Education

USF to Host Panel on Immigration

Published

9 years ago

March 16, 2015

The University of San Francisco (USF) is partnering with the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) to host a panel discussion on US immigration history, policy and civil society.

The discussion, “US Immigration Law and Civil Society: The Road to Executive Action and Beyond,” will feature leading scholars and practitioners in the field. Organized by USF’s Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought and CMS, the event is free and open to the public. It will take place at the McLaren Conference Center on USF’s main campus (2130 Fulton St.), March 24, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The event will explore executive action and other recent developments in the immigration world in relation to a new book, International Migration, US Immigration Law and Civil Society: From the Colonial Era to the 113th Congress.

Published by the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) in collaboration with CMS, the book analyzes the themes, trends and challenges that have driven US immigration law and policy through history.

The panel discussion will discuss the evolution of US immigration law and policy and the use of executive action; the growing influence of civil society in the US immigration debate and in immigrant communities, particularly in securing and implementing the new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs; and, Immigration scholarship and initiatives taking place at USF, including the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Assistance Project in which USF Law School students are providing legal assistance to unaccompanied minors as they navigate the US immigration system.

Sara Campos

The panel discussion will feature two of the book’s contributors: Sara Campos, immigration attorney, writer and consultant; and Charles Wheeler, senior attorney and director of training and legal support for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), as well as USF Professor of Law Bill Ong Hing. USF Professor of Social Ethics Lois Lorentzen will moderate the panel, with introductory remarks offered by Fr. Leonir Chiarello, C.S., executive director of SIMN.

The book, co-edited by Fr. Leonir Chiarello and CMS Executive Director Donald Kerwin, is the tenth in a series on international migration to and within the Americas.

The series seeks to improve migration governance in the Americas by educating policymakers and the public on the benefits, trade-offs and human dimensions of migration.

“This volume analyzes the long history of migration to the territory that now constitutes the United States, the shorter history of US immigration law and policy, and the growing influence of civil society in the immigration debate in recent decades,” said Kerwin.

“The book highlights both the need to regularly assess and revisit US immigration laws and the difficulty in legislating in this area, as illustrated by the current impasse in Congress over immigration reform and the battle between Congress and President over executive action, despite outdated laws that have not been substantially revised since 1990 or overhauled since 1965,” he said.

“This event will spotlight the incredible work and scholarship being done to assist one of the most marginalized groups in our society today,” said Michael Duffy, director of USF’s Lane Center. “Our hope is that attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of the historical, legal, and cultural aspects of immigration reform, and why immigrant rights are vital to creating a just and fair society.”

The book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Parking for attendees will be available at the USF Koret Recreational Center parking structure located at the corner of Turk Street and Parker Avenue in San Francisco.

Live stream of the event will be available at the following link: http://www.usfca.edu/stream/immigration-talk/

For further information or accommodations, please contact Michael Duffy at USF’s Lane Center (415) 422-5200 or lanecenter@usfca.edu.

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Performing Stars’ Go On Civil Rights Tour of Alabama

Twenty-two members of the Performing Stars youth and staff took a Civil Rights Social Justice trip to visit Montgomery and other parts of Alabama from Aug. 14-18. They returned on Friday, Aug.19.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 31, 2023

Oakland Post

Members of the Performing Stars Social Justice Youth Initiative visits Mayor Steven Reed (in suit and tie), of Montgomery, Ala. Photo by Felecia Gaston.

By Godfrey Lee

Twenty-two members of the Performing Stars youth and staff took a Civil Rights Social Justice trip to visit Montgomery and other parts of Alabama from Aug. 14-18. They returned on Friday, Aug.19.

Performing Stars previously traveled to Montgomery in 2018. On this trip, they met the city’s first Black mayor, Steven Reed. They also visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the National Voting Rights Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum, Tuskegee University, and Alabama State University.

The trip, a part of Performing Star’s Civic Education Program, focuses on leadership development to better understand how former civil rights leaders fought for freedom, voting equality and prepared the next generation to carry on the important work that is needed in the Marin City community.

Fourteen young people in the group were involved with the Social Justice Youth Initiative, formed in 2018 by Performing Stars, and performed various duties and activities for several years, such as community outreach, voter registration, service learning, food distribution, office administration, and archiving Marin City history.

“We want them to come out and be the new social justice leaders,” Performing Stars CEO Felecia Gaston told Giuseppe Ricapito of the Marin IJ. “What better way to do that than where it all began.”

ABC7 KGO-TV anchor Kumasi Aaron interviewed Gaston before the group went on the trip, and asked about The Performing Stars Social Justice Youth Initiative program, and the Civil Rights Educational Tour.

Gaston said Civil Rights Education has always been important. “In the light of what is going on in our country at this point, we need to educate our young people so they will become the new social activists,” she said.

And going to Alabama is to go where the action took place, where history was made in 1963 when Birmingham firemen hosed down Black protesters and sicced dogs on them.

The Performing Stars, familiar with the real foundation, felt encouraged and excited to now be able to reach more young people in the community about voting and why it is important to vote.

They documented their trip with photographs and videos and will edit their photos and videos and feature them on the local stations here and social media upon their return.

“They will be the up-and-coming journalists,” Gaston said.

This educational tour was sponsored by the TomKat Foundation. Contributing supporters included the Marin County Board of Supervisors, and the Marin County Probation Department.

Bay Area

How Non-Profits Can Strengthen Legal Guardrails

On Aug. 31, OCCUR & San Francisco Foundation FAITHS A Model Built on Faith (AMBOF) will present: Strengthening Your Legal Guardrails 2023 – What Faith Based and Nonprofit Organizations Need to Know.

Published

3 weeks ago

August 31, 2023

Oakland Post

Karl Mill, Esq., founding attorney of the Mill Law Center. Courtesy photo.

By Carmen Bogan

On Aug. 31, OCCUR & San Francisco Foundation FAITHS A Model Built on Faith (AMBOF) will present: Strengthening Your Legal Guardrails 2023 – What Faith Based and Nonprofit Organizations Need to Know.

In this important training, Karl Mill, founding attorney of the Mill Law Center, along with attorney Patrick Hogan will provide an overview of key legal principles every nonprofit leader must know and observe now for the organization’s protection and stability.

“Now more than ever, our communities look to faith-based and nonprofit organizations to fill service gaps and critical safety nets for those who are struggling to survive and thrive in every area,” says Mill, a specialist in nonprofit law. “As faith-based organizations and CBOs push forward to meet these community needs, now more than ever, it’s essential that they are also diligent to continually examine and strengthen their own legal infrastructures. Not learning the basics of nonprofit law can be a costly mistake.”

Training participants will learn:

Overview of some key legal issues for 2023
Maintaining 501 (c)(3) status
Fiscal sponsorship briefing
The Board’s legal responsibilities
Risk factors for your tax exemption
Non-negotiable reporting and filing requirements
Funding issues: donations, donors, and due diligence
Paying attention to employment law issues (employees vs. contractors vs. volunteers)
How to engage in political advocacy without creating risk for your organization

… and more.

“Legal guardrails are central to the organizations’ very ability to function and thrive. Legal stability is critical to getting funding, acquiring loans, managing staff and volunteers, collaborating and partnering with other CBOs, and so much more,” says nonprofit consultant, Carmen Bogan, CEO, The Bogan Group. “This free training from experts in the field, Karl Mill and Patrick Hogan, is a valuable opportunity for our nonprofit community.”

Bay Area

Olympian Stops by Nystrom Elementary to Read to Students

A Team USA Olympian was in the house Mon., July 17 at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, when three-time Track and Field Gold Medalist, Tianna Madison Bartoletta, stopped by to read to the students.

Published

2 months ago

July 26, 2023

Oakland Post

Tianna Bartoletta signs an autograph for a Nystrom student. Photo courtesy of WCCUSD.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Olympian visited the “Read Aloud at Nystrom Elementary Freedom School” program as a guest reader of the book, “When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left,” by Marc Colagiovanni and also shared “a powerful message about overcoming your fears and frustrations by remembering who you are,” according to the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) on Facebook about the visit.

WCCUSD added that Nystrom’s special guest helped “support and uplift Freedom School students and to share the power of literacy.”

Tianna Bartoletta pauses in reading the book “When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left.” Photo courtesy of WCCUSD.

Bartoletta is not only a two-time Olympian and ‘three-peat’ Gold Medalist, she’s also a current member of Team USA in Track and Field, according to the WCCUSD. She earned a degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee and also found time to start Club 360, a personal development program for young girls. A native of Tampa, Fla., the Olympian is also an advocate re: the Black maternal health crisis.

“Students were able to ask for advice, get autographs and share their morning routine of singing, dancing, mindfulness and affirmations,” said WCCUSD about the visit. “Thank you, Tianna Madison, for an experience that will inspire WCCUSD students for years to come!”