Part of empowering migrant communities to tell their own stories is giving them the tools they need to document their experiences. This fall Uprooted will be doing exactly that. Working with four migrant rights groups based in New York City, our team will help them to build their media making capacity through video production workshops.
We will be working with Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM), a community based organization of working class South Asian immigrants in New York City; VAMOS Unidos, Vendedores Ambulantes Movilizando y Organizando en Solidaridad (Street Vendors Mobilizing and Organizing in Solidarity), a community social justice organization, founded by low-income Latino/a immigrant street vendors; The New York State Youth Leadership Council(NYSYLC), an undocumented youth led organization fighting for access to higher education and the empowerment of migrant youth; and with the youth group of The Arab American Association of New York, a social service organization that seeks to support and empower the Arab immigrant community.
Click on the links above or watch the videos below to learn more about the amazing work of these four organizations!
DRUM- Youth Speak Out Part 1
DRUM- Youth Speak Out Part 2
Georgia 6- Felipe by the New York State Youth Leadership Council:
Balady Presents- Arab American Association of New York:
These groups all represent different sectors of the wide and diverse immigrant community in New York City. They don’t all take the same positions. For example, VAMOS Unidos opposes the DREAM Act because of its military provisions, where as the NYSYLC is fighting for its passage. All of them however, are dedicated to the empowerment of their communities and the struggle for migrant justice.
“Shifting the terms of the immigration debate” means presenting new dialogues and new perspectives. It means that although we may be at odds with one another on certain points, debates should be based on a premise that everyone, regardless of their origin or immigration status, is entitled to respect, dignity and human rights. All of these groups share that mission and work towards it everyday. They strive in their communities to “shift the debate” and to enable their members to articulate an understanding of their rights that challenges the mainstream discourse searching to dis-empower them.
Another thing all four of these organizations share is the work that they do with youth – training the next generation of leaders in their communities. The Uprooted team is very excited to work with these youth and other leaders on media skills: shaping documentaries, video shooting and editing.
By working with them and the tools they already have at their disposal, Uprooted hopes to build their capacity to document their struggles and tell their stories in a way that no one else can. We hope that the video training sessions will provide members and constituents of these groups with the tools to produce their own submissions for Uprooted. We are eager to hear their stories, and to share them with you!
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