Hispanic Heritage Month @ Cardozo SHS

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

This year with the leadership of Ms. Benitez who is the new after school coordinator, Cardozo Senior High School celebrated their first Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony. This was a great event for Ward 1, it brought youth of all races together and shared the Latino culture and customs. The program included typical Latino food (Tacos from Mexico, Pupusas from El Salvador, Sancocho form Domican Republic, and much more). Youth from all ethnic back grounds were able to indulge in different foods, and music. Nothing stood out more than the performance by youth from GALA Theater, and the talented Quique Avilés. Youth from Gala presented to those in attendance an amazing skit that portrayed the struggles of immigrant mothers. This was followed by a song that left its audience in a whimper of silence. The performances both shocked and left the audience wanting more. In the end Quique Avilés stunned the audience with a poem that gave confidence, and amazed youth from all back grounds.

At the end of the program over 30 youth walked and talked without any immigration boundaries, and treated each other as equals. This was an amazing event that needs to be commended and supported! This is a great step for Ward 1, and a great accomplishment to Cardozo Senior High School.

  

Substance Abuse Community Conversations

One of the things we talk a lot about on the blog is the importance of community engagement. Through Community conversations communities discover what they care about, and what issues are key to the success of their community. Conversation is part of life. And it’s an important part of community building. In conversation, we not only discover what we care about, we uncover new ideas for building healthy community. “Drug and alcohol abuse rates are higher in the District than anywhere else in the country, and experts say the wide availability of drugs, high stress levels and difficulties getting abusers into treatment fuel the city's persistently stratospheric rates.” To read more please see this article that goes in depth on DC’s substance abuse rate.
Since September SWOTDC has taken much interest into finding more information to help with this issue. In September SWOTDC held meetings that discussed substance abuse rates in Wards 1 and 2, and has continue to hold meetings and community conversations to discuss possible solutions. Please join in conversation facilitated by the DC Prevention Center October 18^th 2011 at 6pm at the Northwest association Community Meeting. It will be held at the Saint Stevens Episcopal Church for more information please see attached flier.

Secure Communities in DC

In May The American Prospect reported that the deployment of Secure Communities hit a roadblock in the nation’s capital when D.C. council members introduced a bill to ban the program. Secure Communities is a DHS program designed to identify immigrants in U.S. jails who are deportable under immigration law. Under Secure Communities, participating jails submit arrestees’ fingerprints not only to criminal databases, but to immigration databases as well; allowing ICE access to information on individuals held in jails. Unlike other ICE-local partnerships, Secure Communities gives ICE a technological, not physical, presence in prisons and jails. No Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) with local law-enforcement agencies are required, and no local law-enforcement agents are deputized to enforce immigration laws through Secure Communities.

As of October 2010, Secure Communities is available in 686 jurisdictions in 33 states. ICE plans to have a Secure Communities presence in every state by 2011, and plans to implement Secure Communities in each of the 3,100 state and local jails across the country by 2013. To learn more about secure communites please follow the link.

Last month Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier signed an agreement to share arrest data with ICE, despite the district’s longstanding ban on city employees inquiring about immigration status.

For months immigrants’ advocacy and service groups have rallied against secure communities, and have made great progreess to ban the law. In july immigrant advocat groups won a victory when the D.C. Police Department (DCPD) decided to withdraw their agreement with the federal government to implement Secure Communities.

In August 24th Roxana Olivas Director of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, (OLA) spoke against Secure communites at a rally held in Arlington, Virginia. Olivas had this to say "For decades the District of Columbia has had policies that created a "bright line" between Immigration and Custom's Enforcement and local police. Why? Because we care about keeping all communities safe. In 2010 the Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier signed an agreement to share arrest data with ICE, despite the district’s longstanding ban on city employees inquiring about immigration status." To read more about her testimony please follow the link. The Mayor's Office of Latino Affaris has been working hard with immgrantion advocates to better help the immigrant population in the district of columbia.

2011 Data on Child Abuse and Neglect

After a spike in fiscal year (FY) 2009, substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in the District returned to more historic levels in fiscal year (FY) 2010. The data shows that child abuse and neglect have been declining across the country, but there is no evidence of that trend in D.C. The number of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in the District rose by 27 percent in FY 2009, to find out more information of this dramatic spike please view this article.

Upcoming Parenting Classes in English and Spanish in Ward 1

  

The Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative will be hosting two sets of parenting classes this fall.

·         The English classes will be titled “Parents Raising Safe Kids” You will learn new discipline methods; such as controlling your child’s tantrums, resolve conflicts, and understanding and managing anger. For date, time and more information see flyer.

·         The Spanish Classes will be titled “Padres Criando Niños Seguros” You will learn new methods of child/parent interactions, sibling interaction, controlling child’s tantrums, and understanding and managing anger. For more information including date and time see the flyer (Español).