A rise in coronavirus cases among Southern Indiana minority populations is prompting local health officials to take a more focused approach in combating the disease.
Lillian Rose, who serves hundreds of immigrants across the region at the Hispanic Connection of Southern Indiana, said there’s a lot about the spread of COVID-19 in the community that’s unknown — including reliable numbers about how many Hispanic residents have become infected or died from coronavirus.
This is a reminder that Hoosier Hills Food Bank is continuing its wonderful food distribution at its west side location. Fridays in June, 11am-3pm. 2333 W. Industrial Park Drive.
While African Americans are affected more so, the number of cases among Hispanics is on the rise.
“there’s a cluster of people working for a common employer, but there are also a lot of families,” said Dr. Mark Fox, St. Joseph County Health Department.
Health officials have refused to name the employer, but are monitoring the situation.
[more]
Protesters across the state gathered in car caravans Friday in response to claims of “rampant workplace exploitation” of undocumented workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re demanding driver’s licenses, protection from deportation and access to stimulus aid packages.
HUNTINGBURG — Immigration lawyer Christine Popp travels from Bloomington to Dubois County to help immigrants with legal matters.
She has an office on Fourth Street in Huntingburg, and currently comes for appointments. She also takes calls and emails from her clients.
“It’s a very uncertain time right now with immigration,” she said, “so this is a really pressing need. I didn’t think at first of actually opening this office. But as time went on, the more I thought about it, it just seemed like a really good fit for me.”
[more]
(BLOOMINGTON) – Angela D. Adams, owner and managing attorney at Adams Immigration Law LLC, will give the keynote address at Ivy Tech’s Diversity Speaker Series event, “Breaking Immigration Barriers,” on Wednesday, Feb.19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Shreve Hall at Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus. The event is free and open to the public.
[more]
In the councilors, IJTF found a group that appeared mostly supportive of their view that the county sheriff should not be helping ICE to identify and apprehend people who are suspected of a possible civil infraction. That’s the category of legal violation to which immigration violations belong, Christie Popp, a local immigration attorney with IJTF, told the council.
[more]
Looking back, the antiracist and antifascist activists who have worked to air this issue have been stunningly successful. Besides the City of Bloomington, other entities have held multiple community forums to wrestle with it. Countless exchanges among area residents have taken place online and offline, in the open and behind closed doors. Local media — Indiana Public Media, Indiana Daily Student, WFHB, The Bloomingtonian, B Square Beacon, The Herald-Times — have followed this upheaval. It has even appeared on the national radar, ranging from the progressive left (The Nation) to the extreme right (National Vanguard) to the middle-of-the-road (Newsweek) — including the front page of the New York Times, arguably the most influential mainstream U.S. newspaper.
Scattered across the conversations and coverage are the experiences of people of color. What would it mean to place their perspectives at the center of our reflection and think outward from there? To acknowledge them seriously and meaningfully? Might we come away with a fresh understanding of the stakes involved that could prove useful for moving the city past this deadlock?
The City of Bloomington has more than 33 boards and commissions with more than 250 members that help advise the mayor, the city council and varying legislative bodies in the community. They range from topics such as a commission that covers environmental issues to a group that oversee the status of women, Hispanic and Latino affairs and children.
Of all the groups, 19 currently have vacancies. Mary Catherine Carmichael, director of public engagement, said residents can apply any time, but there are many spots that open up Dec. 31 and Jan. 31 because of the two year term limits. The applications for each board are on their page on the city website
