Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e922Cq919334; Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:12:52 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 22:12:52 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <00b201c01b1e$0e4d7520$1c71c0d0@default> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Anita VanOuwerkerk" <aharvan@pnx.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:84] Re: personal introduction X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 9062 Lines: 248 Thanks for writing. Anita aharvan@pnx.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeanie Alderson <jcazc@mcn.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 10:31 AM Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:65] Re: personal introduction > Hello, > I have been impressed with the scope and the nature of the discussion. Even > though I tell myself I really don't have time. I find myself reading through > everybody's comments. I think a list like this is really important. > > I am white. I grew up on a cattle ranch 6 miles from the N. Cheyenne Indian > Reservation. My people came to Montana from the South (Mississippi) after > the Civil War. We are complicated clan of families. Our grade school K-8 has > 13 students. The only things one can purchase in my little town are stamps. > > I left for highschool, college and graduate school.... I was so happy to > leave! I came back for visits. I got homesick for the land. I did the > unheard of and came back to live and help keep my family's ranch. I feel > fortunate that I can do ranch work and keep doing the work I love. Teaching > Adults. I work on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. So many of the issues > that have been raised in this list are things I think about or experience > there daily. I am interested to hear from those of you who work in poor, > rural communities and reservations. > > Kathy, your story sounds too familiar even > though I am at the opposite end of this country. I worked in a Refugee > Resettlement Program as anESL teacher in New Mexico and now home in Montana > I work as Family Literacy coordinator and ABE teacher on the Northern > Cheyenne Reservation. The biggest difference I have noticed moving from an > urban setting to a rural one is that in the city there were so many good > people doing good work. The road was always uphill, but even when there > weren't monetary resources for people, there were people who could say to > learners and teachers, "I know what you're going through." It is not that > way here. > > So many injustices and indignities are thrust upon > the people I work with. People are simply discarded. (I know this happens > everywhere) > Here in rural Montana we are so isolated. I > suppose this is one of the reasons I joined this discussion. I have read > some of the material that others have mentioned. Yes, it all makes sense. > The trouble is that people in decision making positions are not reading > Freire, Kozal, Gee etc. > > Sometimes I feel so inadequate as a teacher. Other times I feel so humbled > and grateful for the times I spend with students who give me the gift of > reciprocity. We talk and laugh. Sometimes I think it is in witnessing > eachother's lives that we begin to get out from under the devastating cloak > of prejudice. > > Discussions like these can often seem so abstract and far away from the day > to day needs we all face in our lives and our work, but I know that it is > through dialogue that we learn. Thank you all, > > Jeanie Alderson > ABE / ESL instructor Dull Knife Memorial College > Lame Deer, Montana > and > Coordinator, Literacy Volunteers of America/ Rosebud County > Birney, MT > > > > > > > > > > > Hello All, > > > > More introductions....My name is Kathy Poulos. I taught ESL and Adult Ed. > > for a few years and listened to countless horror stories of discriminatory > > practices against my students primarily because of race or national > origin. > > In 1996, I took a part-time job as a family worker working with refugee > > families involved in the child protective system. > > > > The first week on the job I watched as a newly arrived Somali family have > > their child taken from them because of allegations of child abuse. There > was > > no interpreter...they had no idea why their baby was taken, where the baby > > was going, or how to be reunited. All of the so-called "parenting" > training > > I was supposed to be working with them on was incomprehensible > > linguistically and culturally. > > > > The baby was placed in a white Christian family where she was kept for > three > > years. During that time she ate pork, celebrated Christian Holidays, never > > spoke Somali, and had no exposure to Somali culture or Islam. When she had > > visits with her family as the years went by, she could not communicate > with > > her mother..had nothing in common with the Somali community......the bond > > was broken (big surprise) and the State terminated custody. > > > > This incident changed the course of my life. I will never forget for as > long > > as I live the mother crying for her baby as this intrusive bureaucracy > > essentially destroyed the family's life. > > > > I spoke out and insisted on cultural training and the use of an > interpreter. > > All of my requests were flatly denied by the state and other agencies. I > > persisted- and in my then role as legislative chair of the Maine Refugee > > Advisory Council I was fired from my job and removed from the Council. > > > > To make a long story short, I have and will continue to dedicate my life > to > > working towards assuring providers are bridging the language and cultural > > barriers to prevent such tragedies. I am involved in numerous federal > > investigations and recent litigation that resulted in an excellent OCR > > Compliance Agreement. Take a look at the OCR website- Maine Medical > Center. > > > > I now devote all of my time to this cause and am the founder of the > > National LEP Advocacy Task Force. (mission as follows) Most of us are very > > involved in taking action against violators of civil rights We need more > > strong advocates around the country to join us if anyone is interested. > > > > > > Our members are very knowledgeable of the laws that require qualified > > language assistance ..... Title VI mostly and how these laws apply to > jails, > > schools, housing, health and human service providers etc.. Please let us > > know if you suspect anyone is being denied or delayed services or > > participation in any program because of a language barrier. > > > > National LEP Advocacy Task Force- Mission > > > > Because of language and cultural barriers, limited English proficient > (LEP) > > individuals are often delayed or denied the equal access to and > > participation in services, policies, procedures, and opportunities. > Numerous > > laws, such as Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, prohibit > discrimination > > on the basis of national origin, but there is widespread ignorance of and > > non-compliance with these laws. > > > > The National LEP Advocacy Task Force is a newly formed group of advocates > > and attorneys spanning employment, education, housing, health and human > > services and the judicial system. Our mission is to encourage recipients > of > > federal funds, public accommodations providing essential services, and > > employers to comply with the legal obligations to bridge language and > > cultural barriers by: > > > > ? Linking advocacy groups together. > > ? Providing back-up administrative advocacy to the laws and regulations. > > ? Developing and signing on to letters as a group. > > ? Developing and submitting comments to the federal government. > > ? Providing technical assistance. > > Kathy Poulos > > National LEP Advocacy Task Force > > Crossing Cultures > > 85 Lester Drive > > Portland, Maine 04103 > > tel: 207-264-7581 > > Fax: 208-264-4790 > > e-mail: crossingcultures@prodigy.net > > > > The information in this email is intended for the use of the addressee and > > may contain material that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from > > disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, or > > the employee or agent responsible for delivering this transmittal to the > > intended recipient, any forwarding, dissemination, distribution, or > copying > > of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in > > error, please notify the sender by calling 207-264-7581. Thank you. > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <Swr629@aol.com> > > To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> > > Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2000 5:50 PM > > Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:13] Re: personal introduction > > > > > > > Another intro > > > > > > My name is Susan Rowley and I work as an ESL Specialist committed to the > > idea > > > of serving the poorest of the poor, those who are hardest to serve and > > those > > > who are just forgotten. Comes from basic Roman Catholic Social Teaching > > and > > > Buddhist pieces. > > > > > > I have worked with the St. James ESL Program for nearly three years and > > have > > > recently switched to work in an ABE/ESL department at a community > college > > and > > > for Washington Literacy as a trainer. > > > > > > Using EFF and popular education frameworks. > > > > > > Nice to be on this list. > > > > > > Susan Rowley > > > St. James ESL Program > > > Seattle, WA > > > Swr629@aol.com > > > > >
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