Why My Grandmother Would Be an Illegal Immigrant Today

Why My Grandmother Would Be an Illegal Immigrant Today (Photo of sign Refugees are human beings)

If my grandmother had come to America today, she might be in a cage right now.

My grandmother immigrated to America when she was just three years old. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather has come over to the United States from Poland a few years before. When they started running out of money, my great-grandmother returned to Poland to get help. But she didn’t realize something very important – she was pregnant. Because America didn’t allow babies into the country, the two of them had to wait three long years before returning to America. Passing through Ellis Island, they finally reunited with my great-grandfather. My grandmother’s first memories are of seeing the Statue of Liberty as they came into the harbor and meeting her father for the first time. She said he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Now imagine if they were immigrants today.

Continue reading

How to Find Your Group of Progressive Parents

How to Find Your Group of Progressive Parents (Photo: Homemade cardboard sign that says 'Yep George Soros paid me to rally with stickers and cheerios"

Writing letters in crayon to new refugees in America, I looked around the room and thought, “These are my people.”

My family was attending a kids’ dance party to benefit refugees in the wake of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies. It was organized by a local group of politically progressive parents. Beyond card writing, the event included a guitarist, kids’ Zumba, and of course, a drum circle.

It’s hard enough to find good “mom” (or dad) friends. It’s even harder if you want to find people interested in discussing racial justice or climate change in the context of parenting. But building community is key to preventing burn-out as both a parent and activist. It’s nice to talk to people with a variety of perspectives, but it’s also great to connect with people who have the same concerns as you do.

Here are a few ideas for finding like-minded parents:

Continue reading

Guest Post on Slacktiverse: Being Civil About Your Disobedience

I have a guest post up over at the Slacktiverse on how to make the most of civil disobedience actions.  Even though I’ve never actually participated in one – fear of being kicked out of the country in the U.K. and of losing my job by being arrested while I was supposed to be at work in D.C. – I’ve received training on it and thought a lot about these issues.  So check out my post!

Here’s the first paragraph as a preview…

Much like the months leading up to the Occupy movement, people are getting fed up with toothless actions and lackluster policy solutions. Instead of banks and an unjust monetary system, the current focus is on the vast impacts of climate change. A number of demonstrators are participating in civil disobedience or direct action (as opposed to indirect actions like lobbying) and many others are stating their support. Even the venerable Sierra Club has gotten in on the action, with the Club’s executive director and president participating with the full backing of the organization for the first time. As someone who’s been involved in the climate movement for quite sometime and has been trained in these techniques (although never participated in them), I’ve noticed some ways these groups can maximize their impact.

Check out the Slacktiverse to read the rest!