I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about the crisis with the unaccompanied
migrant children whom US immigration officials have detained after they crossed
the border. When I first heard about it,
I felt stunned and paralyzed – it’s such a painful situation, and there doesn’t
seem to be much that we regular citizens can do.
To make matters worse, politicians (on both sides) are
trying to turn this humanitarian crisis into a political situation, and a lot
of people seem to be forgetting the real heart of the issue – these children
and the violence and poverty that they have fled in Central America. I understand that we in the US don’t have the
facilities to adequately cope with this problem, but surely there’s something
we can do. They are children.
Fortunately, the folks at La Casa Azul Bookstore in East Harlem have joined
forces with the Unaccompanied Latin American Minor Project at John Jay College
and Safe Passage Project
to host a book drive for the young people who have been apprehended by
immigration and then transferred to NYC, where they await deportation
proceedings.
Although collecting books isn’t going to solve the larger
problems of crime and poverty in Central America and immigration reform in the
US, this action can help comfort the children and provide them with something to do at the detention center. They face an uncertain future, and, as many
of us know, books can generate hope and solace.
Therefore, please consider donating. You can find more detailed information here at La Casa Azul’s book drive website
and in these articles from the LA Times and NBC News.
If you’d like to donate some books, please also remember
that the organizers are asking for books that are in Spanish and also culturally
relevant. In other words, stories
should be pertinent to young Central American and Mexican children’s
experiences – stories to which they can potentially relate. Additionally, books should be new or gently
used, appropriate for children between the ages of 4 and 13, and high quality
literature.
The book drive starts TODAY (July 10th) and runs
through August 10th, so let’s get busy!
UPDATE:
For another way to help, check out the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Program.
UPDATE:
For another way to help, check out the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Program.
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