Avenue 

Alysia Tate

Editor and Publisher

Opinions expressed by the editor and publisher are her own.

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