Immigration

Anti-immigrant Groups and Environmentalists at Odds

Written by Amy Mehta

Masked is the word that comes to mind when I think of anti-immigrant organizations that claim to be concerned about the environment. As we move into a new month, year, decade and closer to the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, we must be mindful of environmental issues and especially of who are considered legitimate environmental experts. Conscious and informed environmentalism is imperative to solve dire environmental problems.

However, politically extreme organizations that purport to prioritize environmental preservation/conservation are using this alarming issue to promote their anti-immigrant agendas. They are employing several aggressive tactics, some of which are outright attacks on mainstream environmental organizations for not taking an anti-immigrant stance. Other examples include TV and… Read more

Holiday Memories and Unexpected Changes

Written by Amy Mehta

Growing up in NY, the holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years- meant getting together with my parents, brother, paternal uncles, aunts, cousins and other extended family who all lived in the tri-state area. Family get-togethers included anywhere from 20-40 family members depending on who joined us. Different families would take turn hosting holiday get-togethers at their homes. On Thanksgiving, my cousins and I would ask the adults and children to go around the room and express what they were thankful for. This was a beautiful exercise. On Christmas, no matter where we were, we had a huge celebration. As a young child, I remember that no matter where Christmas was, we had a big tree… Read more

Race – not an issue of the past

Written by Amy Mehta

Race – it’s a concept, a word, a phenomenon, an identifying factor, and an issue which has spanned many centuries and knows no geographic borders. Often, what comes to mind when people think of race in the U.S. is slavery and segregation in the South. Many think that due to the enactment of civil rights legislation, race is no longer a priority. This is because racism is not as blatant as it once was, but presents itself behind the scenes, which is why it is more important than ever to pay attention to it.

Where does racism still exist? Wherever we are willing to admit that it exists. After watching thirteen documentaries exploring different aspects… Read more

Ecopolitics

Have a Happy, Sustainable Thanksgiving

Written by Amy Mehta

Thanksgiving – the time to think about whom and what we are thankful for – has arrived! After you figure out where to go, what to eat and who to see today, consider the individuals responsible for your thanksgiving meal.

Conditions for workers are instrumental in making sure that the food that comes to us is safe. Workers (often immigrants and refugees) at meat processing plants do the most dangerous jobs in America at low wages. Recently, there were cases against facilities for not paying their employees. If this wasn’t bad enough, mentally disabled Iowa turkey workers were being exploited. Alarmingly, as the NY Times highlighted last week, work related injuries are… Read more

Ecopolitics

Discussions on Race and Climate Change

Written by Amy Mehta

It is imperative to incorporate conversations about racism in a discussion about climate change. There is a lot of talk these days about the climate change bill, also known as the clean energy bill being considered in the Senate. On the eve of the United Nations Climate Change Conference about to take place in Copenhagen from December 7th to 18th 2009, this is especially important. The climate change bill addresses important issues such as green jobs, clean energy, etc. The bill would require industry to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 20 % by 2020 from 2005 levels.

Left out of the discussion however, are issues of race, environmental… Read more

Immigration

Will Restricting Immigration Protect the Environment?

Written by Amy Mehta

This is a pressing question being discussed across the country and an issue that the Center for New Community is taking quite seriously. In fact, I take this issue so seriously that it will be my focus for the next two to three years in my role as Field Organizer for the Center for New Community’s new initiative on Migration, Race and the Environment. I think that the two theories, the Malthusian and nativist theories (described in further detail below), that have been used to argue that immigration should be restricted, lack substance and thus my answer to this question is that immigration should not be restricted.

The Malthusian theory was born when… Read more