Category Archives: News

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Bicultural students analyze Latino population

Bicultural students will hone research skills and study civic resilience of North-Central Indiana’s Latino communities this summer by analyzing data collected from surveys they create and distribute.

The students will travel to Fort Wayne, Frankfurt and other regions in Indiana beyond Tippecanoe County as part of a joint university operation between Ivy Tech Lafayette and Purdue University in a class titled “Latino Immigrants in the Crossroad of America.” The course will be led by Jay McCann, a Purdue professor of political science, and Randy Triplett, an Ivy Tech professor of political science.

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CLDC workshop focuses on community engagement

Seven people spoke about their fears in the current political climate and the future and discussed ways to be involved in community and create change even in the face of discrimination Thursday evening.

Members of the Community and Leadership Development Center led activities and discussions of community engagement during their program “Together We Rise” at La Casa Latino Cultural Center.

“It’s important to remind students that they have the power to engage and participate in democracy,” CLDC graduate assistant Alyssa Beauchamp said.

This program has occurred two times before, once with staff at the CLDC and once at the Indiana Latino Leadership Conference. Director of La Casa Lillian Casillas asked the CLDC if they could bring the program to La Casa.

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Partnership Aims to Tackle Diabetes Among Latinos

INDIANAPOLIS –

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) has announced a research collaboration with the William Sansum Diabetes Center in California. The pharmaceutical company says the partnership aims to improve the lives of Latino people affected by diabetes.

Lilly says the collaboration will provide insight into the unmet needs of Latino diabetes patients and help with the development of interventions that could improve health outcomes.

“This is a great opportunity for us to further understand the significant impact of diabetes for Latino families,” said Dara Schuster, senior director of U.S. Medical Affairs for Lilly Diabetes. “Through this collaboration, we will learn where the gaps are so we can develop meaningful solutions for the unmet needs.”

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Army Vet Who Served Two Tours In Afghanistan To Be Deported

A Chicago immigration judge ruled last week that an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan be deported back to Mexico, according to a local ABC affiliate.

The decision comes after Miguel Perez Jr. served seven years in prison for a felony drug offense. Perez, 38, was born in Mexico but has lived in the United States since the age of 8. He enlisted in the Army as a legal permanent resident in 2001 and served two tours in Afghanistan with U.S. Special Forces.

“My son served for this country, not for Mexico,” Perez’s mother, Esperanza Medina, told reporters at a Pilsen church on Sunday. 

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Crowdsourcing Dataset Map of ICE Raids

Alternative journalism, and humor social commentary digital platform Latino Rebels launched a new crowdsourcing data campaign called MIGRAMAP that tracks and maps ICE raids. The new initiative allows everyone to pinpoint the location of these raids.

MIGRAMAP is a data tool, a social media platform and a global positioning system, all in one. The community reports the location immigration officers are raiding. The website will show a color-coded map with the data results. The tool is based on self-reports. It has the option for the community to post their own stories.

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San Jose, CA an immigration success story

Q: What have the waves of immigration meant for San Jose?

A: In Silicon Valley diversity and our immigrant community has been the secret sauce to our success. About half of our venture-funded start-ups are started by foreign born entrepreneurs. Obviously we have our share of challenges. But there’s an incredible story to tell about what immigration has brought to our community. I hope the rest of the nation will take heed.

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Immigrant rights group has ‘know your rights’ workshops

Nettie Garza said she wants to go visit her grandmother, whom she hasn’t seen in nine years, in Mexico. She has been saving up money to make the trip, but now, Garza, a green card holder, is scared to leave the country.

Garza, 29, attended Bloomington Immigrant Rights Coalition’s “Know Your Rights” workshop Tuesday evening. She wanted to be informed on what to do if her resident status is questioned in the wake of President Trump’s executive order on immigration and 
international travel.

Tuesday’s workshop was the second in a series of five workshops at the Monroe County Public Library that will teach immigrants their rights if questioned by Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement officers.

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Refugee center leaders discuss refugees and religion

Four panel members from refugee centers across Bloomington and southern Indiana gathered Tuesday evening at the Beth Shalom Congregation to discuss the refugee situation and how it related to the Bloomington community.

Heidi Smith, director of Indy Archdiocese Refugee Services; Cassandra Housley from Beth Shalom Task Force on Refugee Resettlement; Geshe Kunga from the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center; and Kadhim Shaaban, chair of the Arab American Association of Bloomington, were all 
members of the panel.

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