TRAFFICKED

By Susan Pineda
Legal Resources Program Manager
Migrant Heritage Commission

[caption id="attachment_2399" align="alignleft" width="180"] Susan Pineda[/caption]

Washington, DC -- Bel’s (not her real name) American dream turned out to be a nightmare the moment she landed at the Dulles Airport in 2008. She was going to be a Special Education teacher in one of the prestigious schools in Virginia, only to sense that there was something fishy going on when she arrived in the US. She was not picked up at the airport when she already paid $200 to her recruiter for her car service.

She had to frantically find her way to her recruiter’s place in the wee hours of the night, and the following day, she was taken to her employer who was surprised why she has made such a visit when there was no hiring being undertaken by the school.

The plot thickens for Bel when she was warned by the recruiter against telling her situation to anybody, or she will report to have her deported by authorities. Because there was actually no teaching job waiting for Bel, the recruiter brought her to a preschool where she was to work as teacher/babysitter to survive in America.

She had no other recourse but to take the job in order to pay her debt of $25,000 in the Philippines that covered her recruitment fees, airfare, and house rental fees. Bel is a victim of fraud. She worked as a babysitter, continuously paid her recruiter for her placement fees, and managed to send meager amounts of money to her family and debtors in the Philippines.

[caption id="attachment_2397" align="alignright" width="168"] "Bel"[/caption]

One morning, no longer able to bear her misery, Bel called the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) and told me her story over the phone, sobbing hysterically as she asked for help. Her recruiter had threatened to have her deported unless she paid the balance of her recruitment fees. She could not continue to do so, after having been laid off from the preschool.

Distraught and in deep debt, regret, and shame, Bel often swings from entertaining thoughts of suicide to reporting to authorities about her condition.

She chose to ask for help. The MHC was the institution she had bravely gone to. Now, Bel and other teachers who were swindled by big time Filipino recruiters are up in arms for their battle for justice. They courageously testified before immigration authorities about their condition, despite the risks that their families in the Philippines may face due to retaliation by these affluent recruiters. They have also applied for T (Trafficking) visas.

Most people think that slavery has already been eliminated because it is often a hidden and invisible crime. But studies show that there are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history. A conservative estimate is that there are 27 million people in slavery today. Slavery has existed since time immemorial, but changes in the world’s economy and societies over the past years have enabled its resurgence. As in the past, most slaves are forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution. Their exploited labor flows into the global economy and into our lives. Within the United States alone, there is an estimated 100,000 children in the sex trade while between 14,500 and 17,500 people – mostly women and children - are trafficked into the US annually.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. This syndicated crime strips victims their freedom to determine their own future and violates their basic human rights.

I have internalized the sad stories of survivors of human trafficking, from my firsthand experience working with them for more than four years in my volunteer paralegal work as the Program Manager of the Legal Resources Program of the MHC, and as the Senior Paralegal of the Law Offices of Valera and Associates.

Most of the cases we handled were agricultural, domestic, hotel workers and professional teachers. Most of them are desperate to find means for survival, lured by a lucrative promise of a well-paying job and instead end up being abused and exploited by their human traffickers or employers. These victims spend thousands of dollars in recruitment and processing fees in good faith, but are led to debt bondage and involuntary servitude.

Human trafficking is a lucrative industry, coming in second to drug trafficking as the most profitable illegal industry in the world. Different sources estimate profits from human trafficking is as high as $32 billion, increasingly at the hands of organized crime due to the high profits and the fewer risks compared to arms or drug trafficking, thus making human trafficking the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world at this time.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that that the largest profits - more than US$ 15 billion - are made from people trafficked and forced to work in industrialized countries, with almost one-third coming from Asia. Globalization has created a widening gap in wealth between countries and has made many people “victims of the excesses of a global economic system that rewards wealth and exploits the poor."

Traffickers prey on the vulnerabilities of people who are aspiring for a better life, people who are poor, uneducated, neglected, unemployed, victims of sexual abuse, coming from unstable home lives, immigrants, or refugees. But educated people can be exploited as well.

Due to its international implications, to combat human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, the United Nations underpinned the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (also referred to as the Trafficking Protocol or UN TIP Protocol) to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Trafficking Protocol was adopted by the United Nations in Palermo in 2000 and was entered into force on 25 December 2003. As of March 2013, it has been signed by 117 countries and ratified by 154 parties.

In compliance with the Trafficking Protocol, the US Congress passed into law The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000, offering protection for persons in the country illegally who may be victims of human trafficking. The TVPA combats trafficking by promoting a policy of “3 Ps”: prosecution, protection, and prevention. It is through this law, that most of the victims of human trafficking, acquires legal status in the US.

Under the TVPA law, the US government grants T-visa to victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons. T visas offer the victims a path to freedom — and even citizenship — in exchange for their help putting modern day slave runners behind bars.

Thus, every person granted a T visa is given huge relief, a reaffirmation of the rightness of our approach to their cases and the development of a certain level of expertise in one of the very diverse federal immigration law fields of the US. We take an active role in pushing for stronger federal and state laws, and humanize the way that individuals and communities respond to human trafficking cases in the US and globally. Fighting modern slavery is one of the greatest human rights battles of our era. (Reprinted from the Migrant Heritage Chronicle, June 18, 2013)

Go Back, Be Whole Again

By Marivir R. Montebon

There is something deeper than the noble cause of fighting for justice. It is going back to the sacred self. It is what will truly heal the world, says Patricia Anne Davis, American Indian, Navajo wisdom keeper.

Listening to these words, underneath the expansive shade of the Dawn Redwood tree and the smell of pink roses and magnolias at Central Park's upper west side, gave me a profound awakening.

"The world is imbalanced, broken. We make it whole again by going back to our sacred selves. Healing is a state of harmlessness. We do not fight war with war. The cycle of imbalance will continue. The three belief systems of religion, philosophy, and academic theory are responsible for this kind of parasitic system," she said calmly.

The key, she said, is to go back to the sacred self thinking, the reverence that all in life is whole and holy and founded on love and positivity.

"The natural system is the one belief system. We are all part of the divine and the natural flow of things. And so we go back to the concept of the Divine Feminine, where there is no domination-submission, where the feminine as the giver of life is supported and protected by man. It used to be that way, until the parasitic belief system took over to subjugate Mother Earth."

She said activism is a limited and same level engagement to counter the status quo. "One has to be an advocate for a win-win situation. I am thus an advocate, not an activist. Activism only means to equalize force against force. One has to raise a political consciousness into the more sublime, holistic view."

Patricia is setting the stage for world-wide consciousness of the wisdom of natural thinking, serenely in places that are felt to be sacred. Born in Arizona and raised in New Mexico, she became her father's heiress of wisdom, through lineage, initiation, and training.

Through Patricia, more and more people - the young, the restless, the sick, and confused - are seeing things in a holistic manner to heal themselves and to understand life better. With this mindset, healthy eating sets in, mind de-stressing activities are being studied and applied, and a positive outlook and respect for others take place in each individual.

In many sacred spaces in the US, and in the world, the rebirth of the holistic thinking is taking shape. This for me is a beautiful transformation of humanity, slow but unpretentious.

WWII Veteran Honored in Biggest Gala in the US

By Marivir R. Montebon
New York City

In 2011, WWII veteran Felino Punsalan was accorded a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 6th Annual People’s Ball of the Washington, DC-based Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) for his effort to have the USAFFE veterans under Gen. Douglas McArthur recognized and rewarded by the US government.
In May this year, he passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 95 in San Francisco, California, still very much involved in the campaign for justice for the veterans. Punsalan’s struggle would not be in vain, for the inspiration he left behind will energize those who shall continue with the quest.
The MHC will give Punsalan's family his Posthumous Award during the 8th Annual People's Ball, the biggest gala of Philippine immigrants and advocates in the US at the national capital's Marriott Wardman Hotel on June 22, 2013.
Punsalan and all the other remaining Philippine soldiers have ceaselessly called on Pres. Obama to grant full benefits to Filipino veterans who until now have been denied the corresponding benefits as war heroes. All the other WWII veterans of the 65 allied countries were given full benefits by the US government, except the Filipino soldiers.
Punsalan called this institutionalized racial discrimination. He served the World War II but because his name was not in the Missouri List, he was unable to get any benefit from the US government as one of its freedom fighters. He died fighting for his right. His group, the Justice for Filipino Veterans, continue their campaign for equity.
"We fought and won the war that made America the greatest country on earth. We have to be duly recognized, as the other allied soldiers were," Punsalan used to say.
Born on June 1,1918 in Concepcion, province of Tarlac, Punsalan had been orphaned early. His father, Anselmo Punsalan, died when he was two months old and his mother, Bibiana Coronel, died when he was nine. A sister provided for his grade school education; an elder brother for his high school education.
Punsalan married Edith Refundo Ardena, an elementary school teacher, with whom he has six children: Imelda, Edgar (deceased), Renato, Susan, Brenda, and Alan.
He worked as stenographer at a private office in Manila in 1940-1941 and joined the army during WWII and was a member of the United States Forces Far East (USAFFE). He retired with a rank of Master Sergeant in 1966. He joined the Bureau of Customs- Piers and Baggage Inspection Division 1966- 1983 and received an award “Best Employee” in 1976.
He migrated to the US in November, 1983 and eventually took the advocacy campaign for equity benefits for the Filipino veterans.
He may have been a good lawyer, but he dropped out on the third year at the College of Law of the Far Eastern University for economic and health reasons. He gives high regard to education and once said, “…after reading my story you may have noticed that in my family, I am the only one without a college degree. It is really difficult to be an orphan at an early age. It is very good for children to have parents who could guide them to the pathways towards good college education.”
The JFAV have lobbied for equal protection for two groups, one group belongs to the Filipino veterans and the other group is composed of widows and children of the veterans who passed away.
Recently, the veterans found an ally in the office of Democratic US Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid-NV who promised to work closely with equity champion Senator Brian Schatz-HI and other leaders to bring about the passage of S690, “The Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2013,” on the floor.
This came as a result of the week long lobbying by volunteers of the JFAV at the Capitol. The office of Senator Durbin recommended either to right away co-sponsor or vote for the bill when it’s on the floor.
Schatz was given the right to stand up and state support for the bill he introduced. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski- AK together with Senators Mazie Hirono- HI and Mark Begich- AK co-sponsored his bill.
In the House, Rep. Jackie Speier- CA introduced a companion bill with 33 co-sponsors including Republican Joe Heck- NV. Schatz called on his colleagues in Congress to join him in moving swiftly to pass this legislation, "so that we can finally fulfill the promise of equal rights for thousands of veterans across the country, and fully honor the men and women who served our country so bravely in a time of war."
JVAC coordinator Arturo Garcia welcomed the bill of Sen. Schatz. “The Fairness Act by Senator Schatz provides
unconditional recognition and full compensation while the Promise Act by Senator Heller simply affirms the lump sum payment for pain and suffering, and minimizes benefits,” said Garcia.
JFAV is obviously supporting the Fairness Act.
Aside from lobbying at the Capitol, JFAV has filed a certiorari on their case before the Supreme Court, after the Court of Appeals in California affirmed the decision of the district court to dismiss their benefit claims in February this year.
As the soldiers continue to lobby for their campaign, Garcia said they will sorely miss the veteran Punsalan, who, at 95, still had the zest to belt out songs with his beautiful voice and the stamina to dance gracefully. (Photos by JFAV)

Humanity in a Flag, Freedom for a Nation

By Leani M. Auxilio
New York City

College students with Filipino heritage from all over the East Coast gathered together to join this year's Phillipine Independence Day Parade, wearing red, blue, yellow, and white. In the sweltering heat, they gamely marched behind singer-actor Gary Valenciano's float, smiled for the sea of cameras that stretched ten blocks down Madison Avenue, and chanted "We are FIND, we are Pinoy!" To those watching from their apartments and offices above, the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking and Dialogue organization must have looked like a living, breathing human Filipino flag.

I, despite just having had surgery done on my thyroid two weeks prior, was a tiny blue speck in that flag, screaming and laughing myself hoarse just like everyone else.

Though we were celebrating our 115th Independence Day that day, I couldn't help but wonder: Is the Philippines truly free?

Instead of being in the homeland on June 12 to celebrate our Independence Day, we spend it in a foreign land on June 2 because living conditions back home would most certainly turn atrocious, near unbearable and bleak if those of us here were to return home for good. We do not even have the freedom to go back home, yet here we are in New York City, celebrating our hard-won victories over the Castilla, the Kano, and the Hapon.

Under the heavy heat of the sun during the parade, this was the thought that crossed my mind: Freedom remains an illusion for us, this gentle race of people who even up to now, 115 years after fighting for our freedom and winning, continue to name ourselves after the King who trampled upon our culture and stole land from our forebears. Though we have no physical colonizers these days, older Filipinos are still trapped, colonized within their own minds. We of the younger generation fare no better, as we are still searching for a collective identity that would finally, completely define us.

The Philippines is still not our own.

The fight for Independence is not over yet. It is just that instead of pitting our bolos and machetes against their guns, we are now waging war against our ghosts, our insecurities and uncertainties as a people. Our flag isn't just a piece of cloth hung on a pole, waving uselessly in the air like a dead man hanging from the gallows. Our flag isn't just red, blue, yellow, and white.

Our flag is a living, breathing, sentient being. One that not only laughs and screams itself hoarse at times when excited, but also one that cries and becomes outraged when faced with injustice. It stretches farther back than just ten blocks down Madison Avenue, farther back than when it was designed by Aguinaldo and sewn by Doña Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad. The Philippine flag begins with the warriors who first fought to protect their families, lands, heritage and future against Spain, and as of this moment, ends with my generation.

We call ourselves the Filipino Renaissance. We are the Filipino youth, and we will make it so that true Independence for our nation will finally be ours. (Photos by Marivir R. Montebon)

 

[gallery columns="6" ids="2339,2338,2337,2336,2335,2333,2331,2330,2326,2329,2328,2325,2324"]

FIRST FILIPINO AFRICAN-AMERICAN Teener wins MISS TEEN PHILIPPINES-AMERICA TITLE

By Grace Valera Jaramillo

Washington, DC -- After 28 years, a Filipino-African American won for the first time, the title of MISS TEEN PHILIPPINES-AMERICA, organized by the Ilocano Society of America (ISA).

Eighteen-year-old Chastity Centina, 5'6' multi-talented tri-lingual young lady speaks Tagalog, Visayan and English. She impressed the judges with her witty answers during the Interview segment held the day before, captivated everyone with her well poised and graceful cobra-walk at the evening gown portion and made everybody glued to their seats as she did Beyonce's "Crazy in love " dance number as her talent.

Except for the question and answer portion, Chastity consistently topped the Judges scores making her win the prestigious title of MISS TEEN PHILIPPINES-AMERICA.

It was also a great emotional moment for Chastity that night for she met her Dad, Chris Barnes, for the first time after 18 years. Having been borne to teenage parents, her Dad only saw and held her briefly when she was born. At the age of three, she was brought home to the Philippines and was taken care of by her grandfather Popoy, who brought her back to the U.S. only last year prior to her grandfather's demise. (AURELIO CENTINA, nicknamed "Popoy" was retired from LOCKHEED-MARTIN Corporation, NASA Communications Project.)

It was a touching , tearful reunion for Chastity Centina and her North Carolina-based Dad, who found her only through Facebook.

First Runner-up and Miss Teen Philippines-Washington D.C. Hannah Cristine Delgado followed her closely (with a few points difference). She's the youngest among the candidates having turned 15 only earlier this year. She was also voted by her fellow candidates as the friendliest hence she was given the Miss Teen Congeniality Special Award. Hannah is of Peruvian-American and Filipino parentage but she lost her father to lung cancer when she was 10 years old. Shyanne Carr, also of mixed Filipino African-American parents, was given the title Miss Teen Philippines Maharlika for her exotic royalty princess like beauty. The tallest of them all, Velarie Velasquez captured the Judges' attention through her photos and was awarded Miss Teen Philippines Photogenic and was also given the title of Miss Teen Philippines-Visayas. Miss Teen Philippines-Luzon title went to Miss Niña Bonita Lapa who lived up to her name combining singing and dancing in her talent segment. Kathy Barnachea enthralled everyone with her elegant "tsunami" Binibining Pilipinas walk in her red gown. She has the title Miss Teen Philippines-Mindanao and garnered the two special awards of Miss Teen Popularity and Miss Teen Charity. And finally but not the least, the graceful lass Alyssa Avelino who got the Miss Teen Philippiness Maria Clara for her classic Filipina mestiza looks.

All of the girls were trained by professionals, (among them was Miss U.S.A. Nikki Poteet) from speaking to modelling, dancing and to practice interview. Each of them was given scholarship cash prize with the top winner getting the highest value. Aside from, crown, sash and scepter, Chastity also won a roundtrip ticket within the continental U.S. from Alpha Travel and ISA, gift items from MACYs, Lou and Cho Ortega, MJD Traders, Dr. Ryan's dental clinic, facial treatment from SPA.

It was indeed a tough job for the Board of Judges headed by Miss Nikki Poteet, 2012 Miss U.S.A. and 2011 Miss Virginia-USA, together with Phil.Embassy's Jose Gentiles, Atty. Arnedo Valera, John Paul Hamilton, and MACY's Mila Ford.

ISA President Grace Valera handled the entire Miss Teen production from the opening dance number to the minutest detail together with equally patient and versatile ISA Officers, parents, former Miss Teen beauties, MHC team and other ISA volunteers, most of whom have handled the pageant for the last 28 years !

All of the teenage beauties, who are in honor roll and are consistent achievers, will take their oath as MHC Youth Envoys for Unity and Service during the 8th Annual Migrant Heritage Ball on 22 June 2013 and will be part of the MHC Fil-Am Youth delegation to the Int'l Youth Assembly at the United Nations (UN) in New York. They will also be representing the Fil-Am community in showcasing the Philippines to the American mainstream during the 4th of July American National Independence Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA, the birthplace of American Independence.



 

(Grace Valera-Jaramillo is the co-Executive Director of the Migrant Heritage Commission which is based in Washington, DC)

PAFCOM Fundraiser for Philippine Projects

The Philippine-American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM) had a successful fundraiser event on June 1, 2013 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Newark Airport.

[caption id="attachment_2323" align="aligncenter" width="300"] L-R: Carol Llamas Kirby, Gracelyn F. Santos, May Raagas Tumulak Durano, Ruth Sityar Medina, Marian Reyes, Madeline Carpentiere, Gail Banawis and MiSook Mendonça.[/caption]

Grand Ball chairperson May Durano led in pulling off the affair as targetted, raising funds to finance projects in the Philippines and to create a more widely participated Philippine Independence Day Parade in New Jersey.





 

 

RICO FOZ: A Whole New Healthy World

By Marivir R. Montebon

When life teaches a lesson, the greatest challenge is to learn it fast, otherwise one loses it. Educator, community leader, and human rights advocate Rico Foz, had to quickly take a grip of healthy living when his lesson was about losing to cancer.

Today, he is at the helm of the health care industry, as executive director of Care Group USA which he and his wife Meryl established in July 2011 in San Mateo, California.

Having dedicated much of his life to advocacies on health and human rights, Rico now enjoys living a life of deeper meaning when his family moved to California since two years ago, after his triumphant battle against cancer of the esophagus.

Public service and advocacy of issues now take a much better perspective for Rico who considers good health as the key to be able to efficiently serve and prolong one's precious life.

He lived with his wife and two children most of their years in the East Coast, particularly in New York and New Jersey. Moving to the West Coast, where the weather isn't as punishing, had truly helped him recover. "A new lease in life," he said.

Rico's leadership rests on more than 25 years of experience in profit and non-profit management. His managerial skills are on Business Development Management, profitability, marketing, policy and procedure management, human resource management, and strategic planning and management.

For the nonprofit management, he is well into advocacy and policy Development, alliance development, event planning, grant writing, and social media marketing.

Excerpts:

1. What is your lifestyle now in terms of diet and activities after having been declared cancer-free?

Although there have been no restrictions, I have taken pre-cautionary steps to my diet. Since part of my esophagus and part of my stomach were cut (and sewn back together), my food intake capacity became a lot smaller. Smaller but more frequent portions of meal is what I am now doing, every two hours. As for my activities, I try to exert effort to physically exercise. Pero hinay-hinay din, kasi pag nabibigla ako (But gradually too, because if I do it abruptly), for whatever reason my sugar goes down thus, I feel very weak. I have yet to establish my new normal in terms of physical activities.

There are a lot of frustrations along the way. Sa diet, kasi akala ko nun, pag napuno na ang tyan ko, busog na rin ako. (On my diet, I thought that when my stomach is full, I feel full.) Reality is, puno na ang tyan ko, but I still crave for more pero hindi na kaya (Although I am full, I still crave for more but my stomach cannot take it anymore).

So I have to wait for an hour or two for my next bite. Torture. If I try to consume more than I should, my heart palpitates and again my sugar level drops fast, nakapanlalambot talaga (truly weakening).

2. Attitude-wise, what has changed in you?

Having survived a cancer is indeed a blessing for new opportunities, new life. My perspective definitely changed. Natakot ako (I was scared) for my loved ones, for my wife, Meryl and my kids, Mike and Gabby. They nearly lost me at a very young age. My priorities shifted too. Now, I take advantage of every moment spent with them. Most of the things I do now is dedicated to them.

The same with my community services and advocacies. I told myself, I would need to create concrete projects to benefit as many people as possible. I shifted priorities. Instead of pure advocacies, I put in concrete programs.

3. What realizations has life taught you after this triumph?

That no matter how long we live, our lives are short. Might as well do as much as we can to serve people...and while serving, our health must also be kept in tip-top shape. Hindi kasi ako naging maingat nuon (I wasn't careful before).

Madalas, dahil sa dami nating gawain sa community, nakakaligtaan nating kumain then nalilipasan tayo ng gutom. Kahit na di na ako makatulog sa hapdi ng sikmura, binabale wala at iinum lang ng antacids, tapos na. (Often, because of so much work in the community, we fail to eat on time. Although I suffered from acid stomach that gave me sleepless nights, I just took antacids and continued the same lifestyle).

I never took advantage of my health benefits before, hence my health condition worsened.

I was diagnosed with GERD in 2007 after an endoscopy and I was prescribed medication and was asked to be scoped once a year. But when I felt better, I stopped my medications and chronically postponed my endoscopy procedures. To make matters worse, I smoked a lot, which is a risk factor of GERD. Hence, I had cancer.

So I realized, the mind and body have to be in good condition to be able to serve the others. Kung kotse nga konting problema nasa mekaniko tayo, ganun din dapat sa kalusugan. (When our cars had mechanical problems, we immediately go to the mechanic. The same attitude should be given to our health).

4. Is life a lot better in California than in the east coast? Do you enjoy it here better?

There is a big difference in the East and West coasts. Para sa akin, mas naging madali ang recovery ko sa ganda ng panahon sa California. (I believe I recovered fast because of the good weather in California).
In California, the winter feels like spring in New Jersey. I feel comfortable. I didn't have to wake up early to shovel and clean the car after a blizzard. I can also dispose of garbage without the ritual of too many clothes to put on. (Laughs)

5. What keeps you busy these days? Any projects?

My wife, Meryl and I, recently put up a corporation here in San Mateo County, known as Careway Health Initiatives. It has six divisions to concretize our vision to be a "one-stop caregivers' resource for elder care". Fully operational na yung Careway At-Home, an in-home care and senior referral agency. We are in the process of putting up Careway Health Institute, private post-secondary training school for care providers. The other divisions are works in progress.

A nonprofit entity is also being established to complement these health initiatives. This keeps me busy these days.

WRITING ACROSS BORDERS: An Inspiring Breakthrough by the NWU

By Tim Sheard
Chair
National Writers Union-NY

New York City -- Tears, cheers and laughter filled the room as the speakers in the opening plenary of the WRITING ACROSS BORDERS conference discussed how they write about the immigrant experience. Brought together by the New York chapter of the National Writers Union, Esther Armah, from Ghana & London, looked at the speakers and commented, "This is what a group of writers talking about immigration is supposed to look like: a black woman from Africa, a Mexicano from the American southwest, and a Filipino woman who has been in prison under the dictatorship in her home country. This is the diversity that represents writers who cross borders."

The speakers went on to talk about the dominant narrative about immigrants, which robs them of their individuality and their dignity, and how writers can and must defeat that narrative with story. Sergio Troncoso read a brief selection from his latest collection of essay, Crossing Borders: Personal Essays, that brought tears to the eyes, as he described chatting in Spanish with two women sent to make up his room in a fancy hotel.

When the women learned Sergio was a Chicano who had come from a humble background and worked his way up to become a successful writer, they confessed they had to work sixteen hour days and had no time to learn English. Sergio gave them a copy of his book and suggested they ask their children to read it to them so that they would see what is possible for an immigrant who has a dream.

The speakers talked about how publishers, school boards and book reviewers shun books by immigrant writers - even award winning authors - in favor of mainstream, white writers. The biased selection process reflects an exploitative system that uses immigrants for cheap labor, or, as transnational Filipina Ninotchka Rosca pointed out, for the unpaid, dehumanizing labor of trafficked women and domestic workers toiling for years with no political rights and no legal safeguards.

Writers, Esther reminded us, can and must fight to change the social order by changing the dominant narrative. We must write the stories that bring immigrants into the light of individuality and dignity. "There is a morality of description," Sergio pointed out. "If the protagonist is always an educated white male or white woman and the people of color are always crooks or invisible people with no personal lives, that narrative choice is an immoral use of language." Esther agreed.
"Such writers refuse to call a thing what it is: it dehumanizes and de-individualizes a group of people - especially people of color - and the writing supports their exploitation and degradation."

All agreed that when we write about immigrants with honesty and compassion we begin to change the dominant narrative and advance the cause of human rights and social equality.

A lively series of questions continued the discussion, which ran a half hour over the two-hour time limit. No one wanted the discussion to end. But with four more writers waiting to take their turn in the next panel, we closed the plenary with a round of applause for these courageous writers of color.

A video of the session will be posted by the Empire State College, which they will share with the National Writers Union and with the world.